Rivers Through Time: Historical Changes in the Riparian Vegetation of the Semi-Arid, Winter Rainfall Region of South Africa in Response to Climate and Land Use

Hoffman, M. Timm; Rohde, Rick

doi:10.1007/s10739-010-9246-4

Cited by 42 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Both scientific and observational evidence support this conclusion. Measurements in the Dry Highland Sourveld of KwaZulu-Natal (Palmer et al, 2010), Eastern Cape (Puttick et al, 2011) and Namaqualand (Hoffman & Rohde, 2011) showed convincingly that rangeland biomass has increased and in some cases has been supported by improved species composition. Grassiness has improved in many of the vegetation monitoring sites in the Nama-karoo, with records showing increased grass cover at Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute (Palmer, Pers.…”

Section: Ecosystem Biodiversity and Rangelandmentioning

confidence: 98%

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 1: Worth and impact of the sector

Meissner¹,

Scholtz²,

Palmer³

2014

SA J. An. Sci.

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Livestock production in South Africa contributes substantially to food security. It is also a topic of public debate because of lack of knowledge and wrong information. This article aims to provide information on the worth and impact of the livestock sector; information and statistics providing a baseline to guiding sustainability towards 2050. Seventy percent of agricultural land in South Africa can be utilized only by livestock and game and species are found in all provinces with high concentrations in the eastern higher rainfall regions. Statistics in 2010 indicate 13.6 million beef cattle, 1.4 million dairy cattle, 24.6 million sheep, 7.0 million goats, 3 million game species (farmed), 1.1 million pigs, 113 million broilers, 31.8 million layers and 1.6 million ostriches. The gross value of livestock products increased by 185% from 1995/2000 to 2006/2010. In relation to field crops and horticulture, livestock products increased their position from 42% to 47% of gross agricultural value. The main reason was a rise in the value and demand for livestock foods, particularly meat. Livestock foods contribute 27% of the consumer food basket on a weight basis. Consumption of livestock foods resembles that of developing countries with meat consumption being 50 -90 g/capita/day, milk and dairy products 120 -130 g /capita/day and eggs 15 -20 g/capita/day. Since this is the average for the country with consumption by the rich and poor often differing tenfold, consumption of livestock foods by the poor is of concern, given the many health attributes of livestock foods. The livestock sector in South Africa is a major role player in the conservation of biodiversity through a variety of welladapted indigenous and non-indigenous breeds and rare game species. It has also shown commitment to rangeland/ecosystem conservation through conservative stocking rates, with several studies and observations reporting improvement in the condition of the natural resource. The sector has always been a major employer, but employment rate has declined steadily since 2000 because of increased minimum wages, fewer commercial farmers and increased property size. Some 245 000 employees with 1.45 million dependants, in addition to dependants on communal land and emerging farms, are employed on 38 500 commercial farms and intensive units with wages amounting to R 6 100 million (South African rand). Livestock farming is the backbone of the socio-economy and provides the sustenance of most nonmetropolitan towns and rural communities. ________________________________________________________________________________

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Section: Ecosystem Biodiversity and Rangelandmentioning

confidence: 98%

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 1: Worth and impact of the sector

Meissner¹,

Scholtz²,

Palmer³

2014

SA J. An. Sci.

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“…During the 20th century, livestock production continued to dominate farming systems, and farmers continued to shift to stock production in response to market forces (Hoffman and Rohde, ), within the constraints imposed by ecological and climatic factors (Siegfried, ). Meanwhile, cereal production underwent dramatic changes – virtually all cultivation activities on farm declined in both land area (Figure ) and labour intensity, and technological developments, government policies and ecological factors each played an important role in cultivation decisions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wheat Growing and Changing Farming Systems in South African Dryland Margins: The Case of the Sneeuberg, South Africa

Suich

Boardman

2016

Land Degrad Dev

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The contribution of stock keeping to land degradation in the Karoo has been extensively studied, but other causes have been rarely examined. The paper uses a combination of key informant interviews and a review of published and unpublished documentary sources to describe the history of wheat growing in the Sneeuberg area of the Karoo since European settlement, until the 1970s when annual crop cultivation collapsed. Early cultivation was primarily for subsistence purposes, although the development of infrastructure and growth in markets in the 19th century encouraged commercial crop production. Some farmers continued growing wheat partly to sustain the tradition into the mid-20th century, although by that time, most growers relied on the wheat as a winter stockfeed. Several factors were found to have contributed to the collapse, with land degradation only rarely playing a part in contemporary decisions to stop wheat farming. Far more important were the comparative advantages of other stockfeeds such as lucerne, changes in state regulations governing crops and prices, and the perceptions of farmers regarding changes in rainfall patterns.

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“…In the alluvial valley, the perennial riparian vegetation is dominated by the trees Acacia karroo and Tamarix useneoides and the shrubs, Salsola aphylla and Suaeda fruticosa. Repeated photographs in the lower reaches of the Buffels River system showed little change in the cover of riparian species since 1930s (Hoffman and Rohde, 2011). The largest alluvial aquifers are located in the lower Buffels River: the Kleinzee and Spektakel aquifers (Fig.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Rainfall-runoff modelling and palaeoflood hydrology applied to reconstruct centennial scale records of flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers

Benito

Botero

Thorndycraft

et al. 2011

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. In this study we propose a multi-source data approach for quantifying long-term flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers. The methodology is applied to the Buffels River, at 9000 km 2 the largest ephemeral river in Namaqualand (NW South Africa), a region with scarce stream flow records limiting research investigating hydrological response to global change. Daily discharge and annual flood series were estimated from a distributed rainfall-runoff hydrological model (TETIS) using rainfall gauge records located within the catchment. The model was calibrated and validated with data collected during a two year monitoring programme (2005)(2006) at two stream flow stations, one each in the upper and lower reaches of the catchment. In addition to the modelled flow records, non-systematic flood data were reconstructed using both sedimentary and documentary evidence. The palaeoflood record identified at least 25 large floods during the last 700 yr; with the largest floods reaching a minimum discharge of 255 m 3 s −1 (450 yr return period) in the upper basin, and 510 m 3 s −1 (100 yr return period) in the lower catchment. Since AD 1925, the flood hydrology of the Buffels River has been characterised by a decrease in the magnitude and frequency of extreme floods, with palaeoflood discharges (period 1500-1921) five times greater than the largest modelled floods during the period 1965 -2006 Correspondence to: G. Benito (benito@ccma.csic.es) floods generated the highest hydrograph volumes, however their contribution to aquifer recharge is limited as this depends on other factors such as flood duration and storage capacity of the unsaturated zone prior to the flood. Floods having average return intervals of 5-10 yr (120-140 m 3 s −1 ) and flowing for 12 days are able to fully saturate the Spektakel aquifer in the lower Buffels River basin. Alluvial aquifer storage capacity limiting potential recharge by the largest floods is a common problem in arid environments, with the largest infiltration volumes favoured by increasing depth to groundwater levels.

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Rivers Through Time: Historical Changes in the Riparian Vegetation of the Semi-Arid, Winter Rainfall Region of South Africa in Response to Climate and Land Use

Cited by 42 publications

References 33 publications

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 1: Worth and impact of the sector

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 1: Worth and impact of the sector

Wheat Growing and Changing Farming Systems in South African Dryland Margins: The Case of the Sneeuberg, South Africa

Rainfall-runoff modelling and palaeoflood hydrology applied to reconstruct centennial scale records of flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers

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