A5015550286- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Forest ecology and management
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Energy and Environment Impacts
- Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Forest Management and Policy
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Climate Change Policy and Economics
- Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Bioenergy crop production and management
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- African Botany and Ecology Studies
University of Pretoria
1999-2022
University of the Witwatersrand
2012-2021
Sustainability Institute
2015-2018
Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System
2013
University of York
2004
NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) is collecting spaceborne full waveform lidar data with a primary science goal of producing accurate estimates forest aboveground biomass density (AGBD). This paper presents the development models used to create GEDI's footprint-level (~25 m) AGBD (GEDI04_A) product, including description datasets and procedure for final model selection. The fit our are from compilation globally distributed spatially temporally coincident field airborne...
Woody encroachment in 'open' biomes like grasslands and savannahs is occurring globally. Both local global drivers, including elevated CO2, have been implicated these increases. The relative importance of different processes unresolved as there are few multi-site, multi-land-use evaluations woody plant encroachment. We measured 70 years cover changes over a 1020 km(2) area covering four land uses (commercial ranching, conservation with elephants, without elephants communal rangelands) across...
Abstract The responsiveness of South African fauna to climate change events is poorly documented and not routinely incorporated into regional conservation planning. We model the likely range alterations a representative suite 179 animal species brought about by doubling CO 2 concentrations. This scenario expected cause mean temperature increase °C. applied multivariate envelope approach evaluated performance using most comprehensive bird data set. results were encouraging, although was...
ABSTRACT Aim To examine the impacts of climate change on endemic birds, which are global significance for conservation, a continent with few such assessments. We specifically assess projected range changes in relation to Important Bird Areas (IBAs) network and possible consequences conservation. Location South Africa, Lesotho Swaziland. Methods The newly emerging ensemble modelling approach is used 50 species, four models period 2070–2100 eight bioclimatic niche statistical package biomod ....
Abstract Aim To review some of the applications in ecology and conservation biogeography datasets derived from atlas projects. We discuss data quality issues suggest ways which could be improved. Location Southern Africa worldwide. Methods Atlas projects are broadly defined as collections or syntheses original, spatially explicit on species occurrences. uses using examples southern Results must cope with tradeoffs between quantity, standardization sampling methods, quantification effort,...
Land-cover change and habitat loss are widely recognised as the major drivers of biodiversity in world. maps derived from satellite imagery provide useful tools for monitoring land-use land-cover change. KwaZulu-Natal, a populous yet biodiversity-rich province South Africa, is one first provinces to produce set three directly comparable (2005, 2008 2011). These were used investigate systematic changes occurring with focus on conservation. The Intensity Analysis framework was analysis this...
Abstract Aim Small range size often increases a species’ susceptibility to decline. A narrow ecological niche is one factor that may cause species inhabit small range. We investigated whether specialized niches have made S outh frican amphibians more vulnerable contractions. Location frica. Methods The F rog tlas P roject comprehensive dataset combines recent biological survey with historical distribution data. It provided an opportunity quantitatively compare sizes, breadth and changes for...
ABSTRACT Rural households across the globe engage in both migration and natural resource use as components of livelihood strategies designed to meet household needs. Yet, scholars have only recently begun regularly integrate environmental factors into empirical modelling efforts. To examine migration‐environment association rural South Africa, we vegetation measures derived from satellite imagery combined with detailed demographic data over 9000 at Agincourt Health Demographic Surveillance...
Wood and charcoal supply the majority of sub-Saharan Africa's rural energy needs. The long-term fuelwood is in jeopardy given high consumption rates. Using airborne light detection ranging (LiDAR), we mapped investigated savanna aboveground biomass across contrasting land uses, from densely populated communal areas to highly protected Lowveld savannas South Africa. We combined LiDAR observations with socio-economic data, production rates a supply–demand model predict future availability....
Woody biomass dynamics are an expression of ecosystem function, yet estimates do not provide information on the spatial distribution woody vegetation within vertical subcanopy. We demonstrate ability airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to measure aboveground subcanopy structure, as explanatory tool unravel in structurally heterogeneous landscapes. sampled three communal rangelands Bushbuckridge, South Africa, utilised by rural communities for fuelwood harvesting. ranged between 9 Mg...