Fifty years of land use change in the Swartland, Western Cape, South Africa: characteristics, causes and consequences

Halpern, Aron; Meadows, Michael E.

doi:10.1080/03736245.2013.806101

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Urbanization has also increased rapidly in the Swartland over the last 40 years, with a current growth rate of 5.6% (Western Cape Government 2017). This trend is partly due to an influx of migrant workers, as well as the expansion of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area into the southern part of the Swartland, and the expansion of the administrative centre Malmesbury (Halpern and Meadows 2013;Western Cape Government 2017). The endemic natural renosterveld vegetation has therefore been affected by both recent and historical land-use changes.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is a fire-prone, shrubscrub, evergreen ecosystem also known as 'Cape transitional small-leaved shrublands' (Cowling 1983). Renosterveld contains more than 800 plant species, including many endemic geophytes and succulents (Halpern and Meadows 2013;Bergh et al 2014). Whereas renosterveld formerly covered much of the Swartland, less than 3% natural west-coast renosterveld vegetation now remains, mostly in fragments on steep slopes and hilltops among intensively farmed private land (Moll and Bossi 1984;McDowell and Moll 1992;Newton and Knight 2005;Halpern and Meadows 2013).…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Renosterveld contains more than 800 plant species, including many endemic geophytes and succulents (Halpern and Meadows 2013;Bergh et al 2014). Whereas renosterveld formerly covered much of the Swartland, less than 3% natural west-coast renosterveld vegetation now remains, mostly in fragments on steep slopes and hilltops among intensively farmed private land (Moll and Bossi 1984;McDowell and Moll 1992;Newton and Knight 2005;Halpern and Meadows 2013). While agricultural expansion is the major driver of renosterveld loss in the Swartland, other threats include biological invasions and climate change, which can converge with poor land management and further deteriorate renosterveld (Kemper et al 1999;Topp and Loos 2019).…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decision-making for nature’s contributions to people in the Cape Floristic Region: the role of values, rules and knowledge

2021

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Nature conservation on privately owned land depends on land managers’ decision-making. Interactions between values, rules and knowledge (vrk) underpin decision-making, thus, it is important to understand these interactions to support conservation intentions. We investigated how different sets of vrk determine the decision-making context regarding the management and conservation of renosterveld, a critically endangered ecosystem in the Cape Floristic Region, and how this relates to land managers’ perceptions of nature’s contributions to people (NCP). From interviews with thirty land managers, we identified nine value types, four rule types, three knowledge types and 13 different NCP. We found that different vrk combinations can be grouped into three decision-making contexts: Bottom-up conservation, Top-down conservation and Utility. Each context is associated with the perception of different beneficial and detrimental NCP. Regulating NCP are perceived across all contexts, whereas more non-material NCP are associated with a Bottom-up conservation context and relational values, such as family ties. The prevalence of relational values in Bottom-up and Top-down conservation contexts illustrates the complexity and non-substitutability of the dynamic relationships between renosterveld and people. This indicates the importance of plural valuation in nature conservation to foster diverse NCP provided by renosterveld.

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Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decision-making for nature’s contributions to people in the Cape Floristic Region: the role of values, rules and knowledge

2021

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“…In the Cape Lowlands region, less than 10% of original lowland renosterveld remains (Von Hase et al 2003). In the Swartland, renosterveld cover changed from 11.23% in 1960 to 2.50% in 2010 (Halpern & Meadows 2013). Of four regions of West Coast renosterveld studied by Newton and Knight (2005a), the Kapokberg region in the Swartland (33’24’54”S; 18’23’53”E) underwent the greatest transformation from 1938 to 2000, losing 47.6% of renosterveld vegetation.…”

Section: Second-level Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given both the high endemism rate and the acute landscape changes in renosterveld (e.g., Halpern & Meadows 2013), a synthesis of the scientific understanding of its ecology and conservation to date is needed in order to inform targeted conservation measures. Here, we present the first systematic literature map and synthesis of renosterveld ecology and conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fragmented Landscape, Fragmented Knowledge: A Synthesis of Renosterveld Ecology and Conservation

Topp

Loos

2019

Envir. Conserv.

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SummaryKnowledge of ecological patterns and processes is key to effective conservation of biodiversity hotspots under threat. Renosterveld is one of the most critically endangered habitats in the biologically unique Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. For the first time, we map and synthesize the current state of knowledge on renosterveld ecology and conservation. We investigated 132 studies for the themes, locations and taxa of renosterveld research and the fragmentation, threats, recommendations and barriers to renosterveld conservation. More studies focused on plants than any other taxa (48% of articles) and are conducted mostly in larger, intact renosterveld fragments. The most commonly identified threat to renosterveld was agricultural intensification; conservation recommendations spanned improved farming practices, formal protection and local patch management. Conservation implementation has been piecemeal and has depended largely on the goodwill of landowners, which can be constrained by costs of conservation measures and a lack of suitable restoration means. Citizen science is a promising potential solution to some barriers. Fragmented knowledge in such a transformed and relatively densely populated region highlights the scale of knowledge gaps for other biodiversity hotspots and has implications for ongoing conservation work.

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The Cape Winelands

Meadows

2015

World Geomorphological Landscapes

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The major wine-producing region of South Africa is located in the south-western part of the country and widely known as the Cape Winelands. The region is geologically characterised by rocks of the Malmesbury, Cape Granite and Table Mountain Groups. Vineyards are located on soils developed under all three of these major geological substrates where slope conditions allow, as well as on the sand and gravel plains of the rivers that drain the region. The most striking geomorphological feature is the contrast between relatively gently rolling plateau country of the Swartland underlain by Malmesbury shales and Cape Granite, and the rugged topography of the Table Mountain Group sandstone-dominated Cape Fold Belt mountains to the east. Combinations of climate, geology, slope and soil factors, coupled with the efforts of the winemakers, give rise to contrasting terroirs in the region which favours the production of different styles, character and quality of wine produced. The winelands represent a suite of cultural landscapes that justify significant conservation efforts both for their historical and natural resource value.

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Fifty years of land use change in the Swartland, Western Cape, South Africa: characteristics, causes and consequences

Cited by 10 publications

References 18 publications

Decision-making for nature’s contributions to people in the Cape Floristic Region: the role of values, rules and knowledge

Decision-making for nature’s contributions to people in the Cape Floristic Region: the role of values, rules and knowledge

Fragmented Landscape, Fragmented Knowledge: A Synthesis of Renosterveld Ecology and Conservation

The Cape Winelands

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