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Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning
The changing spatial and temporal patterns in land use/land cover surrounding Zandvlei estuary were investigated over the period 1944 to 2005. Changes in the extent of four terrestrial and two aquatic land use/land cover categories were mapped from high quality aerial photographs using ArcView GIS....
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2017
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| _version_ | 1867613256617558016 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Jack, Sam |
| author2 | Hoffmann, Timm |
| author_browse | Hoffmann, Timm Jack, Sam |
| author_facet | Hoffmann, Timm Jack, Sam |
| author_sort | Jack, Sam |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The changing spatial and temporal patterns in land use/land cover surrounding Zandvlei estuary were investigated over the period 1944 to 2005. Changes in the extent of four terrestrial and two aquatic land use/land cover categories were mapped from high quality aerial photographs using ArcView GIS. Basic spatial analyses were performed to quantify changes in area, 'edge-effects' and relative dominance through time. Semi-natural and seasonally inundated classes accounted for over 70% of land cover in 1944, but declined steadily as urban land use and permanently inundated land cover expanded to a present-day extent of 42% and 19% respectively. The following major drivers of change were identified: 1) the construction of the railway embankment bisecting Westlake wetland and Zandvlei estuary, which led to sedimentation and a change in plant species composition of the wetland, but decreased nutrient inflows into the vlei; 2) agricultural practices within the catchment at the start of the 20th century which increased sediment and nutrient inflows; 3) elevated water levels due to dredging operations between 1947 and 1961, which resulted in a significant loss of seasonally inundated land cover with concomitant changes in species composition and nutrient dynamics; and 4) urban development surrounding the vlei (with particular reference to Marina da Gama), which has expanded at the expense of semi-natural areas and significantly increased effluent and litter inputs into the vlei. A socially and ecologically balanced management policy governing the entire catchment is required to mitigate future impacts. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/24958 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:15.376Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | Department of Biological Sciences |
| publisherStr | Department of Biological Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/24958 Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning Jack, Sam Hoffmann, Timm Botany Ecological Conservation The changing spatial and temporal patterns in land use/land cover surrounding Zandvlei estuary were investigated over the period 1944 to 2005. Changes in the extent of four terrestrial and two aquatic land use/land cover categories were mapped from high quality aerial photographs using ArcView GIS. Basic spatial analyses were performed to quantify changes in area, 'edge-effects' and relative dominance through time. Semi-natural and seasonally inundated classes accounted for over 70% of land cover in 1944, but declined steadily as urban land use and permanently inundated land cover expanded to a present-day extent of 42% and 19% respectively. The following major drivers of change were identified: 1) the construction of the railway embankment bisecting Westlake wetland and Zandvlei estuary, which led to sedimentation and a change in plant species composition of the wetland, but decreased nutrient inflows into the vlei; 2) agricultural practices within the catchment at the start of the 20th century which increased sediment and nutrient inflows; 3) elevated water levels due to dredging operations between 1947 and 1961, which resulted in a significant loss of seasonally inundated land cover with concomitant changes in species composition and nutrient dynamics; and 4) urban development surrounding the vlei (with particular reference to Marina da Gama), which has expanded at the expense of semi-natural areas and significantly increased effluent and litter inputs into the vlei. A socially and ecologically balanced management policy governing the entire catchment is required to mitigate future impacts. 2017-08-23T13:09:36Z 2017-08-23T13:09:36Z 2006 2017-02-08T13:23:12Z Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc (Hons) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24958 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Botany Ecological Conservation Jack, Sam Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning |
| thesis_degree_str | Bachelor's / Honours |
| title | Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning |
| title_full | Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning |
| title_fullStr | Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning |
| title_short | Changing land use / land cover around an urban estuary : implications for ecosystem functioning |
| title_sort | changing land use land cover around an urban estuary implications for ecosystem functioning |
| topic | Botany Ecological Conservation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24958 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jacksam changinglanduselandcoveraroundanurbanestuaryimplicationsforecosystemfunctioning |