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Freshwater Fishes
WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE state oF BIODIVERSITY 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction 2 Chapter 2 Methods 17 Chapter 3 Freshwater fishes 18 Chapter 4 Amphibians 36 Chapter 5 Reptiles 55 Chapter 6 Mammals 75 Chapter 7 Avifauna 89 Chapter 8 Flora & Vegetation 112 Chapter 9 Land and Protected Areas 139 Chapter 10 Status of River Health 159 Cover page photographs by Andrew Turner (CapeNature), Roger Bills (SAIAB) & Wicus Leeuwner. ISBN 978-0-620-39289-1 SCIENTIFIC SERVICES 2 Western Cape Province State of Biodiversity 2007 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Andrew Turner [email protected] 1 “We live at a historic moment, a time in which the world’s biological diversity is being rapidly destroyed. The present geological period has more species than any other, yet the current rate of extinction of species is greater now than at any time in the past. Ecosystems and communities are being degraded and destroyed, and species are being driven to extinction. The species that persist are losing genetic variation as the number of individuals in populations shrinks, unique populations and subspecies are destroyed, and remaining populations become increasingly isolated from one another. The cause of this loss of biological diversity at all levels is the range of human activity that alters and destroys natural habitats to suit human needs.” (Primack, 2002). CapeNature launched its State of Biodiversity Programme (SoBP) to assess and monitor the state of biodiversity in the Western Cape in 1999. This programme delivered its first report in 2002 and these reports are updated every five years. The current report (2007) reports on the changes to the state of vertebrate biodiversity and land under conservation usage. -
A Case Study: Building Resilience in Rangelands Through a Natural Resource Management Model
A CASE STUDY: BUILDING RESILIENCE IN RANGELANDS THROUGH A NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT MODEL Ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation: strengthening the evidence and informing policy Halcyone Muller Heidi-Jayne Hawkins Sarshen Scorgie November 2019 Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 4 Materials and methods .................................................................................................... 6 Climate and biophysical characteristics of the study area ............................. 6 Socio-economic characteristics of the study area ............................................. 7 Socio-economic survey .............................................................................................. 7 Biophysical study design ........................................................................................... 7 Statistics .......................................................................................................................... 8 Results .................................................................................................................................. 10 Socio-economic survey ............................................................................................. 10 Biophysical study ......................................................................................................... 11 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... -
Explore the Northern Cape Province
Cultural Guiding - Explore The Northern Cape Province When Schalk van Niekerk traded all his possessions for an 83.5 carat stone owned by the Griqua Shepard, Zwartboy, Sir Richard Southey, Colonial Secretary of the Cape, declared with some justification: “This is the rock on which the future of South Africa will be built.” For us, The Star of South Africa, as the gem became known, shines not in the East, but in the Northern Cape. (Tourism Blueprint, 2006) 2 – WildlifeCampus Cultural Guiding Course – Northern Cape Module # 1 - Province Overview Component # 1 - Northern Cape Province Overview Module # 2 - Cultural Overview Component # 1 - Northern Cape Cultural Overview Module # 3 - Historical Overview Component # 1 - Northern Cape Historical Overview Module # 4 - Wildlife and Nature Conservation Overview Component # 1 - Northern Cape Wildlife and Nature Conservation Overview Module # 5 - Namaqualand Component # 1 - Namaqualand Component # 2 - The Hantam Karoo Component # 3 - Towns along the N14 Component # 4 - Richtersveld Component # 5 - The West Coast Module # 5 - Karoo Region Component # 1 - Introduction to the Karoo and N12 towns Component # 2 - Towns along the N1, N9 and N10 Component # 3 - Other Karoo towns Module # 6 - Diamond Region Component # 1 - Kimberley Component # 2 - Battlefields and towns along the N12 Module # 7 - The Green Kalahari Component # 1 – The Green Kalahari Module # 8 - The Kalahari Component # 1 - Kuruman and towns along the N14 South and R31 Northern Cape Province Overview This course material is the copyrighted intellectual property of WildlifeCampus. It may not be copied, distributed or reproduced in any format whatsoever without the express written permission of WildlifeCampus. 3 – WildlifeCampus Cultural Guiding Course – Northern Cape Module 1 - Component 1 Northern Cape Province Overview Introduction Diamonds certainly put the Northern Cape on the map, but it has far more to offer than these shiny stones. -
Biodiversity and Ecology of Critically Endangered, Rûens Silcrete Renosterveld in the Buffeljagsrivier Area, Swellendam
Biodiversity and Ecology of Critically Endangered, Rûens Silcrete Renosterveld in the Buffeljagsrivier area, Swellendam by Johannes Philippus Groenewald Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Science in Conservation Ecology in the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Prof. Michael J. Samways Co-supervisor: Dr. Ruan Veldtman December 2014 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration I hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis, for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Ecology, is my own work that have not been previously published in full or in part at any other University. All work that are not my own, are acknowledge in the thesis. ___________________ Date: ____________ Groenewald J.P. Copyright © 2014 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved ii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgements Firstly I want to thank my supervisor Prof. M. J. Samways for his guidance and patience through the years and my co-supervisor Dr. R. Veldtman for his help the past few years. This project would not have been possible without the help of Prof. H. Geertsema, who helped me with the identification of the Lepidoptera and other insect caught in the study area. Also want to thank Dr. K. Oberlander for the help with the identification of the Oxalis species found in the study area and Flora Cameron from CREW with the identification of some of the special plants growing in the area. I further express my gratitude to Dr. Odette Curtis from the Overberg Renosterveld Project, who helped with the identification of the rare species found in the study area as well as information about grazing and burning of Renosterveld. -
A New Species of Rain Frog from Namaqualand, South Africa (Anura: Brevicipitidae: Breviceps)
Zootaxa 3381: 62–68 (2012) ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2012 · Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) A new species of Rain Frog from Namaqualand, South Africa (Anura: Brevicipitidae: Breviceps) ALAN CHANNING Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7525, South Africa. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Breviceps branchi sp. nov. is described from coastal Namaqualand, South Africa. It is most similar to Breviceps na- maquensis in colour pattern and overall form, from which it differs by hand and foot morphology and 16S rRNA sequence. Key words: Breviceps, new species, Namaqualand, 16S rRNA, South Africa Introduction The genus Breviceps is known from South Africa northwards to Kenya, and as far west as Angola, with the closely related Balebreviceps found in Ethiopia (IUCN 2011). There are presently 15 species recognised (Frost 2011). The early taxonomy of the genus Breviceps was reviewed by Power (1926), by which time seven species were already known, including the Namaqualand endemics, B. macrops and B. namaquensis. Power (1926) discussed a number of characters that might be useful in separating species of rain frogs. On the basis of differences in 16S rRNA and morphology, I describe a new species of Breviceps from Namaqualand. Material and methods Sampling. A single specimen was collected in Namaqualand, South Africa. A small tissue sample was removed from thigh muscle, and the specimen was fixed in formalin for 24 h, then transferred to 70% ethanol for deposition in the herpetological collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University, Berlin (ZMB). -
South Africa Mega Birding Tour I 6Th to 30Th January 2018 (25 Days) Trip Report
South Africa Mega Birding Tour I 6th to 30th January 2018 (25 days) Trip Report Aardvark by Mike Bacon Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Wayne Jones Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to South Africa Trip Report – RBT South Africa - Mega I 2018 2 Tour Summary The beauty of South Africa lies in its richness of habitats, from the coastal forests in the east, through subalpine mountain ranges and the arid Karoo to fynbos in the south. We explored all of these and more during our 25-day adventure across the country. Highlights were many and included Orange River Francolin, thousands of Cape Gannets, multiple Secretarybirds, stunning Knysna Turaco, Ground Woodpecker, Botha’s Lark, Bush Blackcap, Cape Parrot, Aardvark, Aardwolf, Caracal, Oribi and Giant Bullfrog, along with spectacular scenery, great food and excellent accommodation throughout. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Despite havoc-wreaking weather that delayed flights on the other side of the world, everyone managed to arrive (just!) in South Africa for the start of our keenly-awaited tour. We began our 25-day cross-country exploration with a drive along Zaagkuildrift Road. This unassuming stretch of dirt road is well-known in local birding circles and can offer up a wide range of species thanks to its variety of habitats – which include open grassland, acacia woodland, wetlands and a seasonal floodplain. After locating a handsome male Northern Black Korhaan and African Wattled Lapwings, a Northern Black Korhaan by Glen Valentine -
Normal Template
6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC BASELINE: 6.1 INTRODUCTION The proposed wind farm project is located within the Northern Cape Province, the Namakwa District Municipality (DM) and the Richtersveld Local Municipality (LM). The Namakwa District Municipality is in the western part of the Northern Cape. The province consists of six local municipalities and covers a geographical area of approximately 126, 747 km². It is bordered by the Siyanda and Pixley ka Seme Districts of the Northern Cape Province to the North-East and East, respectively, and by the Western Cape Province to the South (the West Coast, Boland and Central Karoo District Municipalities). The Atlantic Ocean forms the Western boundary, while the Gariep (Orange) River forms the Northern border with Namibia. The Richtersveld LM comprises of the following towns; Port Nolloth, Lekkersing, Kuboes, Sanddrift, Eksteenfontein, Sendelingsdrift and Alexander Bay. The project site is located on communal land that was formerly the Richtersveld “Coloured Reserve” during the Apartheid era. As part of the transformation and land restitution process, the land has since been transferred back to the ‘Richtersveld community’. For the purpose of this study, the geographic areas described in the socio- economic baseline include the Namakwa DM, Richtersveld LM, and the four rural towns that comprise the Richtersveld community (Lekkersing, Kuboes, Sanddrift and Eksteenfontein) given that they are the beneficiaries of the land on which the proposed site will be located. Figure 4.1 shows the directly affected, neighbouring municipalities and the location of the proposed project site. 6.1.1 Local Population Overview – Relevance of Performance Standard 7: Indigenous People The proposed wind farm project will be located on communal land that was given back to the Richtersveld community as part of the transformation process. -
Olympus AH Eco Assessment
FAUNAL AND FLORAL ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AS PART OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS FOR THE PROPOSED ERASMUS PARK PHASE 2 TOWNSHIP DEVELOPMENT, ERASMUSRAND, GAUTENG. Prepared for Nali Sustainability Solutions February 2019 Section C: Faunal Assessment Prepared by: Scientific Terrestrial Services Report author: C. Hooton Report reviewer: K. Marais (Pr. Sci. Nat) Report Reference: STS 180084 Date: February 2019 Scientific Terrestrial Services CC CC Reg No 2005/122329/23 PO Box 751779 Gardenview 2047 Tel: 011 616 7893 Fax: 086 724 3132 E-mail: [email protected] STS 180084 February 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY From the faunal assessment it can be concluded that there are four habitat units encompassed within the study area, namely Senegalia caffra – Vachellia karroo Woodland, Rocky Grassland, Degraded Hyparrhenia Grassland and Freshwater Habitat. These habitat range from moderately-low to moderately high sensitivities Based on the impact assessment, the impacts on faunal habitat, diversity and SCC within the different habitat units varies from low to high significance during the construction and the operational phase of the project prior to mitigation taking place. With effective mitigation implemented, all impacts may be reduced to very-low to medium-low levels. It is the opinion of the ecologists that this study provides the relevant information required in order to implement an Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) plan and to ensure that the best long-term use of the ecological resources in the study area will be made in support of the principle of sustainable development. Scientific Terrestrial Services (STS) was appointed to conduct a faunal and floral ecological assessment for the proposed Erasmus Park development on the remaining extent of the farm Waterkloof 378 JR, Erasmusrand, Gauteng Province (hereafter referred to as the ‘study area’). -
Heritage Exemption Letter
11 May, 2020 Attention: Ms Natasha Higgitt SAHRA Case Officer Northern Cape South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) Head Office 111 Harrington Street CAPE TOWN 8001 Dear Ms Higgitt RE: Letter of Recommendation for Exemption of a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the Pella Bulk Water Pipeline Project, Northern Cape 1. Project Background Black Mountain Mining (Pty) Ltd, part of Vedanta Zinc International (VZI), owns and operates the Gamsberg Zinc Mine. The Gamsberg Zinc Mine as currently approved will produce up to 10 mtpa in an open pit mine together with a concentrator plant and associated infrastructure. Water is currently sourced from the Orange River through an intake pump house located at Pella Drift, almost 30 km to the north east of the Gamsberg Zinc Mine. Currently a total of 28 Ml/day water is pumped through the existing bulk water pipelines. In order to ensure that the pipeline capacity will meet the future water demand and allow for the complete utilization of the currently licensed abstraction volume of 44 Ml/day Black Mountain Mining (Pty) Ltd, in conjunction with Sedibeng Water, is proposing to replace and upgrade the existing old underground pipeline and associated infrastructure (Figure 1 & 2). This new pipeline will be located within the existing servitude and will supply water to the proposed Gamsberg Smelter Project and existing Gamsberg Zinc Mine, Black Mountain Mine and the surrounding towns (including Aggeneys, Pella, Pofadder and local landowners). This servitude was previously assessed by Webley and Halkett (2017), they recorded Stone Age artefact scatters of low significance. The proposed pipeline is currently located within an existing registered servitude, impacted on by the two existing pipelines (one above ground and one underground) and there is a very low likelihood that any sites of significance will be impacted on by the proposed project. -
A Plant Ecological Study and Management Plan for Mogale's Gate Biodiversity Centre, Gauteng
A PLANT ECOLOGICAL STUDY AND MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MOGALE’S GATE BIODIVERSITY CENTRE, GAUTENG By Alistair Sean Tuckett submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in the subject ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF. L.R. BROWN DECEMBER 2013 “Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher 'standard of living' is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important that television.” Aldo Leopold 2 Abstract The Mogale’s Gate Biodiversity Centre is a 3 060 ha reserve located within the Gauteng province. The area comprises grassland with woodland patches in valleys and lower-lying areas. To develop a scientifically based management plan a detailed vegetation study was undertaken to identify and describe the different ecosystems present. From a TWINSPAN classification twelve plant communities, which can be grouped into nine major communities, were identified. A classification and description of the plant communities, as well as, a management plan are presented. The area comprises 80% grassland and 20% woodland with 109 different plant families. The centre has a grazing capacity of 5.7 ha/LSU with a moderate to good veld condition. From the results of this study it is clear that the area makes a significant contribution towards carbon storage with a total of 0.520 tC/ha/yr stored in all the plant communities. KEYWORDS Mogale’s Gate Biodiversity Centre, Braun-Blanquet, TWINSPAN, JUICE, GRAZE, floristic composition, carbon storage 3 Declaration I, Alistair Sean Tuckett, declare that “A PLANT ECOLOGICAL STUDY AND MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MOGALE’S GATE BIODIVERSITY CENTRE, GAUTENG” is my own work and that all sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. -
Conservation Biology of Endangered Freshwater Fishes – Linking Conservation of Endangered Freshwater Fishes with River Conservation, Focussing on the Cederberg
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY OF ENDANGERED FRESHWATER FISHES – LINKING CONSERVATION OF ENDANGERED FRESHWATER FISHES WITH RIVER CONSERVATION, FOCUSSING ON THE CEDERBERG Report to the Water Research Commission Edited by IR Bills1 and ND Impson2 1South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity 2CapeNature WRC Report No. KV 305/12 ISBN 978-1-4312-0348-2 JANUARY 2013 OBTAINABLE FROM Water Research Commission Private Bag X03 Gezina, Pretoria, 0031 South Africa [email protected] or download from www.wrc.org.za The publication of this report emanates from a WRC project entitled Conservation biology of endangered freshwater fishes – Linking conservation of endangered freshwater fishes with river conservation, focusing on the Cederberg. (WRC Project No.K8/592) DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the WRC, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. © WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank the Water Research Commission for providing the funding for this work. Cape Nature and the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity provided varied logistical support for most of the sub-projects. In particular Mrs. Sally Terry (SAIAB) helped with all aspects of coordination and curation of samples at SAIAB. Dr Olaf Weyl co-supervised Vusi Mthombeni’s MSc work and together with R. Bills provided additional funding for the catfish biology study. iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No 1 Introduction .………………………………………………………….…………….......1 Roger Bills and Dean Impson 2 Barnard’s rock catfish (Austroglanis barnardi).…………………….…………….5 Roger Bills 3 Clanwilliam roc catfish (Austroglanis gilli).………………………………………17 Roger Bills 4 Twee River redfin (Barbus erubescens) …………………………….……………30 Roger Bills 5 A study of the maintenance and culture requirements of Barbus erubescens, Austroglanis barnardi and A. -
Specialist Botanical and Ecological Scoping Phase Input: Proposed Two Rivers Urban Park Development Framework, Cape Town
____________________________________________________________________ NICK HELME BOTANICAL SURVEYS PO Box 22652 Scarborough 7975 Ph: 021 780 1420 cell: 082 82 38350 email: [email protected] Pri.Sci.Nat # 400045/08 SPECIALIST BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL SCOPING PHASE INPUT: PROPOSED TWO RIVERS URBAN PARK DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK, CAPE TOWN. Compiled for: Royal HaskoningDHV 29 July 2016 1 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE In terms of Chapter 5 of the National Environmental Management Act of 1998 specialists involved in Impact Assessment processes must declare their independence and include an abbreviated Curriculum Vitae. I, N.A. Helme, do hereby declare that I am financially and otherwise independent of the client and their consultants, and that all opinions expressed in this document are substantially my own. NA Helme ABRIDGED CV Contact details as per letterhead. Surname : HELME First names : NICHOLAS ALEXANDER Date of birth : 29 January 1969 University of Cape Town, South Africa. BSc (Honours) – Botany (Ecology & Systematics), 1990. Since 1997 I have been based in Cape Town, and have been working as a specialist botanical consultant, specialising in the diverse flora of the south- western Cape. Since the end of 2001 I have been the Sole Proprietor of Nick Helme Botanical Surveys, and have undertaken over 1200 site assessments in this period. A selection of work recently undertaken is as follows: Botanical assessment of Diemersfontein, Wellington (Guillaume Nel Consultants 2015) Botanical assessment of proposed development on farm Palmiet Valley