The Afromontane Research Unit: Driving Connections and Capacity Building for the Sustainable Development of Southern African Mountains

Clark, Vincent Ralph; Mukwada, Geoffrey; Hansen, Melissa; Adelabu, Samuel; Magaiza, Grey; Roux, Aliza le; Bredenhand, Emile; Otomo, Patricks Voua; Steenhuisen, Sandy–Lynn; Franke, A.C.; Tol, Johan van; Mathinya, Neo; Makombe, Rodwell

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-21-00038.1

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…This rendered the continent to contribute late to scientific research. Access is another factor that has resulted in Africa not producing much research on remote sensing applications in mountainous areas [ 75 ]. Most technologies are developed and maintained by developed nations such that there are limited native scientists conversant with the procedures and application of remote sensing [ 76 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote Sensing Application in Mountainous Environments: A Bibliographic Analysis

Jombo

Elbasit

Gumbo

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Advancement in remote sensing platforms, sensors, and technology has significantly improved the assessment of hard-to-access areas, such as mountains. Despite these improvements, Africa lags in terms of research work published. This is of great concern as the continent needs more research to achieve sustainable development. Therefore, this study applied a bibliometric analysis of the annual production of publications on the application of remote sensing methods in mountainous environments. In total, 3849 original articles between 1973 and 2021 were used, and the results indicate a steady growth in publications from 2004 (n = 26) to 2021 (n = 504). Considering the source journals, Remote Sensing was the top-ranked, with 453 total publications. The University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was the highest-ranking affiliation, with 217 articles, and China produced the highest number of publications (n = 217). Keywords used between 1973 and 1997, such as “Canada”, “alps”, and “GIS”, metamorphosed into “remote sensing” between 1998 and 2021. This metamorphosis indicates a change in the areas of interest and an increase in the application of remote sensing methods. Most studies were conducted in the Global North countries, and a few were published in low-impact journals within the African continent. This study can help researchers and scholars better understand the progress and intellectual structure of the field and future research directions in the application of remote sensing methods in mountainous environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote Sensing Application in Mountainous Environments: A Bibliographic Analysis

Jombo

Elbasit

Gumbo

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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“…The outlook for improved detection and analysis of alien plant patterns is promising, with expanding local research and greater opportunities for local actors to collaborate with global networks. The Afromontane Research Unit of the University of the Free State is facilitating the expansion of this work through partnerships with international groups such as the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) [104]. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that these initiatives expand an alien plant inventorying, targeting understudied ranges (e.g., SGE and CGM) and employing focused botanical surveys to allow for fine scale sampling with GPS-recorded localities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Alien Plants That Threaten South Africa’s Mountain Ecosystems

Canavan

Clark

et al. 2021

Land

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The six major mountain ranges in South Africa support critically important ecosystem services—notably water production—and are rich in biodiversity and endemism. These mountains are threatened by detrimental land uses, unsustainable use of natural resources, climate change, and invasive alien plants. Invasive alien plants pose substantial and rapidly increasing problems in mountainous areas worldwide. However, little is known about the extent of plant invasions in the mountains of South Africa. This study assessed the status of alien plants in South African mountains by determining sampling efforts, species compositions and abundances across the six ranges in lower-and higher-elevation areas. Species occurrence records were obtained from three databases that used various approaches (roadside surveys, citizen science observations, focused botanical surveys). Most mountain ranges were found to be undersampled, and species composition assessments were only possible for two ranges. The majority of abundant alien plants in both the lower- and higher-elevation areas were species with broad ecological tolerances and characterised by long distance seed dispersal. These prevalent species were mostly woody plants—particularly tree species in the genera Acacia, Pinus, and Prosopis—that are contributing to the trend of woody plant encroachment across South African mountains. We suggest improved mountain-specific surveys to create a database which could be used to develop management strategies appropriate for each mountain range.

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World Heritage and Mountain Sites

Rössler

2022

Montology Palimpsest

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The Afromontane Research Unit: Driving Connections and Capacity Building for the Sustainable Development of Southern African Mountains

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

Remote Sensing Application in Mountainous Environments: A Bibliographic Analysis

Remote Sensing Application in Mountainous Environments: A Bibliographic Analysis

The Alien Plants That Threaten South Africa’s Mountain Ecosystems

World Heritage and Mountain Sites

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