Ruwa Matsika

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Francois Roets

Stellenbosch University

Jon Paul Rodríguez

Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas

Tim G. O'Connor

Vanessa D Weyer

University of Pretoria

Colleen Downs

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Ray Jansen

Tshwane University of Technology

Veronica Roach

California State University, Fullerton

Chevonne Reynolds

University of Cape Town

Craig Symes

University of the Witwatersrand

Lyndon Estes

Princeton University

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Papers by Ruwa Matsika

Land-cover change: threats to the grassland biome of South Africa

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The role of water abundance, thermoregulation, perceived predation risk and interference competition in water access by African herbivores

African Journal of Ecology, 2008

In African savannas, surface water can become limiting and an understanding of how animals addres... more In African savannas, surface water can become limiting and an understanding of how animals address the trade-offs between different constraints to access this resource is needed. Here, we describe water access by ten African herbivore species in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, and we explore four possible determinants of the observed behaviours: water abundance, thermoregulation, perceived predation risk and interference competition. On average, herbivores were observed to drink in 80% of visits to a waterhole. The probability of drinking was higher in 2003 (474 mm) than in 2004 (770 mm), and at the end of the dry season than at its beginning. For larger species, this probability may also be related to risks of interference competition with elephants or other herbivores. For smaller species, this probability may also be related to the perceived risk of predation. We also investigate the time spent accessing water to drink. The influence of herd size and the presence of young on the time spent accessing water for most species suggests that perceived predation risk plays a role. Thermoregulation also affects this time: during the hottest periods, herbivores spend less time in open areas, unless when wind is strong, probably owing to evapotranspired heat loss.

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Field Surveys for Biomass Assessment in African Savanna Woodlands

IGARSS 2008 - 2008 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2008

... [7] JR Santos, CC Freitas, LS Araujo, LV Dutra, JC Mura, FF Gama, LS Soler and SJS Sant'... more

A tale of two villages: assessing the dynamics of fuelwood supply in communal landscapes in South Africa

Environmental Conservation, 2013

Fuelwood is the dominant source of energy used by most rural households in southern Africa to mee... more Fuelwood is the dominant source of energy used by most rural households in southern Africa to meet daily domestic energy requirements. Due to limited financial resources, most rural households are unable to make the transition to electricity thus they remain dependant on the woodlands surrounding their settlements as a source of cheap energy. Unsustainable fuelwood harvesting due to increasing demand as a result of growing human populations may result in environmental degradation particularly in the high-density, communal savannah woodlands of South Africa. Evaluating the sustainability of current fuelwood harvesting patterns requires an understanding of the environmental impacts of past logging practices to establish patterns of woodland degradation. This study evaluates impacts of fuelwood harvesting from 1992-2009 on the woodland structure and species composition surrounding two rural villages located within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (Mpumalanga Province, South Africa). Both villages (Welverdiend and Athol) were of similar spatial extent and exhibited similar socioeconomic characteristics. The total wood stock in the communal woodlands of both villages declined overall (with greater losses seen in Welverdiend) and, in Welverdiend, there were also changes in the woodland structure and species diversity of the species commonly harvested for fuelwood over this period. The woodlands in Welverdiend have become degraded and no longer produce fuelwood of preferred species and stem size in sufficient quantity or quality. The absence of similar negative impacts in Athol suggests more sustainable harvesting regimes exist there because of the lower human population and lower fuelwood extraction pressure. The Welverdiend community has annexed neighbouring unoccupied private land in a social response to fuelwood scarcity. Athol residents behaved similarly during drought periods. The potential for future conflict with neighbouring conservation areas within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere is high if

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Double jeopardy: The dichotomy of fuelwood use in rural South Africa

Energy Policy, 2013

ABSTRACT Energy security is central to achieving sustainable development and reducing poverty wor... more ABSTRACT Energy security is central to achieving sustainable development and reducing poverty worldwide. Over 70% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly in the rural areas, depend on wood fuel, as firewood or charcoal, to meet their primary domestic energy requirements. This dependence is projected to increase with population growth in the intermediate future, regardless of the implementation of rural electrification programmes.. Fuelwood shortages occur at the localised village level and are a chronic landscape syndrome, becoming more severe over time, with increasing population pressures and competing land-uses. In the South African context, the provision of electricity to rural households at subsidised rates would be expected to provide a viable alternative to fuelwood under conditions of scarcity. This paper compares the fuelwood consumption strategies of households in a fuelwood-scarce environment against those in fuelwood-abundant environment in order to illustrate the inelastic nature of the demand for fuelwood in rural communities, even in the face of severely depleted wood stocks. We seek to understand the mechanisms that households implement to ensure household fuelwood/energy security and how these responses aggregate at the landscape level to shape landscape dynamics. This will aid better planning of intervention policies in the future.

Land-cover change: threats to the grassland biome of South Africa

Download

The role of water abundance, thermoregulation, perceived predation risk and interference competition in water access by African herbivores

African Journal of Ecology, 2008

Download

Field Surveys for Biomass Assessment in African Savanna Woodlands

IGARSS 2008 - 2008 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2008

... [7] JR Santos, CC Freitas, LS Araujo, LV Dutra, JC Mura, FF Gama, LS Soler and SJS Sant'... more

A tale of two villages: assessing the dynamics of fuelwood supply in communal landscapes in South Africa

Environmental Conservation, 2013