FACTORS AFFECTING THE CONSERVATION OF RENOSTERVELD BY PRIVATE LANDOWNERS CLIVE ROBERT MCDOWELL FEBRUARY 1988 Thesis presentedUniversity for the Degreeof Cape of Doctor Town of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town Promoters: Professor J.R. Grindley Professor E.J. Moll ...:,,i: .. • ..:.. ...· r"''I. ...,... ..... ' Faculty of Science • I The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town To my parents,who made this possible. FRONTISPIECE The theme setting - a landowner with a fairly typical "beleaguered renosterveld island remnant in a sea of agriculture" - taken by the author near Riebeeck-Kasteel, south-western Cape i PREFACE The major body of the thesis comprises papers either to be submitted for publication (two); submitted for publication (three), or published (two). Although a logical sequence of presentation is followed this does not correspond with the sequence in which the papers were prepared, largely in order to meet CSIR commitments. Standardisation of the references was not practical owing to the widely varied requirements of respective journals from scientific through to legal ( the latter, for example, requires references within footnote formats). Literature review material is covered for each facet of research within the introductory sections of the papers. To avoid repetition and clutter this is kept to the minimum in the General Introduction and General Conclusions sections of the thesis (where necessary reference is made to the Papers). The General Introduction, which reads as a whole with the General Conclusions, also presents basic aims. The General Conclusions emphasise, in part, key findings with respect to these aims and, where applicable, practical recommendations. In deciding on the basic aims for what was, in 1982, considered to be a new approach to the challenging problem of trying to conserve the dwindling remnant natural ecosystems of the south-western Cape lowlands, I was initially helped by the inspiration of Mrs M.L. Jarman, then ii a scientific coordinator for the Foundation for Research and Development. Dr R. S. Sparks, ( Department of Mathematical Statistics, UCT) helped on the statistics whereas Professor J.R. Grindley and Professor E.J. Moll contributed general scientific expertise. The thesis contents, namely research methods, results, conclusions and recommendations are my own. The research direction followed throughout the thesis, which includes agricultural, biological, economic, legal and socio­ psychological perspectives, was decided upon and carried out by myself. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix ABSTRACT xii GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 1.0 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 2 2.0 CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT 5 2.0 SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE CHAPTERS 20 PAPER 1: THE INFLUENCE OF AGRICULTURE ON THE 29 DECLINE OF WEST COAST RENOSTERVELD, SOUTH-WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA - Jct s~lf.;,v, iss,o, ' o r>0{1J.)U'VC.I...:. c, .... u 30 ABSTRACT 33 1.0 INTRODUCTION 55 2.0 THE DECLINE OF WEST COAST RENOSTERVELD 36 3.0 RARE AND THREATENED RENOSTERVELD BIOTA 41 4.0 PREDICTING THE AGRICULTURAL THREAT FACTOR FOR WEST COAST RENOSTERVELD REMNANTS 4.1 Pedology of the Remnants 44 4.1.1 Deriving Soil Quality Indices 44 47 4.1.2 Conclusions from Pedology 4.2 Gradients of the Remnants 49 49 4.2.1 Measurement of Gradients 4.2.2 Conclusions from Gradient 51 Distribution 4.3 Rainfall within the Remnants 53 4.3.1 Obtaining Rainfall Indices 53 5.0 AGRICULTURAL THREAT INDICES FOR RENOSTERVELD 55 SITES 6.0 GENERAL DISCUSSION 58 7.0 CONCLUSIONS 65 REFERENcEs . r · 68 ,,.. 1 .tnr ~l) btNS:SlO(' .lo SP. J or &4tu~ PAPER 2: THE EFFECTS OF GRAZING ON RENQS..TERVELD 74 AT EENSAAMHEID, SOUTH WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA ABSTRACT 75 1.0 INTRODUCTION 76 2.0 PRECEDENT STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF GRAZING 80 2.1 Effects of Diet Selection 80 2.2 Effects of Trampling 82 2.3 Effects of Excreta Deposition and 83 Nutrient Change 2.4 Effects of Mycorrhizal Fungi 83 2.5 Rationale 84 3.0 SITE DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY 85 4.0 SURVEY METHODS 88 5.0 QUANTITATIVE RESULTS 90 iv 6.0 DISCUSSION 95 6.1 Asteraceae 96 6.1 Iridaceae 97 6.3 Poaceae 99 6.4 Proteaceae 100 6.5 Rutaceae 102 6. 6 Other Families 102 6.7 Distribution Differences not Explained 104 by Grazing 7.0 CONCLUSIONS 104 REFERENCES 109 APPENDIX 1: Data for Species Cover on Releves 114 APPENDIX 2: Flora List for Eensaamheid 119 'Reserve and 'Extension' PAPER 3: ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOUR OF FARMERS 123 TOWARDS ECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION: A NEW APPROACH TO ASSESSING ASSOCIATED VARIABLES ABSTRACT 124 1.0 INTRODUCTION 125 2.0 METHODS 129 2.1 The Study Area and Research Sample 129 2.2 'Ecosystem Conservation Behaviour' 130 defined as a Variable 2.3 Data Collection and the Selection of 132 Variables 3.0 MEASURING THE VARIABLES 139 3.1 'Less Tangible' Variables 140 3.2 The Error Factor 146 3.3 Selecting Eligible Variables 148 4.0 DISCUSSION 150 5.0 CONCLUSIONS 152 REFERENCES 155 APPENDIX 1 (PAPERS 3,4): MANUAL FOR ASSESSING 159 VARIABLES RELATING TO THE CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR OF FARMERS WHO OWN VULNERABLE ECOSYSTEMS INTRODUCTION 160 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES 162 A) DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES. 164 Individual 164 Family 164 Tenure of Property 164 Formal Education 164 Affluence 165 Language and Nationality 165 Rural versus Urban 167 B) LAND USE VARIABLES 168 Areas 168 Valuations 168 Development of Veld into New Lands 169 Utility of Land 170 v C) PSYCHO-SOCIAL VA~IABLES Personality - Interaction 171 Personality - Attitude 171 Social Influence 171 Cognition 172 Motivation 173 D) CONSERVATION STRATEGY VARIABLES 174 Acquisition Problems 174 Costs 176 DEPENDENT VARIABLE 176 Behaviour 176 PAPER 4: THE MULTIVARIATE MODELLING AND 178 PREDICTION OF FARMERS' CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS ABSTRACT 179 1.0 INTRODUCTION 180 2.0 METHODS 183 3.0 ANALYSIS OF DATA 186 3.1 Selecting Eligible Variables for 186 Inferential Analyses 3.2 Correlation between the Variables 189 3.3 Correlations with 'Conservation 193 Behaviour' 3.3.1 Poorly Correlated Variables 194 3.3.2 'Motivation' Variables 194 3.3.3 'Formal Education' Variables 195 3.3.4 'Affluence' Variables 197 3.3.5 'Language and Nationality' 201 Variables 3.3.6 'Valuation' Variables 205 3.3.7 'Interaction Term' Variables 206 3.4 Predicting the Ratings of 'Conservation 208 Behaviour' 3.4.1 Variable Inputs and Resulting 209 Formulae 3.4.2 The Prediction Results in 214 Perspective 4.0 CONCLUSIONS 216 REFERENCES 228 PAPER 5: PERSUADING THE LANDOWNER TO CONSERVE 231 NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION ABSTRACT 232 1.0 INTRODUCTION 233 2.0 CATEGORISING THE LANDOWNERS 237 2.1 Descriptions of Subject 'Sociotypes' and 238 'Exceptions' 3.0 TWO CONTRASTING CONSERVATION CASE STUDIES 245 3.1 Poor Conservation Liaison 245 3.2 Good Conservation Liaison 247 vi 4.0 CONSERVATION EXTENSION STRATEGY: A CODE OF 250 CONDUCT FOR EXTENSION AGENTS TO INDUCE POSITIVE CONSERVATION ATTITUDES IN LANDOWNERS 4.1 Impression Management 250 4.2 Decision Steering 254 5.0 CONCLUSIONS 259 REFERENCES 261 PAPER 6: LEGAL STRATEGIES TO OPTIMISE THE 264 CONSERVATION OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS BY PRIVATE LANDOWNERS: ECONOMIC INCENTIVES 1.0 INTRODUCTION 265 2.0 COASTAL RENOSTERVELD AND ITS ASSOCIATED 267 LANDOWNERS AS AN EMPIRICAL BASELINE 3.0 KEY STATUTES WHICH INFLUENCE THE CONSERVATION 269 OF WILD HABITATS IN AGRICULTURAL ZONES 3.1 The Conservation of Agricultural 269 Resources Act 43 of 1983 3.11 Legal Problems with the 271 Restrictions Themselves 3.12 Problems in Policing the 273 Restrictions 3.2 The Physical Planning Act 88 of 1967 in 275 Conjunction with the Environmental Conservation Act 100 of 1982 4.0 CONCLUSION 278 FOOTNOTES 280 PAPER 7: LEGAL STRATEGIES TO OPTIMISE THE 290 CONSERVATION OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS BY PRIVATE LANDOWNERS: RESTRICTIVE LEGISLATION 291 1.0 INTRODUCTION 282 2.0 CONSERVATION LIABILITIES INCURRED BY PRIVATE LANDOWNE~S 293 2.1 Lost Opportunity Costs 293 2.2 Ecosystem Conservation Expenses 3.0 ALTERNATIVE PROPOSED FINANCIAL INCENTIVE AND 295 COMPENSATION SCHEMES FOR PRIVATE LANDOWNERS WHO INCUR CONSERVATION LIABILITIES 3.1 Tax Concession Incentives for 296 Conservation 3.i.1 Property Tax Rebates 296 3.1.2 Income Tax Deductions 298 3.2 Subsidy based Incentives for 302 Conservation 3.3 A Resume of Financial Proposals 305 4.0 THE PROBLEM OF PERMANENCY 306 5.0 CONCLUSION 306 FOOTNOTES 310 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 326 1.0 SPECIFIC CONCLUSIONS OF THE PAPERS 327 2.0 CONCEPTUAL SYNOPSIS 350 2.0 CONCLUDING REMARKS 355 vii FIGURES AND TABLES PAPER 1: THE INFLUENCE OF AGRICULTURE ON THE DECLINE OF WEST COAST RENOSTERVELD, SOUTH­ WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA FIGURE 1: FIFTY-FIVE WEST COAST 31 RENOSTERVELD REMNANTS AS DELIMITED BY THE AUTHOR AT THE END OF 1984 TABLE 1: RED DATA SPECIES WITHIN THE 37 WESTERN COASTAL LOWLAND REGION TABLE 2: THE MEAN PRIORITY ORDER OF 42 VALUES SET BY A RANDOM SAMPLE OF RENOSTERVELD LANDOWNERS ON RENOSTERVELD REMNANTS OF THEIR PROPERTIES TABLE 3: SOIL DISTRIBUTION AND QUALITY 45 RATINGS FOR THE CAPE WEST COAST LOWLANDS TABLE 4: PROPORTION OF TOTAL AREAS WITHIN 50 GRADIENT CATEGORIES TABLE 5: CROPS CONSIDERED BY FARMERS TO 54 BE WORTH TRIAt WITHIN APPROPRIATE RENOSTERVELD REMNANTS TABLE 6: DERIVED AGRICULTURAL THREAT 56 INDICES (.,MULTIPLE") COMPARED WITH THE ACTUAL TRENDS ( "KNOWN ASPECTS OF THREAT STATUS IN 1988")