Soil erosion and dam dividends: science facts and rural ‘fiction’ around the Ntabelanga dam, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Tol, Johan van; Akpan, Wilson; Kanuka, Gcobisa; Ngesi, Siphamandla; Lange, Dirk

doi:10.1080/03736245.2014.977814

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The area is underlain by sedimentary rocks of the Tarkastad subgroup and Beaufort karoo supergroup with post-karoo doleritic intrusions [18, 19]. The area is characterized by highly unstable soils that are prone to erosion, as evidenced by extensive areas of severe gully erosion on the interfluvial areas adjacent to stream channels [13]. Mucina and Rutherford [20] described the vegetation of the study area as subescarpment grassland and subescarpment savanna bioregions dominated by moist grasslands and Acacia spp.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This vegetation type occurs at an altitude of 880–1860 m above sea level with the landscape characterized by moderately rolling hills [20]. Households in Ntemalanga catchment area have small permanent arable land between 0.1 ha and 0.5 ha of the 1 ha homestead land allocated to them by the tribal authorities to subsistence agriculture [13]. The arable lands are typically consolidated rainfed farming areas, which can be made up of several plots (1 to 3 ha or more).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The dam will also provide water to irrigate approximately 2,900 ha of arable land and there will be a small hydropower plant at the dam to generate between 0.75 MW and 5 MW (average 2.1 MW) [12]. Research by Van Tol et al [13] revealed that large dams play an important role in rejuvenating economic and social development but are often associated with environmental degradation through permanent inundation of previously dry areas, alteration of stream flow regimes, reduction in natural flooding, and fragmentation of river ecosystems, thereby reducing species diversity. The present study reports on plant diversity and useful plant species in the Ntabelanga dam catchment area that will be impacted by the construction of the dam.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of Useful Plants in the Catchment Area of the Proposed Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Maroyi

2017

The Scientific World Journal

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Background The developmental projects, particularly construction of dams, result in permanent changes of terrestrial ecosystems through inundation. Objective The present study was undertaken aiming at documenting useful plant species in Ntabelanga dam catchment area that will be impacted by the construction of the proposed dam. Methods A total of 55 randomly selected quadrats were used to assess plant species diversity and composition. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods were used to identify useful plant species growing in the catchment area through interviews with 108 randomly selected participants. Results A total of 197 plant species were recorded with 95 species (48.2%) utilized for various purposes. Use categories included ethnoveterinary and herbal medicines (46 species), food plants (37 species), construction timber and thatching (14 species), firewood (five species), browse, live fence, and ornamental (four species each), and brooms and crafts (two species). Conclusion This study showed that plant species play an important role in the daily life and culture of local people. The construction of Ntabelanga dam is, therefore, associated with several positive and negative impacts on plant resources which are not fully integrated into current decision-making, largely because of lack of multistakeholder dialogue on the socioeconomic issues of such an important project.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of Useful Plants in the Catchment Area of the Proposed Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Maroyi

2017

The Scientific World Journal

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“…This work followed on studies of Van Tol et al [19,20]. In these studies the soils of land type Db344 were mapped in some detail.…”

Section: Site Selection and Soil Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Ntabelanga area is covered by land type Db344 that has only 10.2% of the soils with a low sensitivity to erosion. The majority, 71.3% of the area is covered by highly sensitive to erosion with the remaining 18.5% having moderate sensitivity to erosion [19,20]. The Ntabelanga area receives an annual rainfall total of about 749 mm, with most of it falling in December and January.…”

Section: Description Of the Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Stability of Soil Organic Matter and Soil Loss Dynamics under Short-term Soil Moisture Change Regimes

Parwada¹,

Tol²

2017

Agrotechnology

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Soil properties are known to be influenced Soil Organic Matter (SOM) resident time. However, there is limited information on the interactive effects of SOM quality and soil moisture on SOC and Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC) hence on soil losses. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of different organic matter and soil moisture in soils with low (<2%) initial SOC content on the SOC, MBC and soil loss with time of organic matter incorporation. Six soils were incubated for 34 weeks at 25°C after adding high quality (C/N=23) Vachellia karroo leaf litter and low quality (C/N=41) Zea mays stover. The effect of SOM quality and soil moisture on the SOC content, MBC and soil loss was significantly (P<0.05) the same within but varied across soils. Soils that were continuously wet lost more SOC than under alternating wet-dry moisture conditions. Microbial biomass carbon was controlled by the availability of organic matter and moist soil conditions. Low MBC values corresponded to high SOC and soil loss. Continuously wet soils with high sand particles promoted rapid loss of SOC compared to alternating wet-dry soils. Therefore, continuously wet sandy soils are likely to contribute more to the climate warming than alternating wet-dry soil moisture. In the wake of the climatic change, addition of OM in continuously wet soils need to be regulated but to reduce soil loss re-application of fresh OM has to be more frequent under continuously wet sandy soils than in alternating wet-dry moisture regimes.

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Using a trait‐based approach for assessing the vulnerability and resilience of hillslope seep wetland vegetation cover to disturbances in the Tsitsa River catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Libala

Palmer

Odume

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Hill slope seep wetlands are ecologically and economically important ecosystems as they supply a variety of ecosystem services to society. In South Africa, livestock grazing is recognized as one of the most important disturbance factors changing the structure and function of hill slope seep wetlands. This study sought to investigate the potential effect of livestock grazing on the resilience and vulnerability of hillslope seep wetland vegetation cover using a trait-based approach (TBA). Changes in vegetation cover were used as a surrogate for indicating grazing intensity. The degree of human disturbances was assessed using the Anthropogenic Activity Index. A TBA was developed using seven plant traits, resolved into 27 trait attributes. Based on the developed approach, plant species were grouped into vulnerable and resilient groups in relation to grazing pressure. It was then predicted that species belonging to the vulnerable group would be less dominant at the highly disturbed sites, as well as in the winter season when grazing pressure is at its peak. The approach developed enabled accurate predictions of the responses of hillslope plant species to grazing pressure seasonally, but spatially, only for the summer season. The predicted responses during the winter season across sites did not match the observed results, which could be attributed to the difficulty in species identification and accurate estimation of vegetation cover during winter. Overall, the approach developed here provides a general framework for applying the TBA and can thus be tested and applied elsewhere. K E Y W O R D Shill slope seep, livestock grazing, traits, vulnerability or resilience

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Soil erosion and dam dividends: science facts and rural ‘fiction’ around the Ntabelanga dam, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Cited by 27 publications

References 13 publications

Assessment of Useful Plants in the Catchment Area of the Proposed Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Assessment of Useful Plants in the Catchment Area of the Proposed Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Stability of Soil Organic Matter and Soil Loss Dynamics under Short-term Soil Moisture Change Regimes

Using a trait‐based approach for assessing the vulnerability and resilience of hillslope seep wetland vegetation cover to disturbances in the Tsitsa River catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa

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