Bibliography: Land Degradation in South Africa project

Notes : In common with most of sub-Saharan Africa, the KwaZulu grazing resources

are held to be overstocked and degraded, and the values of the off-take

parameteres for the herd are low. These two problems were the origin of the

study, and are typical of the common property problem, although the theory

suggests that it is better described as an assurance or game theory case. To

provide data, a total of 444 respondents was interviewed using schedules and the

data were rounded off by a series of structured meetings with both groups of

farmers and knowledgeable informants. Analysis of the data was hampered by the

paucity of values in the variables being measured. By aggregating the data into

four groups based on herd size it was possible to use the Chi-squared test to

determine the probability of an animal, or owner, being involved in a

transaction. The analysis showed that transaction activity was proportionately

greater in the smaller herds than the larger; that smaller herds tended to grow

more rapidly than larger; and that sales was a minor use of cattle, the major

uses being home-slaughter and lobolo exchanges. The most important product

according to the owners was milk. At the present stocking rate the herd is at

least as productive as it would be, if operated at recommended stocking rates,

according to an appropriate ranching regime. There is evidence that cash, where

it is available, is being substituted either directly or indirectly for cattle

in traditional functions. The grazing resource is not threatened by imminent

ecological collapse, and soil erosion as a consequence of overgrazing is not as

serious as is commonly assumed. This together with the already high value of

products supplied to the cattle owning communities suggests that drastic,

externally induced interventions such as changes in land tenure cannot be

justified. Low key incremental improvements in output based on technology

change will provide the inducement for institutional change which would

facilitate larger shifts in the long term.

Ref ID : 1240

1927. Tapson, D.R. The overstocking and offtake controversy reexamined for the

case of Kwazulu. Pastoral Development Network 31:1-22, 1991.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : KWAZULU; POPULATION

Abstract : Cattle in KwaZulu constitute the non-human wealth of western

societies. In this role they provide consumable goods, investment and security.

In view of this, reduction in the numbers of cattle to accommodate concern over

the environment would result in a real loss of wealth and therefore welfare to

the communities. In contrast the evidence supporting the recommendation is not

robust enough to support so drastic an intervention. Further, the cost in terms

of stock reduction in order to achieve relatively minor increases in cover are

very great. If the case against destocking is accepted as valid, then planners

will be able to concentrate on maximising the welfare derived by human

populations from cattle, rather than the welfare of the grazing resource.

Ref ID : 1796

1928. Tapson, D.R. Biological sustainability in pastoral systems: The KwaZulu

case. In: Range ecology at disequilibrium, edited by Behnke, R.H., Scoones, I.,

and Kerven, C.London:Overseas Development Institute, 1993,p. 118-135.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : KWAZULU; CARRYING CAPACITY; COMMUNAL AREA; KWAZULU NATAL; STOCKING

RATE; VELD CONDITION; SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Ref ID : 2565

1929. Taylor, D. The use of donkeys, horses and mules in the former Ciskei

region of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Research report, Document

Centre, Agriculture, University of Fort Hare.Anonymous Alice:Document Centre,

Agriculture, University of Fort Hare. , 1999.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : CISKEI; EASTERN CAPE; LABOUR; LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION; ECONOMIC ASPECTS;

RURAL DEVELOPMENT; CULTIVATION

Notes : The objectives of this study were: 1. to review the use of donkeys,

horses and mules, in the past, in South Africa; 2. to carry out a survey to

characterise the use of squids in Ciskei in order to identify constraints to

their more efficient use; and 3. to make recommendations for education and

extension on the use of squids. A survey was conducted over a 6-week period

from July 2nd to August 12, 1998. A checklist of questions and topics of

interest was prepared and a semi-structured interview was conducted with 36

individual owners. A total of 10 group meetings was also held. The locations

visted were Victoria East, Keiskammahoek, Peddie, Middledrift, Whittlesea, Hewu,

Seymour, Mdantsane and Zwelitsha. The survey revealed that many people prefer

horses and donkeys to oxen because they are easier to manage in small areas, and

they require less labour. Donkeys are also a very cheap power source, often

enabling very poor people to make a living by ploughing and carting for others.

The author concluded that squids still make a major contribution to the well-

being of many rural families, just as they have done in the past. However, poor

harnesses, heavy equipment, poor veterinary services and limited feed resources

all restrict the efficiency with which they can be employed. Effective animal

traction extension includes: education and practical demonstrations about making

simple but effective harnesses; costs; practical demonstrations to show

appropriate tillage systems; simple advice on feeding; practical information on

basic health care; castration and parasite control; basic information about

selecting an animal for work; and how to estimate age by looking at the teeth.

This document is available at the Document Centre, Agriculture, University of

Fort Hare. See also ID ref. no. 2339.

Ref ID : 2085

1930. Taylor, H.C., Macdonald, S.A., and Macdonald, I.A.W. Invasive alien woody

plants in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. II. Results of a second survey

from 1976 to 1980. South African Journal of Botany 51:21-29, 1985.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : NATURE RESERVES

Ref ID : 1372

1931. Teague, W.R. and Smit, G.N. Relations between woody and herbaceous

components and the effects of bush-clearing in southern African savannas.

Journal of the Grassland Society of southern Africa 9(2):60-71, 1992.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : SAVANNA; VEGETATION DYNAMICS; BUSH ENCROACHMENT; MODELS; SOUTHERN

AFRICA

Abstract : The relations between woody and herbaceous plants in southern African

savannas are reviewed in the context of pastoral use. Current knowlwedge is

summarized, important gaps are indicated and research priorities are suggested.

Although all savannas consist of a grass and a woody component, the physical

determinants, biological interactions and individual species properties are

unique to each spatial and temporal situation. In addition, past management has

resulted in different kinds and degrees of modification. Primary and secondary

determinants are discussed in terms of how they influence the structure and

productivity of savanna communities. More than one outcome is possible to any

competitive interaction owing to the modification of the effects of determinants

by changing weather sequences, asymmetrical competition and biological

interactions. This constasts sharply with the conventional rangeland succession

model. Relations between woody and herbaceous plants are often discontinuous

because of the dynamic interaction between determinants, plants and herbivory.

There is an apparent discrepancy between the convex and concave response of

grass productivity to increasing woody biomass. It is hypothesized that a

single discontinuous function explains this apparent discrepancy. This unifying

theorem accounts for the modifications due to changes in levels of determinants

and different species mixes within and between sites. With a few notable

exceptions, research in southern Africa has been of an ad hoc, empirical and

limited nature. It has not aimed at achieving an understanding and a predictive

capability beyond the site and circumstances of individual trials themselves. A

case is made for a systems-oriented research approach, so that site and

situation-specific problems can be solved to fulfil management objectives.

Ref ID : 2369

1932. Terblanche, E.L.F. A study of the angora goat industry in the Republic of

South Africa. 1988.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : METHODOLOGIES; EASTERN CAPE; CISKEI; TRANSKEI; LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION;

FARMING SYSTEMS

Notes : The objective of the research was to study the efficiency of the angora

industry in terms of reproduction, quantity and quality of the mohair produced,

and the various factors, which influence mohair production and effiency. The

methodology used included a survey by means of an interview questionnaire to

collect data from a stratified random sample of 27 districts comprising 414

angora goat farmers. The results indicated that positive behavioural factors,

which are necessary to attain an increased fleece mass and higher rates of

production resulted in negative behavioural factors when the production goal was

finer quality mohair. Also, effective selection for hair mass resulted in

accelerated production of thicker fibre. Moreover, improved feeding aimed at

achieving higher rates of reproduction revealed the hidden genetic potential of

the modern angora goats, by showing that higher nutrition levels result in

thicker fibres. Finally, the study has shown the need for a planned

extension/advisory strategy to assist producers to overcome efficiency problems

found in this study. This thesis is obtainable from the Document Centre,

Agriculture, University of Fort Hare. See ref. I.D. no: 2339.

Ref ID : 892

1933. The Environmental Monitoring Group: Western Cape Towards sustainable

development in South Africa: a discussion paper, Cape Town:The Environmental

Monitoring Group (EMG): Western Cape, 1992.pp. 1-112.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Ref ID : 1513

1934. Thom, H.B. Die geskiedenis van skaapboerdery in Suid Afrika,

Amersterdam:Swetz en Zeitlinger, 1936.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : SOUTHERN AFRICA; FARMING SYSTEMS; LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

Ref ID : 1477

1935. Thom, H.B. Die geskiedenis van skaapboerdery in Suid Afrika. In: Die

geskiedenis van skaapboerdery in Suid Afrika,Anonymous Amsterdam:Swetz en

Zeitliinger, 1936,

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY; FAUNA; EASTERN CAPE

Ref ID : 1177

1936. Thomas, D.S.G. and Shaw, P.A. The kalahari environment,

Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1991.pp. ix-284.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : BOTSWANA; PALAEOENVIRONMENTS; SAVANNA; CLIMATE

Ref ID : 1185

1937. Thomas, G., Sibanda, S., and Claassens, A. Current developments in South

Africa's land tenure policy. In: Proceedings of the international conference on

land tenure in the developing world with a focus on Southern Africa, held at the

University of Cape Town, 27-29 January 1998, edited by Barry, M.Cape

Town:Department of Geomatics, University of Cape Town, 1998,p. 526-535.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : LEGISLATION

Abstract : Under the Bill of Rights in the South African Constitution, a person

or community whose tenure of land is legally insecure as a result of past

racially discriminatory laws or practices is entitled either to tenure which is

legally secure or to comparable redress. The Department of Land Affairs is

currently drafting the required legislation which secures these land rights.

This paper describes the proposed inter-related measures which are necessary to

create tenure security. The first is a law which defines and confirms

underlying land rights and which describes the relationships between different

rights holders. The second is a registration system which enables people to

register their rights. The third provides the holders of group-based rights with

access to fair systems of day-to-day administration of their land rights. The

law would define the different rights in land which exist in practice but which

are legally vulnerable. These rights may derive from history, from purchase, or

from established de facto occupation of land. The aim is to bring the law into

line with reality by ensuring that such rights have a legal status which

confirms their content and protects them from arbitrary interference or

confiscation, whether by the state or other third parties. The legislation

would create rights in law. These would exist regardless of whether they were

reflected in a registry system or not. However, registry systems provide a key

role in providing certainty in respect of land rights. A demand-based approach

to registration of rights is proposed. Changes to the existing law to enable

the decentralised deeds lodgement of the proposed statutory rights within the

Deeds Registry system are envisaged. The system would be relatively low cost

and quick because it would dispense with expensive conveyancing procedures and

survey requirements. The system of statutory rights which is proposed would not

work in practice unless it was supported by a transparent and accessible system

of land administration at the local level. This would be particularly true in

respect of group-based systems of rights. An important principle would be that

members of group-based systems would be entitled to choose the form in which

their land rights would be administered on a day-to-day basis. The Department

is developing options which build on existing practice and institutions from

which people can choose.

Ref ID : 1385

1938. Thompson, M. Remote sensing applications in conservation, forestry and

enviromental management.Anonymous Anonymous Pretoria:CSIR. :2-15, 1992.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : REMOTE SENSING; CONSERVATION; FORESTRY; MAPS

Notes : This monograph is based on a series of lectures delivered by the author.

The aim of the lecture is to introduce potential users to the concept of remote

sensing technology, and potential applications in resource management,

especially in the fields of forestry, environmental conservation and rural-urban

mapping. The lectures are aimed primarily at decision makers who may have

either no knowledge of this new technology, or only a brief understanding and

wish to expand on this. For this reason the lecture will not dwell too much on

technical details, apart from some necessary background information. The

presentation will include details on the data currently available in SA, its

current capabilities, costs and accessibility. However, the emphasis will be to

indicate potential management or research activities that could benefit from the

inclusion of such information, using wherever possible local examples. For

anyone currently utilising spatial information, be it either aerial photography,

standard topo-cadastral map sheets, or Geographical Information Systems in their

management or research activities, the information to be presented in this

lecture series could form an important new aspect of their work. Up to now,

many potential users of satellite data have either been put off by previous

disappointments using earlier satellite images, or by the assumption that

powerful computer based image processing facilities are a direct necessity.

Ref ID : 998

1939. Thompson, M. A standard land-cover classification scheme for remote-

sensing applications in South Africa. South African Journal of Science 92:34-42,

1996.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : REMOTE SENSING; LAND USE; SATELLITE IMAGERY

Notes : This paper presents a standard hierarchical framework for the

classification of remotely sensed data, designed to suit the South African

environment. The framework is based on known land-cover classes that can be

derived from high-resolution, remotely sensed data such as SPOT or LANDSAT

Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery, and links, as far as possible, to existing

classification systems or codes that have been used within various

organisations. The primary means by which the new classification scheme will be

promoted will be by its use within the National Land-Cover Database, jointly

proposed by the CSIR and the Agricultural Research Council. This project aims

to provide standardized land-cover data for the entire country at 1:150 000

scale, derived from LANDSAT TM satellite imagery. The land-cover data will be

classified according to the proposed classification scheme and will be made

availabe in digital geographic information system (GIS) formats. The

classification scheme will also be promoted at several forthcoming national and

international remote-sensing conferences. An illustrated version of the

classification has also been prepared for use as a field-guide.

Ref ID : 495

1940. Thompson, W. Veld burning, its history and importance in South Africa.

Series No 1: Agriculture No 31.Anonymous Anonymous Pretoria:University of

Pretoria. , 1937.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : FIRE; VELD CONDITION; VELD MANAGEMENT; ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY

Ref ID : 366

1941. Thompson, W.R. Rainfall, soil erosion and run-off in South

Africa.Anonymous Anonymous Pretoria:University of Pretoria. (1):29, 1935.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : SOIL EROSION; HYDROMETEOROLOGY; RAINFALL; RUNOFF

Ref ID : 2185

1942. Thoms, M.C. and Walker, K.F. Sediment transport in a regulated semi-arid

river: the River Murray, Australia. Aquatic ecosystems in semi-arid regions:

implications for resource management. Robarts, R.D. and Bothwell, M.L.Anonymous

National Hydrology Research Institute. 7:239-250, 1992.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : HYDROLOGY

Notes : Environment Canada, National Hydrology Research Institute Symposium

Series 7.

Ref ID : 2227

1943. Thornes, J.B. The ecology of erosion. Geography 70:222-235, 1985.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : EROSION

Ref ID : 156

1944. Tidmarsh, C.E. Conservation problems of the Karoo. Farming in South Africa

23:519-530, 1948.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : VEGETATION CHANGE; KAROO DESERTIFICATION; CONSERVATION

Notes : The author concludes this article by stating that, in all events (even

with the provision of the recent Soil and Veld Conservation Act) it will be

evident that, in view of the limited resources and personnel at hand, and the

virtual impossibility therefore of establishing, in the time required, an

effective network of soil and veld conservation throughout the length and

breadth of the country, it is essential to determine, at the outset, at what

critical points, and in what way, concerted action is likely to have the most

effective and far-reaching results. From this it follows clearly that, to

enable these decisions, a thorough investigation of the operative factors and

true causes of this retrogression should be undertaken without delay. In other

words, with this present threat hanging over us, it is imperative that no time

should be lost in amassing and collating all possible evidence and data that may

have any bearing whatever on this all-important problem.

Ref ID : 1478

1945. Tidmarsh, C.E.M. Woestyn-bedreiging uit die Weste. Landbouweekblad

31(1568):50-52, 1949.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : DESERTIFICATION ASSESSMENT; DESERTIFICATION CONTROL; KAROO

DESERTIFICATION

Ref ID : 2263

1946. Tinley, K.L. The influence of soil moisture balance on ecosystem patterns

in southern Africa. In: Ecology of tropical savannas, edited by Huntley, B.J.

and Walker, B.H.Berlin:Springer-Verlag, 1982,p. 175-192.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : SOUTHERN AFRICA; SAVANNA

Ref ID : 2278

1947. Todd, S.W. The effects of heavy grazing on plant species diversity and

community composition in a communally managed, semi-arid shrubland, Namaqualand,

South Africa.University of Cape Town. , 1997.

Reprint : In File,

Notes : MSc thesis.

Ref ID : 2277

1948. Todd, S.W. and Hoffman, M.T. Effects of heavy grazing on plant species

diversity and community composition in a communally managed semi-arid shrubland,

Namaqualand, South Africa. Plant Ecology , 1999.

Reprint : Not in File,

Ref ID : 1794

1949. Todd, S.W., Seymour, C., Joubert, D.F., and Hoffman, M.T. Communal

rangelands and biodiversity: insights from Paulshoek, Namaqualand. Proceedings

of a Symposium on Policy-making for the Sustainable Use of Southern African

Communal Rangelands. de Bruyn, T.D. and Scogings, P.F.Anonymous Cape Town:177-

189, 1998.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : BIODIVERSITY

Notes : The authors conclude in these conference proceedings that in terms of

ecosystem functioning, community structure may be of more relevance than species

richness itself. It is not how many species are present, but which species are

present. Certain species are likely to be more important than others in terms

of ecosystem processes and functioning. There will always be species that exert

a disproportionate influence on their surroundings and play vital roles in the

dynamics of their ecosystems. Important habitats and species interactions can

only be identified with an understanding of the ecosystem processes that shape

the community. Thus, if we are to better manage the impacts of grazing, some

idea of ecosystem functioning and dynamics is required and this can only be

achieved through assessing the impacts of grazing at all levels.

Ref ID : 704

1950. Totman, D., Murphy, C., Hornby, D., Pollett, E.A., and A'Bear, D.R. Rural

settlement in KwaZulu-Natal: an overview report. Report prepared for the

Association of Joint Services Boards. Investigational Report 120.Anonymous

Scottsville:Institute of Natural Resources. IR 120, 1995.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : COMMUNAL AREA; KWAZULU NATAL; SETTLEMENT IMPACTS; RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Ref ID : 2358

1951. TRACOR The farmer support programme (FSP) of Tracor in Bizana. A TRACOR

research report, obtainable from ECATU, Umtata.Anonymous , 1987.