A landscape approach used in designing a representative reserve system for the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

This study was undertaken in order to propose a representative system of reserves which would protect the biodiversity within the study area. A technique based on the "Gap Analysis Programme" was used. This involved the determination of the representativeness of natural landscapes within the existing reserves, the identification of species richness, endemism and conservation status hotspots. Rules were formulated according to a broad conservation strategy. Once the rules had been set a reserve selection algorithm was run. Four scenarios were looked at: the first scenario merely modelled a reserve system based on the rule that 10% of the landscape should be protected; the second looked at protecting 10% of each landscape, but the proposed system had to include the important species hotspots; the third scenario proposed a reserve system based on the 10% rule which included all existing reserves; and the final scenario included the hotspots, all existing reserves and met the 10% protected landscape rule.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics

Year dc:date.issued

1996

Author dc:creator

• Loubser, David Ian

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Lombard, M
• Barry, Michael

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17481

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/17481