Browsing by Author "Holmes, P J"

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    Land degradation in drylands : resettlement and borehole provision in Gam, Namibia
    (1997) Kibbassa, Jane Andrew Nyanjuma; Holmes, P J
    Land degradation has been recognised as a major economic, social and environmental problem, with more severity in arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. Throughout the dryland regions of Africa natural resources are deteriorating at an accelerating pace. This ecological degradation is caused by overexploitation of resources, and severely undermines Africa's economic future which is largely dependent on agriculture. Amongst the main factors contributing to land degradation in drylands are human actions that ignore the resilience limits of drylands. The ecology of drylands requires land uses that allow flexibility and mobility rather than imposing stability. During the last century, technology and cultural changes have altered the pattern of exploitation of arid and semi-arid areas. Most often the changes are driven by economic needs or national governments policies. Governments tend to make decisions, even if well intended, without prior assessments of the environmental suitability of the intended sites. In most dryland regions the tendency has been towards development of permanent settlements in under-utilised areas leading to increases in population densities beyond the areas' ecological capacity. The result has been overutilisation of natural resources particularly around available water points. This has in turn led to accelerated ecological and cultural decline, and has enhanced the process of land degradation. This dissertation provides a theoretical framework of ecological characteristics and the socio-economic adaptations of dryland environments. The factors contributing to land degradation in arid and semi-arid lands are examined. Examples are drawn from a resettlement programme and the subsequent provision of boreholes in a semi-arid area in Gam, Namibia. The dissertation specifically seeks to examine the Government of Namibia's political decision on a resettlement programme in Gam and evaluate the impacts of resettlement on ecological and socio-economic variables in Gam.
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    Liesbeeck-Black river confluence area : land-use opportunities and constraints
    (1994) Bergman, Jan Gerhardus; Holmes, P J
    This study investigated the land-use potential of the Liesbeeck-Black River confluence area . It is intended to serve as a guide to land-use planners and other interested parties concerning the opportunities and constraints proffered by the environment on the confluence area. The collecting of baseline data was undertaken by nine Masters Students in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town. Each student then analysed the data individually. The study was undertaken in part fulfilment of the academic requirements of the Masters Degree. The Liesbeeck-Black River confluence area (hereafter called the study area) is located approximately 5.5 km east of the CBD of Cape Town. It covers approximately 232 ha and is bounded by the N2 Freeway to the South, Alexandra Road to the East, Liesbeeck Parkway to the West and the Culemborg-Black River Railway Yard to the North. The aim of the study was twofold, firstly to determine a procedure whereby the optimal land- use alternative for an area could be determined, taking into account the effects of significant environmental elements, and secondly to analyse and determine the optimal land-use alternative for the study area specifically. The procedure developed during the research is an adaptation of the Leopold Matrix method of analysis. The environmental elements characteristic of the study area are listed on the horizontal axis, and the land-use options to be analysed on the vertical axis. The magnitude and significance of the effect of an environmental element on a particular type of land-use can then be rated and this rating entered in the corresponding matrix cell. By adding the ratings of all environmental elements on each land-use option, the overall rating of the different land-use options can be obtained. The option with the highest overall (positive) rating is then considered to be the optimal type of land-use. This method was then applied to assess the land-use potential of the study area. The land-use options considered to be appropriate for the study area were determined by considering only those types of land-uses for which a regional need had previously been established.