1
|
du Plessis NS, Rebelo AJ, Richardson DM, Esler KJ. Guiding restoration of riparian ecosystems degraded by plant invasions: Insights from a complex social-ecological system in the Global South. Ambio 2022; 51:1552-1568. [PMID: 34962641 PMCID: PMC8713150 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01691-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Restoring riparian ecosystems in human-dominated landscapes requires attention to complexity, and consideration of diverse drivers, social actors, and contexts. Addressing a Global North bias, this case study uses a mixed-method approach, integrating historical data, remote sensing techniques and stakeholder perceptions to guide restoration of a river in the Western Cape, South Africa. An analysis of aerial photographs of the riparian zone from 1953 to 2016 revealed that although anthropogenic land conversion happened primarily before the 1950s, several land use and land cover classes showed marked increases in area, including: waterbodies (+ 1074%), urban areas (+ 316%), alien weeds (+ 311%) and terrestrial alien trees (+ 79%). These changes have likely been driven by land fragmentation, disturbance, and agricultural intensification. Stakeholder interviews revealed that despite the clear need for restoration, several barriers exist to successful implementation; these stem from inadequate financial resources, inappropriate funding models, institutional challenges, and a lack of techno-scientific knowledge. We give several recommendations to overcome these barriers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola S. du Plessis
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
| | - Alanna J. Rebelo
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
| | - David M. Richardson
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
| | - Karen J. Esler
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Midgley SJE, Esler KJ, Holden PB, Rebelo AJ, Stuart-Hill SI, Cullis JDS, Methner N. Typologies of collaborative governance for scaling nature-based solutions in two strategic South African river systems. Ambio 2021; 50:1587-1609. [PMID: 34061345 PMCID: PMC8249548 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01531-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Scaled up planning and implementation of nature-based solutions requires better understanding of broad characteristics (typologies) of the current governance and financing landscape, collaborative approaches amidst local complexities, and factors of scalability. An inventory was compiled of water-related ecological infrastructure intervention projects in two river systems in South Africa, incorporating actor, environmental, social, and financial dimensions and benefits. Qualitative participatory analysis revealed eight typologies. Post-hoc classification analysis determined similarities and/or unique characteristics of seven quantitative typologies. Key characterising factors included the complexity/size of financial flows, complexity of partnership/governance arrangements, mandates/goals of actors, type of ecological infrastructure, trade-offs in investment in ecological/built infrastructure, and the model used for social benefits. Identified scalable typologies offer structures suited to increased investment, with other typologies offering specialised local value. A range of ecological infrastructure intervention typologies with differing biophysical and socioeconomic outcomes provide choices for investors with specific goals, and benefits to landscape actors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J E Midgley
- African Climate & Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa.
| | - Karen J Esler
- Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Petra B Holden
- African Climate & Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Alanna J Rebelo
- Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | | | - James D S Cullis
- Zutari (Pty) Ltd., 1 Century City Drive, Waterford Precinct, Century City, 7441, South Africa
| | - Nadine Methner
- African Climate & Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rebelo AJ, Holden PB, Esler K, New MG. Benefits of water-related ecological infrastructure investments to support sustainable land-use: a review of evidence from critically water-stressed catchments in South Africa. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:201402. [PMID: 34007458 PMCID: PMC8080003 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Investments to promote sustainable land-use within critical river catchment areas are often undertaken to provide benefits to society. Investments generally aim to protect or restore ecological infrastructure-the underlying framework of ecosystems, functions and processes that supply ecosystem services-for multiple benefits to society. However, the empirical evidence base from studies across the world on both mechanisms and outcomes to support these assumptions is limited. We collate evidence on the benefits of ecological infrastructure interventions, in terms of ecosystem services provided to society, from three major South African water-providing catchments using a novel framework. In these catchments, millions of US Dollars' worth of investments have been made into ecological infrastructure since 1996. We ask the question: is there evidence that ecological infrastructure interventions are delivering the proposed benefits? Results show that even in catchments with substantial, long-term financial investment into ecological infrastructure, research has not empirically confirmed the benefits. Better baseline data collection is required, and monitoring during and after ecological infrastructure interventions, to quantify benefits to society. This evidence is needed to leverage investment into ecological infrastructure interventions at scale. Investment at scale is needed to transition to more sustainable land-use to unlock greater benefits to nature and people.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alanna J. Rebelo
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Petra B. Holden
- African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Karen Esler
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Mark G. New
- DSI-NRF Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rebelo AJ, Rebelo AG, Rebelo AD, Bronner GN. Effects of alien pine plantations on small mammal community structure in a southern African biodiversity hotspot. Afr J Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alanna J. Rebelo
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa
- Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE), Department of Biology University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | | | - Alexander D. Rebelo
- Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Gary N. Bronner
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Despite the importance of water purification to society, it is one of the more difficult wetland ecosystem services to quantify. It remains an issue in ecosystem service assessments where rapid estimates are needed, and poor-quality indicators are overused. We attempted to quantify the water purification service of South African palmiet wetlands (valley-bottom peatlands highly threatened by agriculture). First, we used an instantaneous catchment-scale mass balance sampling approach, which compared the fate of various water quality parameters over degraded and pristine sections of palmiet wetlands. We found that pristine palmiet wetlands acted as a sink for water, major cations, anions, dissolved silicon and nutrients, though there was relatively high variation in these trends. There are important limitations to this catchment-scale approach, including the fact that at this large scale there are multiple mechanisms (internal wetland processes as well as external inputs) at work that are impossible to untangle with limited data. Therefore, secondly, we performed a small field-scale field survey of a wetland fragment to corroborate the catchment-scale results. There was a reasonable level of agreement between the results of the two techniques. We conclude that it appears possible to estimate the water purification function of these valley-bottom wetlands using this catchment-scale approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alanna J Rebelo
- Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium E-mail: ; Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa; AJR conceived the study, AJR performed data analysis, AJR wrote the manuscript and KJE, PM, WE, contributed and edited it
| | - Willem-Jan Emsens
- Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium E-mail: ; AJR conceived the study, AJR performed data analysis, AJR wrote the manuscript and KJE, PM, WE, contributed and edited it
| | - Karen J Esler
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa; Centre for Invasion Biology (C.I.B), Stellenbosch, South Africa; AJR conceived the study, AJR performed data analysis, AJR wrote the manuscript and KJE, PM, WE, contributed and edited it
| | - Patrick Meire
- Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium E-mail: ; AJR conceived the study, AJR performed data analysis, AJR wrote the manuscript and KJE, PM, WE, contributed and edited it
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
|
7
|
Affiliation(s)
- Annelies Boerema
- Department of Biology; Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE); University of Antwerp; Universiteitsplein 1C Wilrijk 2610 Belgium
| | - Alanna J. Rebelo
- Department of Biology; Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE); University of Antwerp; Universiteitsplein 1C Wilrijk 2610 Belgium
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology; Stellenbosch University; JS Marais Building, Victoria Street 7600 Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Merche B. Bodi
- Department of Biology; Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE); University of Antwerp; Universiteitsplein 1C Wilrijk 2610 Belgium
| | - Karen J. Esler
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology; Stellenbosch University; JS Marais Building, Victoria Street 7600 Stellenbosch South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology (C.I.B); Private Bag X01, Matieland 7602 Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Patrick Meire
- Department of Biology; Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE); University of Antwerp; Universiteitsplein 1C Wilrijk 2610 Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rebelo AJ, Le Maitre DC, Esler KJ, Cowling RM. Hydrological responses of a valley-bottom wetland to land-use/land-cover change in a South African catchment: making a case for wetland restoration. Restor Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alanna J. Rebelo
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology; Stellenbosch University; JS Marais Building, Victoria Street 7600 Stellenbosch South Africa
- Ecosystem Management Research Group (ECOBE), Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Office 2.20, Building C, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk 2610 Antwerp Belgium
| | - David C. Le Maitre
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); PO Box 320 7600 Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Karen J. Esler
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology; Stellenbosch University; JS Marais Building, Victoria Street 7600 Stellenbosch South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology (C.I.B); Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Richard M. Cowling
- Department of Botany; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; PO Box 7700 6031 Port Elizabeth South Africa
| |
Collapse
|