A5009030998- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Climate variability and models
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Agricultural Innovations and Practices
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
- Forest ecology and management
- Community Development and Social Impact
- Animal Diversity and Health Studies
- Agriculture and Rural Development Research
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development
- Rural development and sustainability
- Soil and Unsaturated Flow
- Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
Agricultural Research Council of South Africa
2008-2023
Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria
2023
Animal Production Institute
2008-2019
Dundalk Institute of Technology
2019
Rhodes University
2019
Wolff, M. G., J. Cockburn, C. De Wet, Bezerra, T. Weaver, A. Finca, Vos, Ralekhetla, N. Libala, Q. B. Mkabile, O. Odume, and G. Palmer. 2019. Exploring expanding transdisciplinary research for sustainable just natural resource management. Ecology Society 24(4):14. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11077-240414
Australian acacias have spread to many parts of the world. In South Africa, species such as A. mearnsii and dealbata are invasive. Consequently, more effort has focused on their clearing. a context increasing clearing costs, it is crucial develop innovative ways managing invasions. Our aim was understand biophysical properties in grasslands they relate grass production explore management implications. Aboveground biomass (AGB) determined using published allometric equation invaded northern...
Communal rangelands in South Africa are generally perceived as overgrazed owing to complexities their histories and collective utilisation which often leads improper management. A suitable solution has not been found land management policies because local people's contexts indigenous knowledge ignored. Hence, this paper is aimed at (i) assessing the role can play communal rangeland management, (ii) exploring working solutions incorporate into effective use policies, (iii) mechanisms for...
Accurately measuring evapotranspiration (ET) is essential if we are to derive reasonable estimates of production and water use for semi-arid savannas. Estimates ET also important in defining the health an ecosystem quantity used by vegetation when preparing a catchment-scale balance. We derived ET0 from automatic weather station 30 km west Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa using Penman– Monteith equation, then MODIS LAI inform model canopy phenological dynamics. This result was...
Drought is a frequent occurrence in the arid and semi-arid Karoo rangelands of South Africa. Rangeland productivity expected to decline with drought thereby reducing livestock consequently livelihoods farmers. This study aimed document effects on farming region Africa strategies used by farmers reduce risks drought. A semi-structured questionnaire was collect data from random sample 35 The analysed using SPSS. Most had over 20 years experience 60% them have tertiary qualification. Profit...
Determining the quantum (both annual maxima and minima) temporal variation in leaf area index (LAI), fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR), are three fundamental biophysical characteristics plant canopy that should parameterise ecophysiological models water use (evapotranspiration) carbon sequestration. Although Earth observation provides values time series for both these parameters, in-field validation is necessary. Following a very wet summer season, we conducted field...
Following a field campaign to determine the species composition, canopy cover, aboveground annual production and leaf area index (LAI) of semi-arid savanna north-western Namibia, we present model that can be used by graziers livestock carrying capacity. The predicts net primary (ANPP) from regression equations cover fraction for plant functional classes. We tested output against another fully independent (NPP) model, namely MODIS NPP product. mean 29 sites was 343 ± 22 kg dry matter (DM)...
Abstract The communal lands of the Eastern Cape have been regarded as both tools and problems by policy-makers. In particular, are problematised environmentally degraded, suboptimum productivity constraining economic development. Communal Arable Lands Research Project was framed within this policy discourse with aim introducing legume-based pasture into 'abandoned arable lands'. Initial results from community workshops show that institutional arrangements for these vary widely and, them,...
In a context of water scarcity, efforts to increase landscape production should focus on improving productivity. This requires an appreciation the various components evapotranspiration (ET), including soil evaporation (Es) because latter reflects 'unproductive' loss. Both complex and simple algorithms have been developed determine ET. data scarce areas, developing testing parsimonious is useful. study sought improve single layer ET model by incorporating Es component. Empirical methods were...
Accurate estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) are essential when calculating catchment-scale water balances. An open top chamber (OTC), a ground-based method for measuring actual ET, was used to validate modeled ET from earth observation MODIS and agrometeorological data. We studied compared the (ETMODIS two adjacent, quaternary catchments Bushman's River primary catchment, namely P10A Q91C, representing light heavy stocking density, respectively. Within each relatively homogenous 1 km2...
Rangeland productivity is expected to decline with climate change thereby reducing livestock and consequently livelihoods of the farmers. This study aimed document effects drought on strategies used reduce risk. A questionnaire was collect data from a random sample 35 PRIMER 5.0 examine similarity between farmer responses coping strategies. Farmers in both biomes have over 20 years farming experience 60% tertiary qualification. Majority farmers, 96% 72% indicated profit loss losses animals...