The impact and mitigation of human activities on the Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens
- Authors: Martin, Kelly Margaret
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:13:28Z
- Subjects: Botanical gardens , Effect of human beings on nature , Roodepoort (South Africa)
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:8089 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2018
- Description: M.Sc. , The Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens is one of eight National Botanical Gardens in South Africa. These gardens were established with the main goals and objectives being to protect and conserve the vast biodiversity of South Africa. The Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens covers 300 hectares of land and is situated 24 kilometres west of the city center of Johannesburg. The Gardens are found on the Witwatersrand Ridge, which has important historical value because it was here that the first gold was discovered on the Reef. The source of the Crocodile River is located at the top of the Witwatersrand Ridge, and as this river flows over the Ridge the well-known Roodepoort Falls exist. When the Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens was established in 1982, the area was largely a rural environment. Presently, this developing area is the fastest growing and developing area in Gauteng. The results of this are the impacts of humans and human activities on the Garden. In the near future the Garden’s will represent an open and naturally occurring environment within an urban setting. It is therefore imperative that the significant impacts that affect the Garden are identified, and mitigatory actions are proposed in order to protect this natural environment. In this study the significant impacts that are closely looked at are: • Storm Water • Featherbrooke Estate • Waste Disposal • Alien vegetation • Veld fires The purpose of this study is to identify the impacts caused by humans on the Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens and propose possible ways to mitigate these impacts.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Martin, Kelly Margaret
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:13:28Z
- Subjects: Botanical gardens , Effect of human beings on nature , Roodepoort (South Africa)
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:8089 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2018
- Description: M.Sc. , The Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens is one of eight National Botanical Gardens in South Africa. These gardens were established with the main goals and objectives being to protect and conserve the vast biodiversity of South Africa. The Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens covers 300 hectares of land and is situated 24 kilometres west of the city center of Johannesburg. The Gardens are found on the Witwatersrand Ridge, which has important historical value because it was here that the first gold was discovered on the Reef. The source of the Crocodile River is located at the top of the Witwatersrand Ridge, and as this river flows over the Ridge the well-known Roodepoort Falls exist. When the Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens was established in 1982, the area was largely a rural environment. Presently, this developing area is the fastest growing and developing area in Gauteng. The results of this are the impacts of humans and human activities on the Garden. In the near future the Garden’s will represent an open and naturally occurring environment within an urban setting. It is therefore imperative that the significant impacts that affect the Garden are identified, and mitigatory actions are proposed in order to protect this natural environment. In this study the significant impacts that are closely looked at are: • Storm Water • Featherbrooke Estate • Waste Disposal • Alien vegetation • Veld fires The purpose of this study is to identify the impacts caused by humans on the Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens and propose possible ways to mitigate these impacts.
- Full Text:
Land cover change and hydrological regimes in the Shire River Catchment, Malawi
- Palamuleni, Lobina Getrude Chozenga
- Authors: Palamuleni, Lobina Getrude Chozenga
- Date: 2010-11-09T06:52:35Z
- Subjects: Effect of human beings on nature , Landscape changes , Landscape ecology , Hydrologic models , Shire River Watershed (Malawi and Mozambique)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6966 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3474
- Description: D.Phil. , Land cover changes associated with growing human populations and expected changes in climatic conditions are likely to accelerate alterations in hydrological phenomena and processes on various scales. Subsequently, these changes could significantly influence the quantity and quality of water resources for both nature and human society. Documenting the distribution of land cover types within the Shire River catchment is the foundation for applications in this study of the hydrology of the Shire catchment. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between the measured land cover changes and hydrological regimes in the Shire River Catchment in Malawi. Maps depicting land cover dynamics for 1989 and 2002 were derived from multispectral and multi-temporal Landsat 5 (1989) and Landsat 7 ETM+ (2002) satellite remote sensing data for this catchment. Other spectral-independent data sets included the 90-m resolution Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM), Geographical Information System (GIS) layers of soils, geology and archived land cover. Core image-derived data sets such as individual Landsat bands, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Principal Components Analysis and Tasseled Cap transformations were computed. From generated composite images, land cover classes were identified using a maximum likelihood algorithm. Eight land cover classes were mapped. A hierarchical multispectral shape classifier with an object conditional approach determined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) legend structure was used to map land cover variables. LCCS was used as a basis for classification to achieve legend harmonization within Africa and on a global scale. Flexibility of the hierarchical system allowed incorporation of digital elevation objects, soil and underlying geological features as well as other available geographical data sets. This approach improved classification accuracy and can be adopted to discriminate land cover features at several scales, which are internally relatively homogeneous.In addition to compatibility with the FAO/LCCS classification system, the derived land cover maps have provided recent and improved classification accuracy, and added thematic detail compared to the existing 1992 land cover maps. Fieldwork was conducted to validate the land cover classes identified during classification. Accuracy assessment was based on the correlation between ground reference samples collected during field exercise and the satellite image classification. The overall mapping accuracy was 87%, with individual classes being mapped at accuracies of above 77% for both user and producer accuracy. The combination of Landsat images, vector data and detailed ground truthing information was used successfully to classify land cover of the Shire River catchment for years 1989 and 2002.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Palamuleni, Lobina Getrude Chozenga
- Date: 2010-11-09T06:52:35Z
- Subjects: Effect of human beings on nature , Landscape changes , Landscape ecology , Hydrologic models , Shire River Watershed (Malawi and Mozambique)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6966 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3474
- Description: D.Phil. , Land cover changes associated with growing human populations and expected changes in climatic conditions are likely to accelerate alterations in hydrological phenomena and processes on various scales. Subsequently, these changes could significantly influence the quantity and quality of water resources for both nature and human society. Documenting the distribution of land cover types within the Shire River catchment is the foundation for applications in this study of the hydrology of the Shire catchment. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between the measured land cover changes and hydrological regimes in the Shire River Catchment in Malawi. Maps depicting land cover dynamics for 1989 and 2002 were derived from multispectral and multi-temporal Landsat 5 (1989) and Landsat 7 ETM+ (2002) satellite remote sensing data for this catchment. Other spectral-independent data sets included the 90-m resolution Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM), Geographical Information System (GIS) layers of soils, geology and archived land cover. Core image-derived data sets such as individual Landsat bands, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Principal Components Analysis and Tasseled Cap transformations were computed. From generated composite images, land cover classes were identified using a maximum likelihood algorithm. Eight land cover classes were mapped. A hierarchical multispectral shape classifier with an object conditional approach determined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) legend structure was used to map land cover variables. LCCS was used as a basis for classification to achieve legend harmonization within Africa and on a global scale. Flexibility of the hierarchical system allowed incorporation of digital elevation objects, soil and underlying geological features as well as other available geographical data sets. This approach improved classification accuracy and can be adopted to discriminate land cover features at several scales, which are internally relatively homogeneous.In addition to compatibility with the FAO/LCCS classification system, the derived land cover maps have provided recent and improved classification accuracy, and added thematic detail compared to the existing 1992 land cover maps. Fieldwork was conducted to validate the land cover classes identified during classification. Accuracy assessment was based on the correlation between ground reference samples collected during field exercise and the satellite image classification. The overall mapping accuracy was 87%, with individual classes being mapped at accuracies of above 77% for both user and producer accuracy. The combination of Landsat images, vector data and detailed ground truthing information was used successfully to classify land cover of the Shire River catchment for years 1989 and 2002.
- Full Text:
Natural and anthropogenic influences on water quality: an example from rivers draining the Johannesburg Granite Dome
- Authors: Huizenga, Jan-Marten
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:11:31Z
- Subjects: Water quality , Effect of human beings on nature , Chemical weathering , Johannesburg (South Africa)
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:8078 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2008
- Description: M.Sc. , Please refer to full text to view abstract
- Full Text:
- Authors: Huizenga, Jan-Marten
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:11:31Z
- Subjects: Water quality , Effect of human beings on nature , Chemical weathering , Johannesburg (South Africa)
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:8078 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2008
- Description: M.Sc. , Please refer to full text to view abstract
- Full Text:
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