Response of arthropod communities to plant-community rehabilitation efforts after strip mining on the semi-arid west coast of South Africa

Steed, Adam; Swart, Rudi C.; Pauw, Marco J; Roets, Francois

doi:10.2989/10220119.2018.1518486

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 59 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…By contrast, the arthropod community can re-establish itself irrespective of plant community recovery, but this response is related more to general resource availability such as vegetation cover. This pattern appears to be consistent among several studies in the Karoo (Steed et al 2018). From a social perspective, the trade-offs concerning different potential land-use futures following rehabilitation are confounded by the marginalisation of local people in decision-making (Walker et al 2018).…”

Section: Themes Of Change Covered By the Karoo Special Issuesupporting

confidence: 85%

Introduction to the Karoo Special Issue: Trajectories of Change in the Anthropocene

Henschel

Hoffman

Walker

2018

African Journal of Range & Forage Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the Anthropocene, complex systemic interconnections between humans and global biogeophysical and socioeconomic processes have begun to dominate Earth Systems (Chin et al. 2013; Oldfield et al. 2014). Given the complexities of Earth Systems and human societies, as well as the range and unprecedented scale of both destructive and creative human capabilities, there is no simple way of identifying and analysing causes and effects. However, what is required is an ongoing commitment towards iteratively informed decision-making, which will manage a balance in favour of sustainable and equitable outcomes. The Karoo is no different, currently facing more diverse social and ecological issues than ever before. This Karoo Special Issue (KSI) brings together research by natural and social scientists in order to better understand the drivers of change in the Karoo, as well as their possible future trajectories in the era of the Anthropocene. In the context of such daunting considerations, we herewith introduce the Karoo and its local particularities. The Karoo as a place of change The Karoo is an arid to semi-arid area (mean annual precipitation between 100 and 400 mm, CV 33%-40%) that extends across western southern Africa, covering nearly one-third of South Africa and one-third of Namibia. This KSI brings together research undertaken in the South African portion of the Karoo. The largest portion falls within the Northern Cape province, but extensive areas are also located in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State provinces (see map in Walker et al. 2018). The borders of the Karoo are blurred, with decisions as to its precise contours dependent on the purpose of the exercise. Contemporary understandings of subregions within the Karoo do not map precisely on historical definitions of places, while social and administrative considerations complicate more strictly environmental definitions. Fundamentally, however, the Karoo comprises two biomes, the Succulent Karoo and the Nama-Karoo (Table 1). One of the remarkable features of the winter rainfall Succulent

show abstract

Section: Themes Of Change Covered By the Karoo Special Issuesupporting

confidence: 85%