Fire survival and life histories of Acacia and Dichrostachys species in a South African savanna

Includes bibliographical references.The tree-grass mix defines savannas, yet savannas can be defined as ecosystems that move between transition states of grass and bush, the dynamics of which are complex, being affected by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. Recently there has been renewed interest in fire and its role in shaping and maintaining savanna communities in Africa. Other than its ability to radically alter the savanna components, relatively little is known about the mechanistic effects of fire regimes on the structural and functional dynamics of the ecosystem. Furthermore, the biological basis of the observed response has been very poorly studied. An improved understanding of savanna tree biology and how they respond to disturbance is essential for more effective ecosystem management. This study investigates variation in response of savanna trees to fire, and the underlying causes, in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. This variation is explored by means of clipping experiments and controlled bums, across species, tree height (seedlings to adults), a rainfall gradient, and intensity and season of injury. The four study species were Acacia karroo, A.nilotica, A.caffra and Dichrostachys cinerea. A total of 670 trees were subjected to different clipping treatments and their response monitored for two years. The response of 1512 trees was assessed following eight controlled burns of varying intensity and season. I investigated seasonal variation in root starch storage as a possible mechanisms underlying tree response

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Making the case for biodiversity in South Africa : re-framing biodiversity communications

CITATION: Maze, K., et al. 2016. Making the case for biodiversity in South Africa : re-framing biodiversity communications. Bothalia - African Biodiversity and Conservation, 46(1):a2039, doi:10.4102/abc.v46i1.2039.The original publication is available at http://abcjournal.orgBackground: Biodiversity education and public awareness do not always contain the motivational messages that inspire action amongst decision-makers. Traditional messages from the biodiversity sector are often framed around threat, with a generally pessimistic tone. Aspects of social marketing can be used to support positive messaging that is more likely to inspire action amongst the target audience. Objectives: The South African biodiversity sector embarked on a market research process to better understand the target audiences for its messages and develop a communications strategy that would reposition biodiversity as integral to the development trajectory of South Africa. Method: The market research process combined stakeholder analysis, market research, engagement and facilitated dialogue. Eight concept messages were developed that framed biodiversity communications in different ways. These messages were tested with the target audience to assess which were most relevant in a developing-world context. Results: The communications message that received the highest ranking in the market research process was the concept of biodiversity as a ‘national asset’. This frame places biodiversity as an equivalent national priority to other economic and social imperatives. Other messages that ranked highly were the emotional message of biodiversity as ‘our children’s legacy’ and the action-based ‘practical solutions’. Conclusion: Based on the findings, a communications strategy known as ‘Making the case for biodiversity’ was developed that re-framed the economic, emotional and practical value propositions for biodiversity. The communications strategy has already resulted in greater political and economic attention towards biodiversity in South Africa.https://abcjournal.org/index.php/ABC/article/view/2039Publisher's versio

SYSTEMATIC CONSERVATION PLANNING IN THE CAPE FLORISTIC REGION AND SUCCULENT KAROO, SOUTH AFRICA: ENABLING SOUND SPATIAL PLANNING AND IMPROVED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) and Succulent Karoo are global biodiversity hotspots. The CFR is one of six plant kingdoms worldwide. The CFR and most of the Succulent Karoo lie within South Africa. South Africa has ratified the Biodiversity Convention, and must accordingly safeguard its biodiversity. Environmental assessment (EA) can help to achieve this end. Environmental legislation in South Africa requires EA for activities at project, not strategic level. However, strategic environmental assessment has been mandatory since 2000 for preparing municipal spatial development frameworks (SDFs). By setting targets for ecosystem conservation and providing thresholds of significance, systematic conservation planning can make a significant contribution to the sound preparation of SDFs, and effective EA at planning and project levels. In South Africa, the integration of systematic conservation planning with spatial planning and EA is recent. Based on examples, the main challenges for the future are identified.Systematic conservation planning, environmental assessment

Bridging the research–implementation gap: Mainstreaming biodiversity into the South African mining sector

Background: ‘Mainstreaming biodiversity’ aims to integrate biodiversity priorities directly into the policies and practices of production sectors, including the mining sector. In South Africa, the need emerged for a biodiversity guideline specifically relevant to the mining sector that would interpret a wide range of available spatial biodiversity information and frame it in a user-friendly format. Objectives: The aim of this article was to document and review the development of the Mining and Biodiversity Guideline. This serves as a case study of a product developed to assist in bridging the gap between available biodiversity information and use of this information by a production sector. Methods: We examined the development of the Mining and Biodiversity Guideline with reference to three factors known to be beneficial to creating policy-relevant science: a sound scientific foundation (credibility), relevance to decision-making (salience) and involvement of stakeholders (legitimacy). Results: The Mining and Biodiversity Guideline was developed through collaboration between the mining and biodiversity sectors. It provides a tool that contributes to the sustainable development of South Africa’s mineral resources in a way that enables regulators, industry and practitioners to minimise the impact of mining on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It includes a single integrated map of biodiversity priority areas summarised into four sensitivity categories relevant for the mining industry, with detailed guidance on how these should inform the application of the mitigation hierarchy. Conclusion: The Mining and Biodiversity Guideline has received political endorsement from the relevant regulatory government departments. A focussed training programme has promoted awareness and understanding of the Guideline. Preliminary reports indicate that the Guideline has been effective in influencing decision-making

More than just a (red) list : Over a decade of using South Africa's threatened ecosystems in policy and practice

One of the stated applications of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) is to influence government policy and decision-making. We share 15 years' experience in integrating an independently developed indicator of ecosystem threat status into government policies and practice. South Africa's ecosystem threat status indicator was conceptualised in the early 2000s and progressed from a project-based indicator to listing of threatened ecosystems in terms of national legislation in 2011. We show the range of applications of the indicator, from its use as a headline indicator in the National Biodiversity Assessment to its role as a direct trigger for Environmental Impact Assessment. The strong link between threatened ecosystems and systematic conservation planning in South Africa also enabled ecosystem threat status to inform multi-sectoral development planning and decision-making. We show how bridging products, data availability, persistent mainstreaming and stakeholder engagement have encouraged the use of the indicator in government policy. The advantages and disadvantages of legislative listing are shared. Sound scientific foundations, combined with pragmatism, have provided a policy-relevant tool for focussing management on threatened ecosystems. We make active recommendations that will facilitate the policy uptake of the IUCN RLE in other countries.</p

Imagining transformative biodiversity futures

The world has changed. Posited to be a ‘super year’ for biodiversity with various international meetings and the conclusion of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s ten-year Aichi Targets, 2020 will be remembered for very different reasons: catastrophic fires, the COVID-19 pandemic, floods, locust outbreaks, a drastic drop in oil prices and widespread food insecurity. These disruptions will exacerbate the already considerable gap between rich and poor, hitting marginalized groups — the impoverished, women, Indigenous communities and people of colour — much harder. Impacts on the environment have been mixed: carbon emissions may be down, but there are growing concerns that nature will be forgotten in the rush to rebuild devastated economies