The amount of formal and published research that has been conducted in the GCBR region in recent years is growing (Cowling, pers. com. 2010, and see Table below). However, in spite of this wealth of accumulated knowledge, what has been lacking is a coordinating function to bring these efforts and their products together. As a consequence, there is no single database or even a comprehensive list of all the published work that has been undertaken. The GCBR has a vital role to play in this regard, and would undertake as a matter of priority a project to compile such a database. For copies of some of the research papers, please visit the Scientific Reports part of the website.
In the Klein Karoo sectors of the GCBR domain, a network of researchers from national and international universities and institutions came together in 2005 to form the Klein Karoo Study Group, with the aim of developing knowledge, understanding and support for the promotion of sustainable development based on ecosystem services in the Klein Karoo. The existing GCBR Forum is also a structure in which information dissemination takes place among researchers and practitioners in the wider domain.[1] These pre-existing networks offer a clear foundation on which to build a logistic support function for the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (Pasquini, 2008).
Table: Research related to the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve region
The GCBR area overlaps with regions that have been the subject of major South African strategic conservation planning projects, namely the Cape Action for People and the Environment (C.A.P.E.), the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Project (SKEP) and the Subtropical Thicket Ecosystem Programme (STEP). The Gouritz Initiative Report (Lombard et al. 2004) provides detailed information regarding the biodiversity patterns and processes that will be captured in the biosphere reserve area.
Past research includes a number of research projects carried out under the umbrella of the Fynbos Biome Project through the National Scientific Programmes Unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The Klein Karoo Study Group, an informal association of researchers from various institutions, conducted a number of research projects focussed particularly on the Klein Karoo area of the proposed biosphere reserve.
Through the South African Ostrich Business Chamber (SAOBC) Biodiversity Unit, research was carried out on the impacts of ostrich farming on the biodiversity of Succulent Karoo Biome habitats and the impacts of alternative land management on socio-economic conditions. Fine scale vegetation mapping has been completed for the proposed biosphere reserve area resulting in the development of Critical Biodiversity Area maps. Various research projects take place in the formally protected areas that are managed by CapeNature and make up the core areas of the biosphere reserve.
All of the above have served to inform management plans and other practical applications. For example, the research on ostrich management is now being used in outreach to farmers in an effort to optimise their farming practices to be more sustainable.
| PROJECT/TOPIC | AUTHORS/RESEARCHERS | INSTITUTION(S) | FORMAT | DATE |
| Fire As an Engineering Tool of Early Modern Humans | Brown K.S., Marean C.W., Herries A.I. R., Jacobs Z., Tribolo C., Braun D., Roberts D.L., Meyer M.C. & Bernatchez J. | Institute of Human Evolution, Univ of Arizona | Science 325, 859 (publication) | 2009 |
| Assessment of environmental impacts of groundwater abstraction from Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifers on ecosystems in the Kammanassie Nature Reserve and Environs. | Cleaver G., Brown L.R. & Bredenkamp G.J. | UNISA, University of Pretoria | Water Research Commission Report No 1115/1/03. | 2003 |
| The management of extralimital giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in the mosaic thicket of the Southern Cape, South Africa | Cornelius A.J. | NMMU | M.Tech. Thesis | 2010 |
| An operational model for mainstreaming ecosystem services for implementation. | Cowling R. M., Egoh B., Knight A.T., O’Farrell P.J., Reyers B., Rouget M., Roux D., Welz A. & Wilhelm-Rechman A. | NMMU; CSIR | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(28):9483–9488. (publication) | 2008 |
| A conservation assessment for the Subtropical Thicket Biome. | Cowling R.M., Lombard A.T., Rouget M., Kerley G.I.H., Wolf T., Sims-Castley R., Knight A., Vlok J.H.J., Pierce S.M., Boshoff A.F. & Wilson S.L. | Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, University of Port Elizabeth. | STEP Project Report. | 2003 |
| A conservation plan for a global biodiversity hotspot – the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. | Cowling R.M., Pressey R.L., Rouget M. & Lombard A.T. | University of Cape Town | Biological Conservation 112:191-216. (publication) | 2003 |
| Assessment of veld utilisation practices and veld condition in the Little Karoo. | Cupido C. | University of Stellenbosch | MSc thesis | 2005 |
| Holocene floodplain formation in the southern Cape region, South Africa. | Damm B. & Hagedorn J. | University of Regensburg & University of Göttingen, Germany | Geomorphology 122 : 213–222. (publication) | 2010 |
| An Evaluation of Touwsfontein, Anysberg Nature Reserve In Relation to the Reintroduction of the Black Rhinoceros. | De Boer W. | University of Glamorgan | B.Sc. (Honns) Dissertation | 2011 |
| Baited remote underwater video survey of reef fish in the Stilbaai marine protected area, with an assessment of monitoring requirements. | De Vos L. | University of Cape Town | MSc thesis | 2012 |
| A Strategic Land Acquisition Policy for the Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Trust (ZA1415). | Desmet P.G. | Private consultant | Report for the Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Trust (WWF), Stellenbosch. | 2006 |
| Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Plan, Biodiversity Component. | Driver A., Desmet P., Rouget M., Cowling R. & Maze K. | Botanical Society of South Africa | SKEP Report | 2003 |
| The National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment. Priorities for biodiversity conservation in South Africa. | Driver A., Maze K., Rouget M., Lombard A.T., Nel J., Turpie J.K., Cowling R.M., Desmet P., Goodman P., Harris J., Jonas Z., Reyers B., Sink K. & Strauss T. | Botanical Society of South Africa, NMMU, CSIR | Strelitzia 17. SANBI. (publication) | 2004 |
| Mapping ecosystem services for planning and management. | Egoh B., Reyers B., Rouget M., Richardson D.M. & van Jaarsveld A.S. | CSIR | Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 127:135–140. (publication) | 2008 |
| Safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Little Karoo, South Africa. | Egoh B.E., Reyers B., Carwardine J., Bode M., O’Farrell P.J., Wilson K.A., Possingham H.P., Rouget M., de Lange W., Richardson D.M. & Cowling R.M. | CSIR; NMMU; University of Stellenbosch | Conservation Biology 24(4):1021-1030. (puyblication) | 2010 |
| Karoo veld ecology and management. | Esler K.J., Milton S.J. & Dean WRJ (Eds). | University of Stellenbosch | Book | 2006 |
| An investigation into factors influencing spatial use of the landscape by indigenous herbivores in the Little Karoo, South Africa. | Farmer H. | University of Cape Town | MSc Thesis | 2005 |
| Retention and restoration of the biodiversity of the Little Karoo. | Forsyth G., Vlok J. & Reyers B. | CSIR, Regalis Environmental Services | CSIR Report | 2008 |
| Increasing the impact of systematic conservation planning: some suggestions, a decision support system framework, and a precursory model. | Gallo J.A., Lombard A.T. & Cowling R.M. | NMMU | Conservation Biology. | 2010 |
| The role of private conservation areas in biodiversity representation and target achievement within the Little Karoo region, South Africa. | Gallo J.A., Pasquini L., Reyers B. & Cowling R.M. | NMMU; CSIR | Biological Conservation 142:446–454. (publication) | 2009 |
| What attracts tourists to the Little Karoo? | Gelderblom C. | CSIR | Technical Report, Nov 2006 | 2006 |
| The financial costs of ecologically nonsustainable farming practices in a semiarid system. | Herling M.C., Cupido C.F., O’Farrell P.J. & Du Plessis L. | CSIR; Dept of Agriculture: Western Cape | Restoration Ecology 17 (6):827-836. (publication) | 2009 |
| Aquatic ecosystems of the Riversdale Coastal Plain planning domain. | Job N., Snaddon C.D., Nel J., Smith-Adao L. & Day L. | C.A.P.E. Fine-scale Planning Project Report and Map | 2008 | |
| A Guideline for the Formation and Initiation of a Biosphere Reserve for the Klein Karoo. | Joseph G. | Consulting Conservation Biologist | Report | 2008 |
| Landscape fragmentation in South Coast Renosterveld, South Africa, in relation to rainfall and topography. | Kemper J., Cowling R.M., Richardson D.M., Forsyth G.G. & McKelly D.H. | University of Cape Town; CSIR | Austral Ecology 25, 179–186. (publication) | 2000 |
| The megaconservancy network concept. Keeping people on the land in living landscapes. | Knight A.T. & Cowling R.M. | Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, University of Port Elizabeth | Report No. 45. | 2003 |
| The flora of the Bontebok National Park in regional perspective. | Kraaij T. | SANParks | South African Journal of Botany (publication) | 2011 |
| Habitat selection by large herbivores in relation to fire at the Bontebok National Park (1974-2009): the effects of management change. | Kraaij T. and Novellie P. A. | SANParks | African Journal of Range & Forage Science, 27: 1, 21 — 27. (publication) | 2010 |
| Social–ecological resilience in a dry environment: people and water resources in the Little Karoo. | Le Maitre D. C. & O’Farrell P.J. | CSIR; University of Stellenbosch | M. Burns and A. Weaver, editors. Exploring sustainability science—a Southern African perspective. Sun Media, Stellenbosch. (chapter in book) | 2008 |
| Assessment and Evaluation of Ecosystem Services in the Succulent Karoo Biome | Le Maitre D., O’Farrell P., Milton S., Atkinson D., De Lange W., Egoh B., Reyers B., Colvin C., Maherry A. & Blignaut J. | CSIR | SKEP Report | 2009 |
| Linking ecosystem services and water resources: landscape-scale hydrology of the Little Karoo. | Le Maitre D.C., Milton S.J., Jarmain C., Colvin C.A., Saayman I. & Vlok J.H.J. | CSIR, University of Stellenbosch, Regalis Environmental Services | Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5:261–270. (publication) | 2007 |
| Water resources in the Klein Karoo: the challenge of sustainable development in a water-scarce area. | Le Maitre, D. C., Colvin, C. & Maherry, A. | CSIR | South African Journal of Science 105: 39-48. (publication) | 2009 |
| Designing conservation corridors in production landscapes: assessment methods, implementation issues, and lessons learned. | Lombard A.T., Cowling R.M., Vlok J.H.J. & Fabricius C. | NMMU | Ecology and Society 15(3): 7. (publication) | 2010 |
| GIS coverages and spatial analyses for the Subtropical Thicket Ecosystem Planning (STEP) Project. | Lombard A.T., Wolf T. & Cole N. | Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, University of Port Elizabeth. | STEP TERU Report 42. | 2003 |
| GIS Specialist Services, Gouritz Initiative (GI). | Lombard A.T., Wolf T. & Strauss T. | Private consultants | CEPF funded report prepared for Cape Nature | 2004 |
| Rate of carbon sequestration at two thicket restoration sites in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. | Mills A. J. & Cowling R.M. | University of Stellenbosch; NMMU | Restoration Ecology 14:38–49. (publication) | 2006 |
| Effects of goat pastoralism on ecosystem carbon storage in semiarid thicket, Eastern Cape, South Africa. | Mills A.J., Cowling R.M., Fey M.V., Kerley G.I.H., Donaldson J.S., Lechmere-Oertel R.G., Sigwela A.M., Skowno A.L. & Rundel P. | University of Stellenbosch; NMMU; University of California, Los Angeles | Austral Ecology 30:797-804. (publication) | 2005 |
| Assessing Costs, Benefits, and Feasibility of Restoring Natural Capital in Subtropical Thicket in South Africa. | Mills A.J., Turpie J.K., Cowling R.M., Marais C., Kerley G.I.H., Lechmere-Oertel R.G., Sigwela A.M. & Powell M. | University of Stellenbosch; NMMU; Rhodes University | Chapter in Book | 2007 |
| Road-verge Vegetation Management Guidelines for Eden District Municipality – Balancing road safety, infrastructure maintenance and biodiversity conservation in roadside vegetation management. | Milton-Dean S.J. | RENU-KAROO Rehabilitation CC. | Guidelines Report | 2011 |
| Protected Area Expansion Strategy: Spatial assessment of river priorities. Final Report. | Nel J.L., Reyers B., Van Deventer H. & Smith-Adao L. | CSIR | CSIR Report | 2007 |
| Applying a resilience framework in the pursuit of sustainable land-use development in the Little Karoo, South Africa. | O’Farrell P. J., Le Maitre D.C., Gelderblom C., Bonora D., Hoffman T. & Reyers B. | CSIR; University of Stellenbosch | M. Burns and A. Weaver, editors. Exploring sustainability science—a Southern African perspective. Sun Media, Stellenbosch. (chapter in book) | 2008 |
| Assessing the suitability and feasibility of implementing a Biosphere Reserve in the Gouritz Initiative domain. | Pasquini L. | Private Consultant | CEPF funded report | 2008 |
| Privately –owned lands and biodiversity conservation: analysing the role of Private Conservation Areas in the Little Karoo, South Africa. | Pasquini L. | University of Sheffield; NMMU | Post-Doc Thesis | 2007 |
| C.A.P.E. Fine-Scale Systematic Conservation Planning Assessment: Technical Report. Biodiversity Planning Project. Cape Town, South Africa. | Pence G.Q.K. | Private consultant | C.A.P.E. Fine-scale Planning Project Report and Map | 2008 |
| Alarming plant dieback in the Outeniquas – Is this an indication of global warming? | Rebelo T., Le Maitre D., Schutte-Vlok A., Smart M., Vlok J., West A., Williams G. and others | SANBI, CapeNature, Dept of Water Affairs, University of Cape Town | Veld and Flora (2009): 38-39. (publication) | 2009 |
| Ecosystem services, land-cover change, and stakeholders: finding a sustainable foothold for a semiarid biodiversity hotspot. | Reyers B., O’Farrell P.J., Cowling R.M., Egoh B.N., Le Maitre D.C. & Vlok J.H.J. | CSIR; NMMU | Ecology and Society 14(1): 38. (publication) | 2009 |
| Getting the biodiversity intactness index right: the importance of habitat degradation data. | Rouget M., Cowling R.M, Vlok J.H.J., Thompson M. & Balmford A. | GeoTerra Image (Pty)Ltd.; NMMU; Regalis Environmental Services | Global Change Biology 12:2032–2036. (publication) | 2006 |
| Klein Karoo Centre – A centre for cultural and biological research and interpretation at Groenefontein Nature Reserve Near Calitzdorp, Western Cape. Feasibility Study. | Rust R. & Grant D. | Private Consultants | SKEPPIES funded Report | 2010 |
| Biodiversity Assessment of the Kannaland and Oudtshoorn Local Municipalities, and Eden District Management Area (Uniondale). | Skowno A.L., Holness S.D. & Desmet P.G. | ECOSOL GIS and private consultants | Dept of Environmental Affairs & Development Planning Report and Map | 2010 |
| Surface freshwater ecosystems. Methodology Report. | Snaddon C.D., Job N., Nel J., Smith-Adao L. & Day L. | C.A.P.E. Fine-scale Planning Project Report. | 2008 | |
| Land cover classifications from SPOT 5 satellite imagery. End Users Summary Report and Metadata. | Thompson M. | GeoTerraImage (GTI) Pty Lty | C.A.P.E. Fine-scale Planning Project Report. | 2007 |
| Mapping land transformation in a heterogeneous environment: a rapid and cost effective approach for assessment and monitoring. | Thompson M., Vlok J.H.J., Rouget M., Hoffman M.T., Balmford A. & Cowling R.M. | GeoTerra Image (Pty)Ltd.; NMMU; Regalis Environmental Services; UCT | Journal of Environmental Management (publication) | 2008 |
| Ecological capacity of the Little Karoo for larger wildlife – Matching game species to habitat and recommended densities. | Vlok J.H.J. & Coetzee K. | Regalis Environmental Services and Conservation Management Services | CEPF Funded Report | 2008 |
| Vegetation map for the Riversdale domain. | Vlok J.H.J. & de Villiers M.E. | Regalis Environmental Services, CapeNature | C.A.P.E. Fine-scale Planning Project Report and Map | 2007 |
| The patterns within, and the ecological processes that sustain, the subtropical thicket vegetation in the planning domain for the Subtropical Thicket Ecosystem Planning (STEP) project. | Vlok J.H.J. & Euston-Brown D.I.W. | Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit , Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | Report No. 40 | 2002 |
| Plants of the Klein Karoo. | Vlok J.H.J. & Schutte-Vlok A. | Regalis Environmental Services and CapeNature | Book | 2010 |
| A vegetation map for the Little Karoo. | Vlok J.H.J., Cowling R.M. & Wolf T. | SKEP project | Maps and report | 2005 |
| Acock’s Valley Bushveld 50 years on: new perspectives on the delimitation characterisation and origin of subtropical thicket vegetation. | Vlok J.H.J., Euston-Brown D.I.W. & Cowling R.M. | NMMU; Regalis Environmental Services; Private Consultant | S. Afr. J. Bot. 69, 27–51. (publication) | 2003 |
| The Biodiversity Sector Plan for Hessequa and Mossel Bay Municipalities. Supporting land-use planning and decision-making in Critical Biodiversity Areas and Ecological Support Areas for sustainable development. | Vromans D.C. & Te Roller K.S. | CapeNature | C.A.P.E. Fine-scale Biodiversity Planning Project. | 2009 |
| Management of Cape mountain zebra in the Kammanassie Nature Reserve, South Africa | Watson L.H. & Chadwick P. | NMMU & CapeNature | South African Journal of Wildlife Research Vol. 37, No. 1. (publication) | 2007 |
| Population viability of Cape mountain zebra in Gamka Mountain Nature Reserve, South Africa: the influence of habitat and fire. | Watson L.H., Odendaal H.E., Barry T.J. & Pietersen J. | NMMU; CapeNature | Biological Conservation 122: 173–180. (publication) | 2005 |
| Monitoring the success of planted Portulacaria afra (Spekboom) cuttings for the rehabilitation of Thicket in the Little Karoo, South Africa. | Weber L.M. | NMMU | B.Tech. Protject Report | 2011 |
| Impacts of degradation on critically endangered Oudtshoorn Gannaveld | Wheeler A.D. | University of Western Cape | PhD Thesis | 2009 |