Meeting a diversity of needs through a diversity of species: Urban residents’ favourite and disliked tree species across eleven towns in South Africa and Zimbabwe
- Shackleton, Charlie M, Mograbi, Penelope J
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Mograbi, Penelope J
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176321 , vital:42684 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126507
- Description: Understanding of urban residents’ preferences and dislikes for tree species and attributes is necessary to provide them with the species they most favour. Yet there is relatively little understanding of local species preferences, the reasons underlying them and how they vary with context and scale. We interviewed 1100 urban residents in eleven towns (four in Zimbabwe, four in Limpopo Province and three in the Eastern Cape of South Africa) to determine what were their favourite and least favourite tree species and the reasons for such. Fifty-nine species were listed amongst the preferred species (the four most common being Jacaranda mimosifolia (10% or respondents), Mangifera indica (10%), Adonsonia digitata (7%) and Colophospermum mopane (7%)), and 29 as disliked (the four most common being Vachellia spp, J. mimosifolia, Euphorbia spp. and Melia azedarach), with 16 in common between the two.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Mograbi, Penelope J
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176321 , vital:42684 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126507
- Description: Understanding of urban residents’ preferences and dislikes for tree species and attributes is necessary to provide them with the species they most favour. Yet there is relatively little understanding of local species preferences, the reasons underlying them and how they vary with context and scale. We interviewed 1100 urban residents in eleven towns (four in Zimbabwe, four in Limpopo Province and three in the Eastern Cape of South Africa) to determine what were their favourite and least favourite tree species and the reasons for such. Fifty-nine species were listed amongst the preferred species (the four most common being Jacaranda mimosifolia (10% or respondents), Mangifera indica (10%), Adonsonia digitata (7%) and Colophospermum mopane (7%)), and 29 as disliked (the four most common being Vachellia spp, J. mimosifolia, Euphorbia spp. and Melia azedarach), with 16 in common between the two.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Plant Fibre Crafts Production, Trade and Income in Eswatini, Malawi and Zimbabwe
- Thondhlana, Gladman, Pullanikkatil, Deepa, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Thondhlana, Gladman , Pullanikkatil, Deepa , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175936 , vital:42642 , https://doi.org/10.3390/f11080832 , https://doi.org/10.21504/RUR.c.5388470.v1
- Description: The production of plant fibre products is considered a promising pathway for contributing to people’s livelihoods particularly in developing countries, where economic options might be limited. However, there are limited comparative studies across countries on plant fibre products, making it difficult to examine how local and broader biophysical, socioeconomic, cultural and policy contexts influence craft production patterns in terms of primary plant resources used, products made and contributions to livelihoods. Using household surveys for data collection, this paper presents findings from a comparative analysis of plant fibre craft production and income in three southern African countries, Eswatini, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Thondhlana, Gladman , Pullanikkatil, Deepa , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175936 , vital:42642 , https://doi.org/10.3390/f11080832 , https://doi.org/10.21504/RUR.c.5388470.v1
- Description: The production of plant fibre products is considered a promising pathway for contributing to people’s livelihoods particularly in developing countries, where economic options might be limited. However, there are limited comparative studies across countries on plant fibre products, making it difficult to examine how local and broader biophysical, socioeconomic, cultural and policy contexts influence craft production patterns in terms of primary plant resources used, products made and contributions to livelihoods. Using household surveys for data collection, this paper presents findings from a comparative analysis of plant fibre craft production and income in three southern African countries, Eswatini, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Situating biocultural relations in city and townscapes:
- Cocks, Michelle L, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175733 , vital:42619 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: The different geographic regions represented in the book have brought to the fore the diversity of ways in which nature is conceptualised, which have in turn influenced the types of nature found in urban areas. Through processes of urbanisation, colonialism, immigration and migration a diversity of cultural groups now live in urban areas and consequently, biocultural relationships have been suppressed, reshaped or enriched. Accordingly, a diversity of uses, experiences, cosmologies, interactions and engagement with the nature are now found which, for many, offer opportunities to strengthen a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Within these diversities of ontological framings of nature and ways of being, conflicting tensions emerge which are further impacted upon by micro and macro social, economic and political processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175733 , vital:42619 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: The different geographic regions represented in the book have brought to the fore the diversity of ways in which nature is conceptualised, which have in turn influenced the types of nature found in urban areas. Through processes of urbanisation, colonialism, immigration and migration a diversity of cultural groups now live in urban areas and consequently, biocultural relationships have been suppressed, reshaped or enriched. Accordingly, a diversity of uses, experiences, cosmologies, interactions and engagement with the nature are now found which, for many, offer opportunities to strengthen a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Within these diversities of ontological framings of nature and ways of being, conflicting tensions emerge which are further impacted upon by micro and macro social, economic and political processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
The degree, extent and value of air temperature amelioration by urban green spaces in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe:
- Ngulani, T, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Ngulani, T , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176061 , vital:42656 , https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2019.1685405
- Description: Urban greenery provide a variety of goods and services to city dwellers. A core one is amelioration of the urban heat island effect. However, the many estimates from temperate regions cannot be extrapolated to the tropics, where more empirical studies are required to guide urban planning and optimization of green infrastructure design and distribution. This study reports on the temperature differentials in fortnightly readings, in winter and summer, between 12 urban green spaces and the surrounding built-up urban matrix at increasing distances from each green space. Additionally, the value of energy costs saved for air conditioning by urban greenery was calculated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Ngulani, T , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176061 , vital:42656 , https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2019.1685405
- Description: Urban greenery provide a variety of goods and services to city dwellers. A core one is amelioration of the urban heat island effect. However, the many estimates from temperate regions cannot be extrapolated to the tropics, where more empirical studies are required to guide urban planning and optimization of green infrastructure design and distribution. This study reports on the temperature differentials in fortnightly readings, in winter and summer, between 12 urban green spaces and the surrounding built-up urban matrix at increasing distances from each green space. Additionally, the value of energy costs saved for air conditioning by urban greenery was calculated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
The genetic legacy of fragmentation and overexploitation in the threatened medicinal African pepper-bark tree, Warburgia salutaris:
- Senkoro, Annae M, Talhinhas, Pedro, Simões, Fernanda, Batista-Santos, Paula, Shackleton, Charlie M, Voeks, Robert A, Marques, Isabel, Ribeiro-Barros, Ana I
- Authors: Senkoro, Annae M , Talhinhas, Pedro , Simões, Fernanda , Batista-Santos, Paula , Shackleton, Charlie M , Voeks, Robert A , Marques, Isabel , Ribeiro-Barros, Ana I
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176395 , vital:42690 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101201
- Description: The pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) is one of the most highly valued medicinal plant species worldwide. Native to southern Africa, this species has been extensively harvested for the bark, which is widely used in traditional health practices. Illegal harvesting coupled with habitat degradation has contributed to fragmentation of populations and a severe decline in its distribution. Even though the species is included in the IUCN Red List as Endangered, genetic data that would help conservation efforts and future re-introductions are absent. We therefore developed new molecular markers to understand patterns of genetic diversity, structure, and gene flow of W. salutaris in one of its most important areas of occurrence (Mozambique).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Senkoro, Annae M , Talhinhas, Pedro , Simões, Fernanda , Batista-Santos, Paula , Shackleton, Charlie M , Voeks, Robert A , Marques, Isabel , Ribeiro-Barros, Ana I
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176395 , vital:42690 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101201
- Description: The pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) is one of the most highly valued medicinal plant species worldwide. Native to southern Africa, this species has been extensively harvested for the bark, which is widely used in traditional health practices. Illegal harvesting coupled with habitat degradation has contributed to fragmentation of populations and a severe decline in its distribution. Even though the species is included in the IUCN Red List as Endangered, genetic data that would help conservation efforts and future re-introductions are absent. We therefore developed new molecular markers to understand patterns of genetic diversity, structure, and gene flow of W. salutaris in one of its most important areas of occurrence (Mozambique).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
The Legacy Effects of Colonial and Apartheid Imprints on Urban Greening in South Africa: Spaces, Species, and Suitability
- Shackleton, Charlie M, Gwedla, Nanamhla
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Gwedla, Nanamhla
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176296 , vital:42682 , https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.579813
- Description: Colonialism is a significant legacy across most aspects of urban form, the nature and distribution of public green spaces, and tree species composition in many cities of the Global South. However, the legacy effects of colonialism on urban green infrastructure and the uses thereof have only recently come under scrutiny. Here we collate information from South Africa on urban greening and interpret it through a colonial and apartheid legacy lens in relation to the distribution and types of urban nature found and their resonance with contemporary needs as an African country.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Gwedla, Nanamhla
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176296 , vital:42682 , https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.579813
- Description: Colonialism is a significant legacy across most aspects of urban form, the nature and distribution of public green spaces, and tree species composition in many cities of the Global South. However, the legacy effects of colonialism on urban green infrastructure and the uses thereof have only recently come under scrutiny. Here we collate information from South Africa on urban greening and interpret it through a colonial and apartheid legacy lens in relation to the distribution and types of urban nature found and their resonance with contemporary needs as an African country.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
The social dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa
- Shackleton, Ross T, Novoa, Ana, Shackleton, Charlie M, Kull, Christian A
- Authors: Shackleton, Ross T , Novoa, Ana , Shackleton, Charlie M , Kull, Christian A
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176285 , vital:42681 , DOI 10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3
- Description: This chapter examines current knowledge relating to the human and social dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa. We do so by advancing 12 propositions and examining the evidence for or against each using South African literature. The propositions cover four broad issues: how people cause invasions; how they conceptualise them; effects of invasive species on people; and peoples’ responses to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Shackleton, Ross T , Novoa, Ana , Shackleton, Charlie M , Kull, Christian A
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176285 , vital:42681 , DOI 10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3
- Description: This chapter examines current knowledge relating to the human and social dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa. We do so by advancing 12 propositions and examining the evidence for or against each using South African literature. The propositions cover four broad issues: how people cause invasions; how they conceptualise them; effects of invasive species on people; and peoples’ responses to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Unsustainable trade-offs: provisioning ecosystem services in rapidly changing Likangala River catchment in southern Malawi
- Pullanikkatil, Deepa, Mograbi, Penelope J, Palamuleni, Lobina, Ruhiiga, Tabukeli, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Pullanikkatil, Deepa , Mograbi, Penelope J , Palamuleni, Lobina , Ruhiiga, Tabukeli , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176308 , vital:42683 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0240-x
- Description: Provisioning ecosystem services of the Likangala River Catchment in southern Malawi are important for livelihoods of those living there. Remote sensing, participatory mapping and focus group discussions were used to explore the spatio-temporal changes and trade-ofs in land-cover change from 1984 to 2013, and how that afects provisioning ecosystem services in the area. Communities derive a number of provisioning ecosystem services from the catchment. Forty-eight species of edible wild animals (including birds), 28 species of edible wild plants and fungi, 22 species of medicinal plants, construction materials, ornamental fowers, frewood, honey, gum, reeds and thatch/weaving grasses were derived from the catchment and used by local communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Pullanikkatil, Deepa , Mograbi, Penelope J , Palamuleni, Lobina , Ruhiiga, Tabukeli , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176308 , vital:42683 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0240-x
- Description: Provisioning ecosystem services of the Likangala River Catchment in southern Malawi are important for livelihoods of those living there. Remote sensing, participatory mapping and focus group discussions were used to explore the spatio-temporal changes and trade-ofs in land-cover change from 1984 to 2013, and how that afects provisioning ecosystem services in the area. Communities derive a number of provisioning ecosystem services from the catchment. Forty-eight species of edible wild animals (including birds), 28 species of edible wild plants and fungi, 22 species of medicinal plants, construction materials, ornamental fowers, frewood, honey, gum, reeds and thatch/weaving grasses were derived from the catchment and used by local communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Urban foraging of wild plants in two medium-sized South African towns: People, perceptions and practices
- Garekae, Hesekia, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Garekae, Hesekia , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176333 , vital:42685 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126581
- Description: Urban ecosystems provide goods and services critical to livelihood sustenance, environmental protection and sustainability. However, the potential role of some urban ecosystem services such as the provisioning services, to promote liveable cities and livelihood resilience is seldom considered. This study reports on the prevalence and pattern of wild plant foraging and uses in the towns of Potchefstroom and Thabazimbi, South Africa, based on a random sample of 374 households. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysing data. Foraging wild plants was integral to livelihoods and traditions and provided household energy, dietary diversity, health, and cultural affirmation, among others. About 68 % of the respondents reported foraging wild plants, albeit at varying degrees between and within towns.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Garekae, Hesekia , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176333 , vital:42685 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126581
- Description: Urban ecosystems provide goods and services critical to livelihood sustenance, environmental protection and sustainability. However, the potential role of some urban ecosystem services such as the provisioning services, to promote liveable cities and livelihood resilience is seldom considered. This study reports on the prevalence and pattern of wild plant foraging and uses in the towns of Potchefstroom and Thabazimbi, South Africa, based on a random sample of 374 households. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysing data. Foraging wild plants was integral to livelihoods and traditions and provided household energy, dietary diversity, health, and cultural affirmation, among others. About 68 % of the respondents reported foraging wild plants, albeit at varying degrees between and within towns.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Urban foraging: land management policy, perspectives, and potential
- Sardeshpande, Mallika, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Sardeshpande, Mallika , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/149384 , vital:38845 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1371/journal.pone.0230693
- Description: Gathering of uncultivated food from green spaces, also known as foraging, is observed in urban areas across the world, but the literature focuses predominantly on the global north. Our study examines the existing urban land management structure and its approach to urban foraging in the eastern coastal region of South Africa. Through interviews with municipal officials in nine cities, we identified different stakeholders and their roles in urban green space management. We then used network analysis to represent interactions and influence of these stakeholders, and environmental worldviews to determine organisational and perceptual barriers to and enablers of foraging in urban green spaces. The policy on urban green space management, as well as land managers themselves are amenable to the concept of foraging in public spaces. Lack of knowledge on wild indigenous species and sustainable offtake, ambiguous, coarse, or lacking policy, and normative views of pristine nature may hinder foraging. We recommend pathways for policy and stakeholder partnerships to incorporate sustainable foraging in their biodiversity conservation and land stewardship strategies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Sardeshpande, Mallika , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/149384 , vital:38845 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1371/journal.pone.0230693
- Description: Gathering of uncultivated food from green spaces, also known as foraging, is observed in urban areas across the world, but the literature focuses predominantly on the global north. Our study examines the existing urban land management structure and its approach to urban foraging in the eastern coastal region of South Africa. Through interviews with municipal officials in nine cities, we identified different stakeholders and their roles in urban green space management. We then used network analysis to represent interactions and influence of these stakeholders, and environmental worldviews to determine organisational and perceptual barriers to and enablers of foraging in urban green spaces. The policy on urban green space management, as well as land managers themselves are amenable to the concept of foraging in public spaces. Lack of knowledge on wild indigenous species and sustainable offtake, ambiguous, coarse, or lacking policy, and normative views of pristine nature may hinder foraging. We recommend pathways for policy and stakeholder partnerships to incorporate sustainable foraging in their biodiversity conservation and land stewardship strategies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Urban nature and biocultural realities:
- Shackleton, Charlie M, Cocks, Michelle L
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175709 , vital:42617 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: There is no longer any doubt that an important component of and contributor to human wellbeing is the natural environment in which people live, work and relax (Summers et al. 2012). Whilst initial ideas of human wellbeing, early in the second half of the 20th century, focussed on objective measures that could be quantified and contribute to humans’ basic needs, they have evolved a great deal since, despite the lack of consensus on a precise definition of human wellbeing (Summers et al. 2012). Over the last five decades the conceptions of human wellbeing have become more complex and inclusive of the more subjective and less tangible components of human existence, including the natural environment (King et al. 2014).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175709 , vital:42617 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: There is no longer any doubt that an important component of and contributor to human wellbeing is the natural environment in which people live, work and relax (Summers et al. 2012). Whilst initial ideas of human wellbeing, early in the second half of the 20th century, focussed on objective measures that could be quantified and contribute to humans’ basic needs, they have evolved a great deal since, despite the lack of consensus on a precise definition of human wellbeing (Summers et al. 2012). Over the last five decades the conceptions of human wellbeing have become more complex and inclusive of the more subjective and less tangible components of human existence, including the natural environment (King et al. 2014).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Urban Nature: Enriching Belonging, Wellbeing and Bioculture
- Cocks, Michelle L, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175698 , vital:42616 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: This book showcases the diversity of ways in which urban residents from varying cultural contexts view, interact, engage with and give meaning to urban nature, aiming to counterbalance the dominance of Western depictions and values of urban nature and design. Urban nature has up to now largely been defined, planned and managed in a way that is heavily dominated by Western understandings, values and appreciations, which has spread through colonialism and globalisation. As cities increasingly represent a diversity of cultures, and urban nature is being increasingly recognised as contributing to residents' wellbeing, belonging and overall quality of life, it is important to consider the numerous ways in which urban nature is understood and appreciated. This collection of case studies includes examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and reflects on the multi-dimensional aspects of engagements with urban nature through a biocultural diversity lens.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175698 , vital:42616 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: This book showcases the diversity of ways in which urban residents from varying cultural contexts view, interact, engage with and give meaning to urban nature, aiming to counterbalance the dominance of Western depictions and values of urban nature and design. Urban nature has up to now largely been defined, planned and managed in a way that is heavily dominated by Western understandings, values and appreciations, which has spread through colonialism and globalisation. As cities increasingly represent a diversity of cultures, and urban nature is being increasingly recognised as contributing to residents' wellbeing, belonging and overall quality of life, it is important to consider the numerous ways in which urban nature is understood and appreciated. This collection of case studies includes examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and reflects on the multi-dimensional aspects of engagements with urban nature through a biocultural diversity lens.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Urbanisation reshapes gendered engagement in land-based livelihood activities in mid-sized African towns:
- Shackleton, Charlie M, Drescher, Axel W, Schlesinger, Johannes
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Drescher, Axel W , Schlesinger, Johannes
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176346 , vital:42686 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.104946
- Description: Most sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing accelerating rates of urban migration, which bring with it many opportunities and challenges for migrating households, urban planners, governments and local and national economies. At the household level urbanisation may drive changes in the allocation of household labour and consequently social and economic relations. Yet how these are manifest in land-based livelihood strategies of arable cropping, livestock husbandry and the collection of wild products in urban settings has rarely been considered. Here we examine the changing participation rates in land-based livelihood activities by male- and female-headed households along the rural–urban continua of six sub-Saharan African secondary towns. To capture the gendered changes in land-based livelihood strategies along the urban–rural continuum, 1156 randomly selected households were sampled along transects radiating out from the urban through the periurban to rural surrounds. Participation in different land-based livelihood strategies was recorded by means of a questionnaire.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Drescher, Axel W , Schlesinger, Johannes
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176346 , vital:42686 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.104946
- Description: Most sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing accelerating rates of urban migration, which bring with it many opportunities and challenges for migrating households, urban planners, governments and local and national economies. At the household level urbanisation may drive changes in the allocation of household labour and consequently social and economic relations. Yet how these are manifest in land-based livelihood strategies of arable cropping, livestock husbandry and the collection of wild products in urban settings has rarely been considered. Here we examine the changing participation rates in land-based livelihood activities by male- and female-headed households along the rural–urban continua of six sub-Saharan African secondary towns. To capture the gendered changes in land-based livelihood strategies along the urban–rural continuum, 1156 randomly selected households were sampled along transects radiating out from the urban through the periurban to rural surrounds. Participation in different land-based livelihood strategies was recorded by means of a questionnaire.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A continental-scale validation of ecosystem service models
- Willcock, Simon, Hooftman, Danny A P, Balbi, Stefano, Blanchard, Ryan, Dawson, Terence P, O’Farrell, Patrick J, Hickler, Thomas, Hudson, Malcolm D, Lindeskog, Mats, Martinez-Lopez, Javier, Mulligan, Mark, Reyers, Belinda, Shackleton, Charlie M, Sitas, Nadia, Villa, Ferdinando, Watts, Sophie M, Eigenbrod, Felix, Bullock, James M
- Authors: Willcock, Simon , Hooftman, Danny A P , Balbi, Stefano , Blanchard, Ryan , Dawson, Terence P , O’Farrell, Patrick J , Hickler, Thomas , Hudson, Malcolm D , Lindeskog, Mats , Martinez-Lopez, Javier , Mulligan, Mark , Reyers, Belinda , Shackleton, Charlie M , Sitas, Nadia , Villa, Ferdinando , Watts, Sophie M , Eigenbrod, Felix , Bullock, James M
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177476 , vital:42825 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00380-y
- Description: Faced with environmental degradation, governments worldwide are developing policies to safeguard ecosystem services (ES). Many ES models exist to support these policies, but they are generally poorly validated, especially at large scales, which undermines their credibility. To address this gap, we describe a study of multiple models of five ES, which we validate at an unprecedented scale against 1675 data points across sub-Saharan Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Willcock, Simon , Hooftman, Danny A P , Balbi, Stefano , Blanchard, Ryan , Dawson, Terence P , O’Farrell, Patrick J , Hickler, Thomas , Hudson, Malcolm D , Lindeskog, Mats , Martinez-Lopez, Javier , Mulligan, Mark , Reyers, Belinda , Shackleton, Charlie M , Sitas, Nadia , Villa, Ferdinando , Watts, Sophie M , Eigenbrod, Felix , Bullock, James M
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177476 , vital:42825 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00380-y
- Description: Faced with environmental degradation, governments worldwide are developing policies to safeguard ecosystem services (ES). Many ES models exist to support these policies, but they are generally poorly validated, especially at large scales, which undermines their credibility. To address this gap, we describe a study of multiple models of five ES, which we validate at an unprecedented scale against 1675 data points across sub-Saharan Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Abundance and correlates of the Acacia dealbata invasion in the northern Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Gouws, Aidan J, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Gouws, Aidan J , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/179735 , vital:43165 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.09.048"
- Description: An increase in the density and biomass of woody invasive plants contributes to the intensification of ecological impacts and can often be met with dissatisfaction by local communities. Despite their reliance on Acacia dealbata as a source of livelihood, villagers in the northern Eastern Cape have expressed concerns about the high densities of the species. This study sought to quantify the current abundance and growth of A. dealbata in selected landscapes in the northern Eastern Cape, around nine villages in rural Matatiele, Mount Fletcher and Maclear. Standard vegetation survey techniques were adopted to quantify the density, biomass and growth rate of A. dealbata. Overall, the average density, biomass and productivity of A. dealbata were estimated at approximately 7000 stems ha−1, 12 Mg ha−1 and 4 Mg ha−1 year−1, respectively. However, the abundance and productivity of A. dealbata were spatially variable between study areas. Acacia dealbata stems experienced significant growth over the period of a single year, contributing to substantial biomass production at the landscape level, despite continued harvest. Furthermore, relatively few biophysical variables were significantly influential correlates with the abundance of A. dealbata. Indeed, the degree of biological invasion can be highly variable across the landscape, shaped by the interaction of local-scale biophysical conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Gouws, Aidan J , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/179735 , vital:43165 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.09.048"
- Description: An increase in the density and biomass of woody invasive plants contributes to the intensification of ecological impacts and can often be met with dissatisfaction by local communities. Despite their reliance on Acacia dealbata as a source of livelihood, villagers in the northern Eastern Cape have expressed concerns about the high densities of the species. This study sought to quantify the current abundance and growth of A. dealbata in selected landscapes in the northern Eastern Cape, around nine villages in rural Matatiele, Mount Fletcher and Maclear. Standard vegetation survey techniques were adopted to quantify the density, biomass and growth rate of A. dealbata. Overall, the average density, biomass and productivity of A. dealbata were estimated at approximately 7000 stems ha−1, 12 Mg ha−1 and 4 Mg ha−1 year−1, respectively. However, the abundance and productivity of A. dealbata were spatially variable between study areas. Acacia dealbata stems experienced significant growth over the period of a single year, contributing to substantial biomass production at the landscape level, despite continued harvest. Furthermore, relatively few biophysical variables were significantly influential correlates with the abundance of A. dealbata. Indeed, the degree of biological invasion can be highly variable across the landscape, shaped by the interaction of local-scale biophysical conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Assessing household food insecurity experience in the context of deforestation in Cameroon
- Ngome, Precillia I T, Shackleton, Charlie M, Degrande, Ann, Nossi, Eric J, Ngome, Francis
- Authors: Ngome, Precillia I T , Shackleton, Charlie M , Degrande, Ann , Nossi, Eric J , Ngome, Francis
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/398180 , vital:69382 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.02.003"
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Ngome, Precillia I T , Shackleton, Charlie M , Degrande, Ann , Nossi, Eric J , Ngome, Francis
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/398180 , vital:69382 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.02.003"
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Bushmeat use is widespread but under-researched in rural communities of South Africa
- Martins, Vusumzi, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Martins, Vusumzi , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/179745 , vital:43167 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00583"
- Description: Bushmeat hunting and consumption is common throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, a recent review indicated that the prevalence and nature of bushmeat hunting was little researched or understood in southern African savannas. Here we present information from a number of rural livelihoods studies in South Africa that indicate that bushmeat consumption is common, with typically between 30 and 60% of rural households in the communal tenure regions stating that they consume it. Yet there are only five studies in the country explicitly investigating bushmeat hunting practices, motivations, offtake and target species. A review of the five studies indicates that bushmeat hunting is largely a male activity and that motivations and practices vary between sites. Hunting with dogs is the most common method, targeting multiple small and medium-sized species. With such widespread consumption, it is possible that bushmeat hunting may have significant effects on the population status of some target species and consequently requires urgent and in-depth research of both practices and effects
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Martins, Vusumzi , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/179745 , vital:43167 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00583"
- Description: Bushmeat hunting and consumption is common throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, a recent review indicated that the prevalence and nature of bushmeat hunting was little researched or understood in southern African savannas. Here we present information from a number of rural livelihoods studies in South Africa that indicate that bushmeat consumption is common, with typically between 30 and 60% of rural households in the communal tenure regions stating that they consume it. Yet there are only five studies in the country explicitly investigating bushmeat hunting practices, motivations, offtake and target species. A review of the five studies indicates that bushmeat hunting is largely a male activity and that motivations and practices vary between sites. Hunting with dogs is the most common method, targeting multiple small and medium-sized species. With such widespread consumption, it is possible that bushmeat hunting may have significant effects on the population status of some target species and consequently requires urgent and in-depth research of both practices and effects
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Changes in household use and sale of locally collected environmental resources over a 15-year period in a rural village, South Africa
- Falayi, Menelisi, Shackleton, Sheona E, Kemp, Georgina Cundill, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Falayi, Menelisi , Shackleton, Sheona E , Kemp, Georgina Cundill , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/398196 , vital:69383 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14728028.2019.1568309"
- Description: Many rural areas are experiencing rapid social-ecological changes, impacting livelihoods and creating less certain futures. Despite several decades of research on the use of locally collected environmental resources there have been few repeat studies, especially in South and Southern Africa, to consider how households may be altering such use alongside other changes. This paper explores changes in the use of environmental resources by communities in the Kat River Valley, South Africa over a fifteen-year period, between 2000 and 2015, using a repeat survey, key informant interviews and other data from a larger study relating to social-ecological change. The proportion of households collecting different environmental resources was similar between the two periods. However, the mean quantities used per household had declined for several resources . Consequently, the monetary contribution or worth of these to livelihoods also declined, except for fuelwood and river sand. These changes can be related to, amongst others, transformations in both the local landscape and socio-economic environment, such as increases in state social welfare, a decline in agricultural production, woody plant encroachment, generational preferences, and the expansion of supermarket retailers. Understanding such trends is important for considering the sustainable management of landscapes and livelihoods into the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Falayi, Menelisi , Shackleton, Sheona E , Kemp, Georgina Cundill , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/398196 , vital:69383 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14728028.2019.1568309"
- Description: Many rural areas are experiencing rapid social-ecological changes, impacting livelihoods and creating less certain futures. Despite several decades of research on the use of locally collected environmental resources there have been few repeat studies, especially in South and Southern Africa, to consider how households may be altering such use alongside other changes. This paper explores changes in the use of environmental resources by communities in the Kat River Valley, South Africa over a fifteen-year period, between 2000 and 2015, using a repeat survey, key informant interviews and other data from a larger study relating to social-ecological change. The proportion of households collecting different environmental resources was similar between the two periods. However, the mean quantities used per household had declined for several resources . Consequently, the monetary contribution or worth of these to livelihoods also declined, except for fuelwood and river sand. These changes can be related to, amongst others, transformations in both the local landscape and socio-economic environment, such as increases in state social welfare, a decline in agricultural production, woody plant encroachment, generational preferences, and the expansion of supermarket retailers. Understanding such trends is important for considering the sustainable management of landscapes and livelihoods into the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Deactivation of field cultivation in communal areas of South Africa: Patterns, drivers and socio-economic and ecological consequences
- Shackleton, Charlie M, Mograbi, Penelope, Drimie, Scott, Fay, Derick, Hebinck, Paul, Hoffman, Michael T, Maciejewski, Kristine, Twine, Wayne
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Mograbi, Penelope , Drimie, Scott , Fay, Derick , Hebinck, Paul , Hoffman, Michael T , Maciejewski, Kristine , Twine, Wayne
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/398210 , vital:69384 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.01.009"
- Description: Smallholder production is a significant contributor to rural livelihoods and rural economies in much of the developing world. Yet, there is evidence of increasing disengagement in some regions, including southern Africa. However, there has been little consideration of the rates and the livelihood, ecological and policy implications of such. In this paper we examine previous studies on rates of deactivation of crop fields by smallholders in the communal areas of South Africa, supported by repeat photo images and case study material. Together these various methods show that it is a widespread phenomenon occurring at variable rates. Over short periods deactivation of crop fields can be balanced through some reactivation or intensification of homegardens. But over longer periods there is a net decline in the area of fields cultivated in many areas, with corresponding increases in the area of fallow land which, through time, may undergo changes towards more natural vegetation. We review the drivers of this deactivation of field cropping, and then contemplate the possible socio-economic and ecological implications at local and national scales. We show that there are numerous and profound implications that require greater understanding and policy responses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Mograbi, Penelope , Drimie, Scott , Fay, Derick , Hebinck, Paul , Hoffman, Michael T , Maciejewski, Kristine , Twine, Wayne
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/398210 , vital:69384 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.01.009"
- Description: Smallholder production is a significant contributor to rural livelihoods and rural economies in much of the developing world. Yet, there is evidence of increasing disengagement in some regions, including southern Africa. However, there has been little consideration of the rates and the livelihood, ecological and policy implications of such. In this paper we examine previous studies on rates of deactivation of crop fields by smallholders in the communal areas of South Africa, supported by repeat photo images and case study material. Together these various methods show that it is a widespread phenomenon occurring at variable rates. Over short periods deactivation of crop fields can be balanced through some reactivation or intensification of homegardens. But over longer periods there is a net decline in the area of fields cultivated in many areas, with corresponding increases in the area of fallow land which, through time, may undergo changes towards more natural vegetation. We review the drivers of this deactivation of field cropping, and then contemplate the possible socio-economic and ecological implications at local and national scales. We show that there are numerous and profound implications that require greater understanding and policy responses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Explaining people's perceptions of invasive alien species: A conceptual framework
- Shackleton, Ross T, Richardson, David M, Shackleton, Charlie M, Bennett, Brett, Crowley, Sarah L, Dehnen-Schmutz, Katharina, Estévez, Rodrigo A, Fischer, Anke, Kueffer, Christoph, Kull, Christian, Marchante, Elizabete, Novoa, Ana, Potgieter, Luke J, Vass, Jetske, Vas, Anna S, Larson, Brendon
- Authors: Shackleton, Ross T , Richardson, David M , Shackleton, Charlie M , Bennett, Brett , Crowley, Sarah L , Dehnen-Schmutz, Katharina , Estévez, Rodrigo A , Fischer, Anke , Kueffer, Christoph , Kull, Christian , Marchante, Elizabete , Novoa, Ana , Potgieter, Luke J , Vass, Jetske , Vas, Anna S , Larson, Brendon
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/181356 , vital:43726 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.045"
- Description: Human perceptions of nature and the environment are increasingly being recognised as important for environmental management and conservation. Understanding people's perceptions is crucial for understanding behaviour and developing effective management strategies to maintain, preserve and improve biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. As an interdisciplinary team, we produced a synthesis of the key factors that influence people's perceptions of invasive alien species, and ordered them in a conceptual framework. In a context of considerable complexity and variation across time and space, we identified six broad-scale dimensions: (1) attributes of the individual perceiving the invasive alien species; (2) characteristics of the invasive alien species itself; (3) effects of the invasion (including negative and positive impacts, i.e. benefits and costs); (4) socio-cultural context; (5) landscape context; and (6) institutional and policy context. A number of underlying and facilitating aspects for each of these six overarching dimensions are also identified and discussed. Synthesising and understanding the main factors that influence people's perceptions is useful to guide future research, to facilitate dialogue and negotiation between actors, and to aid management and policy formulation and governance of invasive alien species. This can help to circumvent and mitigate conflicts, support prioritisation plans, improve stakeholder engagement platforms, and implement control measures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Shackleton, Ross T , Richardson, David M , Shackleton, Charlie M , Bennett, Brett , Crowley, Sarah L , Dehnen-Schmutz, Katharina , Estévez, Rodrigo A , Fischer, Anke , Kueffer, Christoph , Kull, Christian , Marchante, Elizabete , Novoa, Ana , Potgieter, Luke J , Vass, Jetske , Vas, Anna S , Larson, Brendon
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/181356 , vital:43726 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.045"
- Description: Human perceptions of nature and the environment are increasingly being recognised as important for environmental management and conservation. Understanding people's perceptions is crucial for understanding behaviour and developing effective management strategies to maintain, preserve and improve biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. As an interdisciplinary team, we produced a synthesis of the key factors that influence people's perceptions of invasive alien species, and ordered them in a conceptual framework. In a context of considerable complexity and variation across time and space, we identified six broad-scale dimensions: (1) attributes of the individual perceiving the invasive alien species; (2) characteristics of the invasive alien species itself; (3) effects of the invasion (including negative and positive impacts, i.e. benefits and costs); (4) socio-cultural context; (5) landscape context; and (6) institutional and policy context. A number of underlying and facilitating aspects for each of these six overarching dimensions are also identified and discussed. Synthesising and understanding the main factors that influence people's perceptions is useful to guide future research, to facilitate dialogue and negotiation between actors, and to aid management and policy formulation and governance of invasive alien species. This can help to circumvent and mitigate conflicts, support prioritisation plans, improve stakeholder engagement platforms, and implement control measures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019