Assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of rangeland restoration in Namaqualand, South Africa

Bourne, Amanda R.; Muller, Halcyone; Villiers, Ancois Carien de; Alam, Mahbubul; Hole, David G.

doi:10.1007/s11258-016-0644-3

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The only paper mentioning actual costs paid for site preparation is Kimiti et al (2017) who record the prices of labor and materials to construct barriers used for rangeland restoration in Laikipia, Kenya, with costs ranging from USD 16/ha (barriers using branches and dung) to USD 244/ha (barriers using branches and nylon). The site preparation activities presented by Bourne et al (2017) and Phillips-Mao et al (2015) fall within a similar cost range (the most costly activity being "hydrology restoration" at USD 283/ha, Phillips-Mao et al 2015). Török et al (2011) report much higher costs, recording costs for community translocation ranging from USD 20,837/ha for shallow layer translocation in lowland heath/ acid grasslands in the United Kingdom to USD 4,172,462/ha for deep layer translocation in wet moorlands and grasslands in Germany.…”

Section: Literature Review Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Ranges of costed restoration activities mentioned in literature, sorted by restoration phase and cost per hectare. Reference codes in table: A,Phillips- Mao et al (2015); B,Strehlow et al (2017); C,Bourne et al (2017); D, Török et al (2011); E,Kimiti et al (2017); F,Sheley et al (2014). a substantial difference between the per hectare costs of sowing and planting with different labor requirements: USD 86/ha for labor to lay native hay mulch and USD 2,271/ ha to transplant native soil plugs.…”

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confidence: 99%

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How much does is cost to restore a grassland?

Knight

Overbeck

2021

Restoration Ecology

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Knowledge of the costs involved to implement a restoration project is imperative to most cost‐effectively allocate restoration funds, aid the prioritization of efforts, minimize waste, and conceive realistic objectives. When integrated with information regarding ecological and other socioeconomic indicators, consistent and complete cost‐reporting not only informs evaluations of overall project success but also aids practitioners and academics alike to assess the suitability of restoration innovations prior to implementation. Yet, despite awareness of the lack of cost information in restoration literature for at least 30 years, cost reporting, and thus analysis of cost variability, is still rare. This study discusses the results of a literature review and questionnaire conducted with grassland restoration practitioners internationally in order to better understand the costs related to grassland restoration, and to attempt to explain sources of variability in cost data. Only 12 scientific papers reporting cost data were retrieved, and although widely distributed, only 15 responses to the survey were registered. Northern hemisphere temperate grassland restoration projects dominated. Costs for grassland restoration were extremely variable, with costs of individual restoration activities/phases ranging from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. This variation derives from the highly context‐dependent nature of ecological restoration. The lack of cost data may hinder implementation of broader scale restoration projects, and mechanisms should be sought to collect standardized information and make it better available.

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Section: Literature Review Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

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confidence: 99%

How much does is cost to restore a grassland?

Knight

Overbeck

2021

Restoration Ecology

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“…There are many studies on the responses of South African ecosystems to contemporary and future predicted climate change (e.g., [67][68][69][70][71]), but there is less understanding of how these responses affect the provision of different ecosystem services [72,73]. Likewise, many studies have examined ecosystem responses to land degradation (and its converse, restoration) in South Africa (e.g., [51,[74][75][76]). In addition, any possible changes in species composition or the success of individual species within these mapped ecosystems, such as by the spread of invasive species, are also not well known (e.g., [77,78]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valuation of Ecosystem Services in South Africa, 2001–2019

et al. 2021

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Although changes in ecosystems in response to climate and land-use change are known to have implications for the provision of different environmental and ecosystem services, quantifying the economic value of some of these services can be problematic and has not been widely attempted. Here, we used a simplified raster remote sensing model based on MODIS data across South Africa for five different time slices for the period 2001–2019. The aims of the study were to quantify the economic changes in ecosystem services due to land degradation and land-cover changes based on areal values (in USD ha−1 yr−1) for ecosystem services reported in the literature. Results show progressive and systematic changes in land-cover classes across different regions of South Africa for the time period of analysis, which are attributed to climate change. Total ecosystem service values for South Africa change somewhat over time as a result of land-use change, but for 2019 this calculated value is USD 437 billion, which is ~125% of GDP. This is the first estimation of ecosystem service value made for South Africa at the national scale. In detail, changes in land cover over time within each of the nine constituent provinces in South Africa mean that ecosystem service values also change regionally. There is a clear disparity between the provinces with the greatest ecosystem service values when compared to their populations and contribution to GDP. This highlights the potential for untapped ecosystem services to be exploited as a tool for regional sustainable development.

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“…In their paper, Bourne et al (2017) detail the significant degradation of the highly diverse vegetation of South Africa's Succulent Karoo as a result of decades of heavy grazing and fodder production. By combining two case studies, (1) outcomes of a local-scale restoration trial and (2) a cost-benefit assessment of regional-scale restoration efforts, the authors identify opportunities and challenges that face restoration in South Africa.…”

Section: Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

The age of restoration: challenges presented by dryland systems

Svejcar

Kildisheva

2017

Plant Ecol

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Intact drylands are highly evolved and complex ecosystems, which allow them to be productive despite harsh environmental conditions. However, drylands are particularly susceptible to degradation, even after minor disturbance events. Conditions for natural plant recruitment in dryland systems are spatially and temporally irregular, which can create challenges for restoration. Large-scale restoration and rehabilitation of dryland ecosystems have become a global concern, prompted by ever-increasing anthropogenic pressure and associated degradation of these natural systems worldwide. The success of plant reestablishment programs in these regions is closely linked to both ecological and socioeconomic opportunities and limitations. This special issue brings together papers that discuss the roles which ecological and socioeconomic factors play in influencing dryland ecosystem restoration outcomes. We aim to (1) highlight the current status of recovery efforts taking place across a range of dryland ecosystems, emphasize advances in the region-specific understanding of plant community development, and (2) provide comparisons between the primary drivers and limitations to restoration that exist across dryland systems.

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Assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of rangeland restoration in Namaqualand, South Africa

Cited by 13 publications

References 41 publications

How much does is cost to restore a grassland?

How much does is cost to restore a grassland?

Valuation of Ecosystem Services in South Africa, 2001–2019

The age of restoration: challenges presented by dryland systems

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