Systematic conservation planning and South Africa's Forest Biome: An assesment of the conservation status of South Africa's forest and reccomdentations for their conservation

Berliner Derek David

Systematic conservation planning and South Africa's Forest Biome: An assesment of the conservation status of South Africa's forest and reccomdentations for their conservation

Doctoral Thesis

2009

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Biological Sciences

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Abstract

This thesis reports on the first substantial data collation, analysis and interpretation for a systematic conservation plan for the entire South African forest biome. This was done by addressing the following questions: What is the current state of the forest biome? How well are forests protected? How threatened are they? What are the conservation priorities, and what needs to be done to improve forest conservation? The study is broad and integrative, using information from various published and unpublished sources, as well as expert judgements. The general framework of systematic conservation planning was used along with the software tools typically used for irreplacebility analysis. Rule based modelling, expert judgements and GIS modelling, were used to develop indices of threat, vulnerability, fragmentation, degradation, connectivity and irreplacebility, at the scale of forest patches, forest clusters and forest types. An index of subsistence resource use of forests was modelled using population density, extent of electrification, forest accessibility and the buffering effect of plantations and woodlots. Using these indices, priorities for conservation were identified. Species richness and numbers of red data and endemic species, were also evaluated for each forest type. Forest patches as well as forest clusters were used as planning units, while forest types were used as surrogates to represent forest biodiversity . South African forests have by far the highest number of tree species per unit area of any temperate forest in the world. A high proportion of species occurring in forests are threatened and endemic. At least 56 forest occurring vascular plants and approximately 88 forest occurring faunal species are listed as IUCN red data species. The current forest protected area network of South Africa, does not adequately protect representative samples of forest biodiversity pattern and process. Approximately 25 % of the total forested area occurs within formal statutory protected areas, but most of this is made up of just a few forest types. Of the 21 forest types assessed, six have less than 10% formal protection. Three forest types, Eastern Scarp, Pondoland Scarp and Kwazulu-Natal Dune forests stand out as being highly vulnerable to biodiversity loss, of these; Pondoland Scarp forests have the lowest level of formal protection, and the highest number of endemic species, making this forest type, the highest conservation priority in the country. 10 PhD thesis: Forest conservation planning: Derek Berliner The limitations of the mathematical selection algorithms (C-plan and MARXAN) to incorporate ecological heuristics and context specific information within reserve selection were recognised. In response to this, a rule based modelling approach was used, that enables ecological heuristics to guide the selection of priority forests, This provided pragmatic, but not necessary mathematically optimal solutions to network reserve design. The traditional (largely silvicultural) focus of forest management and reserve planning in South Africa, has tended to view forests as geographically and functionally distinct ecosystems, without adequate consideration of landscape scale processes and requirements for connectivity. For long term conservation of forest biodiversity, planning requires to occur across multiple scales, and with a broader and longer term view than what has been the traditionally focus. Forest conservation needs to involve both on, and off-reserve strategies. This should include: expansion of the formal protected area network (so as to adequately represent all forest types), improvements in management of existing reserves, and regulation of land use change within forested catchments and catchments linked to forests. This should form part of integrated land management strategy that directly involves communities in forest conservation programmes.

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