OpenUCT :: Browsing by Subject "Environmental Studies"

Browsing by Subject "Environmental Studies"

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Open Access
A comparison of the bacteria at Bakoven Bay and Hottentotshuisie as indicators of marine pollution from a sewage outfall
(1977) Breyer-Menke, Carel Jan
A comparison is made of the bacterial populations at two geographically similar near-shore marine sites. The difference between the sites is that one is influenced by a raw sewage outfall. Sea water samples were drawn directly by means of a handheld all-glass bacteriological sampling device. Sea-water samples were analysed for a total coliform count, presumptive E. coli type I and a total bacterial count on a marine agar medium. A proportion of the isolates on the total count plates were subjected to a number of physical, biochemical and antibiotic tests and classified into genera. Bacteriological differences between the sites were shown by the coliform tests. Total count isolates and in particular the pseudomonads also showed bacteriological differences between the sites. It is indicated that these organisms could possibly be used to demonstrate stressed conditions in near-shore marine environments resulting from sources other than sewage contamination.
Open Access
An analysis of the education potential of sites in the Cape Peninsula for secondary school fieldwork in environmental studies
(1977) Nightingale, Charles S; Fuggle, Richard Francis
In South African secondary schools much less fieldwork is undertaken than in a number of other countries despite fieldwork being required by some school syllabuses and the fact that, in many areas, suitable sites are ready to hand. In an attempt to assess the nature of future demands for fieldwork sites, this study reviews developments in education which lead to increasing emphasis on teaching outside the classroom, and the reasons why so little fieldwork is being done are analyzed. A methodology is developed for selecting fieldwork sites taking into account educational priorities and practical constraints. This is worked out in practice by drawing up a fieldwork syllabus for a particular school, and selecting sites in the Cape Peninsula for field studies. Finally, the educational potential of a sample of these sites is indicated by means of exercises prepared for secondary school children.
Open Access
An assessment of recreational carrying capacity at Infanta, South Cape
(1984) Sowman, Merle Rozanne; Grindley, J R
A proposal to develop 100 additional residential erven at Infanta, a holiday township on the South Cape coast, prompted this study. Current pressure of human activities imposed on the Infanta coastal and estuarine environment during peak holiday periods is determined from questionnaire analysis and direct observations. Projections of potential recreational demand anticipated at the proposed higher level of development are made. An assessment of recreational carrying capacity indicates in broad terms what levels of use are acceptable for the different recreational activities pursued in the area. At the present population pressure these levels are already attained or exceeded for most activities. Major physical, ecological and social constraints for further township development are identified. The beach and swimming area, as well as ancillary shore facilities for boats, are already inadequate to support current recreational pressure. Increased recreational pressure will result in competition for water space and conflicts between different recreational interest groups will occur. Surveys conducted during this study suggest that particular bait and shellfish organisms (e.g. Alikreukel) are already overexploited. There is also evidence of a decline in the numbers and size of fish caught. At one recreation site, bank erosion and destruction of salt marsh vegetation is indicative of heavy boating and watersports activities. An increased holiday population would result in overcrowding at recreation sites. This would reduce the quality of the recreation experience for both the present holidaymakers and newcomers to the area. It is concluded that both the environmental resources and existing man-made amenities in the area are already stressed by present recreational pressure and cannot support an increased holiday population during peak holiday periods. Increased development will destroy the attributes which attracted development in the first instance. Additional township development which will increase population numbers during peak holiday periods should not be permitted. It is recommended that an evaluation of present recreational pressure, projections of potential recreational demand and an assessment of recreational carrying capacity based on physical, ecological and social constraints should be a routine procedure in the consideration of applications for the extension or establishment of coastal townships.
Open Access
An assessment of the potential socio-economic impact of the future closure of DBNM's diamond mines in Namaqualand
(1992) Gosling, Melanie
De Beers Consolidated Mines, Namaqualand Division (DBNM) anticipate that the financially viable diamond reserves at their mines on the West Coast would be depleted by 2002, resulting in closure of the mine. DBNM commissioned the Environmental Evaluation Unit (EEU) of the University of Cape Town to assess the social and economic impacts of future mine closure and to recommend measures to mitigate the negative impacts. The aim is to assist DBNM management in future planning. Baseline data were compiled in a separate document: NM2005: Impact Assessment: Baseline Information Report. Using that data, this report identifies and assesses the socio-economic impacts of mine closure on DBNM employees, and on the two regions from where most employees originate, Namaqualand and the Herschei/Sterkspruit district of Transkei (Fig 2). Integrated environmental management procedures and social impact assessment methods were followed in the assessment.
Open Access
An assessment of the value of a small nature reserve, with particular reference to the Palmiet Nature Reserve, Westville, Natal
(1978) Cottrell, Michael James; Fuggle, Richard Francis
This study investigates the value of small nature reserves of less than 100 ha. The biological, recreational and educational values of small nature reserves in general are assessed and management for multiple-use activities is considered. A specific example, the 35 ha urban reserve, the Palmiet Nature Reserve in Westville, Natal, is evaluated in terms of the biological communities, visitor attitudes and their reasons for going into this Reserve, use by educational institutions, management and problems. Recommendations for improving the potential of the Palmiet Nature Reserve for both conservation and multiple-use activities are suggested. Changes in the Nature Conservation Ordinance in Natal to accommodate local nature reserves are recommended. Finally the justification for establishing small nature reserves is considered.
Open Access
A case and comparative study of citizen hunting in the Charara/Makuti study area : allocating Zimbabwe's protected area resources efficiently and equitably
(1993) Hangartner, Alex R
The research was undertaken to determine first, how well the hunting resources were allocated by a lottery to Zimbabwe citizen hunters in the Charara/Makuti study area. A second investigation determined whether the opportunity costs of this allocation method could be justified in the context of Zimbabwe's current socio-economic development priorities. The Department of National Parks and Wild Life Management (DNPWLM) is the government agency responsible for the management of Zimbabwe's protected areas and wildlife.
Open Access
Derivation of a test for measuring degree of environmental education
(1985) Pohorille, Ralph Leon
The need to derive a test for measuring degree of environmental education in the South African context was perceived. A test aimed at standard 6- pupils was devised based on three components: knowledge, feeling and action. Three item pools were developed and scrutinised by panels of experts and a pilot test was formulated. The results of the pilot test were analysed statistically and the test refined into a shorter, final test which was found to be both reliable and valid. This final test was implemented with a sample population of some 300 pupils and was found to discriminate between those who are environmentally educated and those who are not. Several uses of the test are suggested. An attempt to use teacher judgement as an independent means of identifying environmentally educated pupils was not iuccessful.
Open Access
The effects of recreational activities on aquatic avifauna
(1984) Rowlands, Beaumont W; Hey, D; Grindley, J R
The Rietvlei wetland system, 10 km north of Cape Town, South Africa, supports 158 species of birds (Winterbottom,1960), and is the principal wetland for breeding waterbird numbers in the south-western Cape Province. It is an important collection, pairing and distribution centre prior to the breeding season. Emerging mudflats during evaporation in late summer are a major gathering point for waders before migratory departure. Increasing human pressure on open spaces is threatening this natural habitat of aquatic birds. For future waterbird conservation it is necessary to ascertain the impact of recreation and human disturbance in this area. Recreational activities on the northern of two dredged lakes in the northwestern corner of Rietvlei are therefore examined to investigate possible causal relationships between recreational activity and the numbers and behaviour of aquatic avifauna. Counts of waterbirds were carried out in the presence of people involved with various forms of recreational activity. These observations were made between February and May 1983. As a null hypothesis it is proposed that recreational activities on this lake and wetland system do not have a significant effect upon water birds in the area. The method used to test this hypothesis is based on statistical analysis by computer, with disturbance measured by means of correlation coefficients between recreational activities and bird numbers. The major findings (Chapter 5) and subsequent recommendations (Chapter 6) for waterbird conservation on the Rietvlei dredged lakes are presented, and proposals for further research in this field are suggested.
Open Access
Enhancement of the conservation issues in visitors to three South African nature reserves
(1983) Preston, Guy; Fuggle, Richard Francis
A statistically significant increase in awareness of conservation issues has been found for South African residents who stayed overnight in Hluhluwe Game Reserve, in Giant's Castle Game Reserve, or in Londolozi Private Game Reserve. Despite these increases, the levels of awareness of conservation issues in respondents leaving the reserves are considered low. These findings, using a longitudinal survey design, were verified using a cross-sectional survey design. Approximately 150 respondents were interviewed in each reserve, and for both approaches. Respondents were found to represent a most privileged sector of the South African public, both in terms of educational and socio-economic status. Interest in nature, and use of interpretative services, are shown to be limited by a generally narrow perspective of nature conservation. Interpretative facilities and programmes in the reserves were not found to be structured in a manner whereby the various mediums complemented one another to provoke an holistic consideration of nature and the conservation thereof.
Open Access
An enquiry into gamefarming in the Cape Province
(1983) Colvin, Ian Stuart; Fuggle, Richard Francis; Grindley, J R
Gamefarming in Africa has generally failed to exploit the potential biological productivity of indigenous wildlife populations. This study enquired as to the reasons for such failure within the Cape Province. The enquiry focused on management, research and marketing aspects of gamefarming. Personal interviews, a questionnaire and a literature analysis provided the information for the study. A description of the overall gamefarming situation is provided. Those management problems identified here found to be largely dependent on individual farmer's methods and the intensity of game utilisation. The primary uses of game were aesthetic appreciation and sport hunting. Such usages, being of low intensity, were accompanied by low levels of management effort. The lack of a stable economic incentive was found to be the major inhibition against adopting intensive commercial means of game utilisation by cropping, safari hunting and live sale.
Open Access
Environmental and related interest groups in South Africa
(1983) Schweizer, C D; Fuggle, Richard Francis
This study was undertaken to provide information on interest groups or voluntary organisations which involve themselves in environmental conservation. The primary aim was to identify and list all those groups which together make up the environmental lobby in South Africa. Further aims were to determine the environmental orientation and characteristics of the groups, and to determine the degree of involvement they offer to the general public. The groups which were identified as comprising the environmental lobby are listed in a detailed form in part 2 of this study. They appear to concentrate largely on the conservation of the natural environment. The results of the study suggest that the environmental lobby contains a relatively small number of groups which register limited support. This support is drawn largely from the white section of the population. The groups themselves are well organised, but in general display a low financial base. A greater reliance appears to be made on the development of specialist skill than on the promotion of group cohesion and the generation of public support. It is believed that this may have led to the restriction of opportunities for general public involvement in group activities. It is suggested that groups in the lobby need to expand their interests to include conservation of the built environment, and so increase their appeal to the public. The opportunities for public involvement in group activities at all levels also need to be increased.
Open Access
The environmental effects of air pollution from the energy sector in South Africa
(1992) Gerson, R; Eberhard, Anton; Dutkiewicz, Ryszard Karol
The literature and data describing the environmental effects of air pollution in South Africa were examined, with a focus on the effects that are produced by the use of energy. This examination consisted of three parts: The emissions resulting from the use of the different fuels were calculated, with a complete sectorial and regional breakdown for pollution sources. A review of the data obtained from pollution monitoring programmes conducted in South Africa was completed. It was found that while monitoring is conducted in various regions and urban districts, there are areas with recognised pollution problems, such as townships, where little or no monitoring has been conducted. Often the resulfs of monitoring programmes were not published, or only available in unprocessed form. The literature describing environmental effects related to air pollution was reviewed. The number of studies pertaining to South African environments was found to be limited and tended to focus on certain areas, while neglecting others. Areas requiring further study and research were identified.
Open Access
Environmental evaluation of alternative options for the disposal of oily waste following a marine oil spill off the South African coast and development of a decision strategy
(1991) Dehrmann, Alison Ann; Fuggle, Richard Francis; Meadows, Michael E
Oil spill contingency planning for the South African Coast undertaken by the Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Department of Environment Affairs, has revealed that alternative disposal methods for oily waste need to be investigated in order to cope effectively and timeously with a major oil spill. Current techniques dealing with oily waste disposal are reviewed. These include recovery for re-use, stabilisation of oily waste, biodegradative techniques such as landfarming, co-disposal with municipal waste, stimulated biodegradation in ponds and direct burial, as well as burning and incineration. The suitability of these techniques, taking into account legal constraints, availability of facilities, financial considerations and environmental implications are appraised for South African conditions. Recovery for re-use is the optimum disposal option, but the location of refineries in South Africa, the limited facilities available for oil recycling and the inability of the industries to cope with large quantities or contaminated oily waste limit the recovery application. Stabilisation of oily waste for disposal as landfill or for use in civil engineering works requires further investigation with the South African construction industry. Landfarming techniques are suitable for the disposal of large quantities of oily sand or sandy sludge, but careful site selection is required to limit environmental contamination. Co-disposal of oily waste with municipal refuse is only suitable for limited quantities of oily waste and will reduce the life of the landfill site. Direct burial or burning of oily waste are shown to be environmentally unsuitable options, but under certain conditions they may provide the only practical solutions. Facilities for incineration of oily waste are limited in South Africa. The study shows that there is no easy solution to the disposal of large quantities of oily sludge. A combination of disposal methods will need to be used. Treatment of the oily sludge, for example emulsion breaking or separation will reduce the volumes, but costs could be prohibitive. A strategy is developed to provide the decision maker with a framework within which the decision process towards finding the correct solution for the disposal of oily waste following an oil spill off the South African Coast can be undertaken.
Open Access
An environmental evaluation system in the planning process of quarries in South Africa
(1985) Hoogervorst, Arend; Fuggle, Richard Francis
The historical framework and background to the process of approving quarries for construction materials in South Africa is examined in depth. In order to produce a proposed Environmental Evaluation System for the assessment of quarries in South Africa, the interrelationships of Quarries and the Environment are briefly examined philosophically. Environmental Impact terminology and Environmental Impact Assessment methodologies, techniques and procedures are also discussed.
Open Access
Environmental impact analysis : the identification of secondary impacts
(1981) Shopley, Jonathan Barnett
The need for a preliminary environmental impact analysis approach, able to identify secondary impacts, has been revealed by a broad literary review. Therefore, the component interaction technique has been developed which is able to structure a preliminary investigation of secondary impacts. The technique is based on a component interaction matrix. The environment is modelled as a list of environmental components, and direct dependencies between these components are then recorded. Computerized matrix powering procedures are able to structure the data to facilitate the investigation of the secondary impact potential in the system. By virtue of its construction, the technique ensures that a preliminary analysis of impact is based on a comprehensive and structured consideration of the environment. The procedure can also be used to substantiate and control the subjective content of an impact study. These two attributes of the technique support its application in conjunction with other methods of impact analysis. Various extensions to the technique have also been considered.
Open Access
Environmental perceptions : a case study of Fish Hoek Senior High School
(1997) Mann, Peter J; Winter, Kevin
The study was initiated as a result of a growing concern of the researcher at the apathy prevalent amongst his students at Fish Hoek Senior High School towards environmental activities which took place out of'school hours. Linked to this was a perceived lack of understanding of environmental issues and very little commitment towards positive environmental actions such as recycling. These were students in the final phase of their secondary education at a school situated in a valley bounded by mountains and two oceans and serving a community which is continually involved in disputes over environmental issues. It was therefore disturbing that the environmental experiences both inside and outside the school had largely failed to produce environmentally-committed students. The purpose of the study was to gauge student perceptions and feelings concerning a wide range of environmental concepts and issues both globally and locally. In addition, it was an attempt to establish the level of personal commitment of the students towards a variety of positive environmental actions.
Open Access
The formulation of an administrative structure for the management of False Bay.
(1982) Malan, Justin George Steytler
A study of the administrative mechanisms for planning and controlling False Bay, a complex marine and coastal system, provides insight into the problems that beset South African resource management in general and coastal zone management in particular. Problems of management result from the uncoordinated approach to the planning of development and the diffused control of resource utilization. The situation is unlikely to be improved through the imposition of various ad hoc restrictions on developments and exploitation rates alone. As with the whole of the South African coastal zone, a comprehensive co-ordinated management effort is needed, with boundaries, exploitation rates and development limitations based strictly on recognised ecological principles. This paper examines the options that exist for the formulation of an administrative structure for the management of False Bay and suggests that a co-ordinated management effort will contribute greatly towards the attainment of the maximum sustainable utilization of all its natural resources, to the best advantage of the greater society.
Open Access
The green paradigm
(1992) Knill, William Gregory
Within the Western cosmology there are two distinct interpretations of how humans should relate to their environment, and for the purpose of this dissertation these interpretations have been characterized as cultural paradigms. The paradigms are not concrete entities, they are merely useful abstractions for grouping together mutually supporting assumptions. It is held that the socially dominant interpretation centres on an assumption that people are distinct from nature, while the alternative suggests they are a part of Nature. It is held that the expression of the axioms and assumptions which are collected within what is here called the Dominant Western Environmental Paradigm leads inevitably to a situation of stress and conflict between humans and their environment. The existence of significant anthropogenic ecological stress in the planetary system is taken as given. It is argued that this stress is a symptom of an inappropriately conceptualized relationship between humans and nature. It is further held that the interface between human and nature is a traditional area of geographical concern, and that geography as a discipline should be taking active steps to research the problems and propose solutions. Reasons for the failure of geography as a discipline to address the issue adequately are explored. It is argued that the process of working through the assumptions of the Dominant Western Environmental Paradigm leads to a situation where science, including geography, is subordinated socially to the dictates of economic rationality, and is thus unable to mount a significant challenge to the social and economic structures which are at the root of the ecological stress. It is concluded that only by the conscious process of stepping outside the dominant cultural paradigm will geographers be able to examine the full scope of the problems, and that by framing the disciplinary paradigm of geography so as to be in sympathy with the assumptions of the Green cultural paradigm geographers will discover new and appropriate tools of analysis as well as potential solutions to the ecological stress problem. A number of these are presented and explored. A failure to step outside the ruling framework will, however, constrain analysis. It is argued that no paradigm shift has occurred, on a disciplinary (geographical) or a cultural scale, but that alternative frameworks are sufficiently coherent to support the possibility of such a revolution.
Open Access
Human impact on the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
(1982) Benkenstein, Howard; Fuggle, Richard Francis; Grindley, J R
The problem investigated in this study is the environmental effect of outdoor recreation on a valuable conservation area, the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve. The approach adopted views the reserve as a business concern that produces service commodities from the resources of the natural environment. Supply of these commodities was estimated from a visitor activity profile obtained by combining traffic count data with timed observations on visitor behaviour. Demand was assessed from the results of a visitor survey and from information obtained from a literature review. The results of these investigations provided a data base for formulating a business management policy for the reserve. The findings of the study were that the shortage of open space in Cape Town and the Western Cape is a human ecological problem and that a business management policy which reinforces human behavioural links with the environment would be both an economic solution and an eco- logical solution to the current controversy surrounding matters related to conservation in the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve.
Open Access
The importance of water levels in the management of the Klein River Estuary, Hermanus
(1987) Waldron, Miranda Elizabeth; Morant, Patrick D; Grindley, J R
The Klein River Estuary is situated at Hermanus in the Western Cape, South Africa. The estuary mouth is normally closed by a sand berm during the summer and open to the sea during the wetter winter months. The estuary forms a shallow lagoon which is becoming increasingly popular for recreational activities. Several management problems have arisen which are now becoming important with the increase in recreational pressure. The main problems are: uncertainty about appropriateness of water levels, marine sand influx and accumulation, flooding of low lying developments, flooding of agricultural lands, decrease in fish catches and indecision about the ideal position of the estuary mouth in the sand berm. This study concentrates mainly on the effects of different possible water levels. The conclusion is that the estuary water level should be permitted to rise at least as high as the highest level investigated. The estuary should be allowed to breach the sand berm. Developments on low lying land, prone to flooding, should be prohibited and only those structures which would not be damaged by flooding should be allowed in such areas.

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