ABSTRACT Climate change and the multidimensional nature of flood vulnerability, necessitate an in-depth consideration of experiential knowledge in reducing flood vulnerability in geospatial environments such as informal settlements. The objective of this paper is to provide a critical review of literature and scholarship in the context of the integration of Indigenous Knowledge and Geographical Information

ABSTRACT The study aims to explain the essence of an alternative approach to the Old Fadama inevitable eviction and to justify the merits & feasibility of a land-sharing scheme to the community. Previous studies used principles to explain the feasibility of land-sharing, but the present study adopted both principles and theories. The injustice and social inequality from evictions are ironed out by

ABSTRACT Non-perennial rivers (NPRs) account for more than 50% of the world’s river network and their occurrence is expanding. Some rivers that were previously classified as perennial have evolved to be NPRs in response to climate change and socio-economic uses. There is inadequate understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of flows and pools along these rivers due to lack of data, as a priority

ABSTRACT This study uses focus group discussion, key informant interview, and quantitative household survey to explore how smallholders access credits and loans influence adoption of modern production technologies and what are perceived limitations to access these financial instruments in the Shia-Osuduku District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The specific objectives of the study are; (1) to

ABSTRACT This critical review paper expands on the meaning of place. It opens a new narrative on how the geographic concept of place is conceptualized in smallholder farmers and climate change adaptation literature in Sub-Saharan Africa. The review suggested that place is not only the ‘where’ of a location but a location geographically connected and interdependent to illustrate how smallholder farmers’

(2021). Obituary – Professor A.J. Christopher (1939-2021) South African Geographical Journal: Vol. 103, No. 3, pp. 420-421.

(2021). Obituary – Professor Keith Beavon (1937-2021) South African Geographical Journal: Vol. 103, No. 3, pp. 422-423.

ABSTRACT The South African land reform, particularly the aspect of land redistribution, has received strong criticism of being slow and inequitable, contrary to how it is envisaged in numerous land redistribution policies. Consequently, the recent report of the land reform advisory committee appointed by the president highlighted several issues in the understanding of land redistribution beneficiaries

ABSTRACT There is a growing demand of land by multinational commercial agribusinesses to meet the increasing demand for food in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the export market. Land tenure system is identified as one of the factors stymieing the growth of agribusinesses in SSA. The difficulties involved in land tenure for agribusinesses have been frequently attributed to the co-existence of conflicting

ABSTRACT The study sought to assess the impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on two wetland systems (Makuleke and Nylsvley Nature Reserve) in the Limpopo Transfrontier River Basin (LTRB) in South Africa between 2014 and 2018. To fulfil this objective, multi-date Landsat images were used. Furthermore, the maximum likelihood classification algorithm was used to identify various LULC classes

ABSTRACT Detection of key factors driving fire frequency, especially in protected areas, is important for effective management of ecosystems. In this study, we used Generalized Linear Models to test the contribution of natural (NDVI, wind speed, dry matter productivity, soil moisture, percentage tree cover, elevation and temperature) and anthropogenic (distance from settlements) factors as predictors

ABSTRACT South Africa is the dominant continental source region of CO2 fossil fuel emissions. This is a result of the strong dependence of its economy on fossil fuels. However, the observations of atmospheric CO2 in South Africa are inadequate. The country has the Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Cape Point station as the only site with long-term ambient CO2 monitoring record. In this study, satellite

ABSTRACT Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) measurement has previously been determined to be a good proxy for rock weathering intensity. As such, it has the potential to be useful for the establishment of relative weathering rates in culturally sensitive artefacts such as tombstones. This is the first study that makes use of an ultrasonic proxy in this manner to be carried out in South Africa, where many

ABSTRACT Local authorities (LA) are vested with authority to preside over the affairs of local communities. This authority comes with responsibilities of reducing disaster risks and losses. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been a key goal of global frameworks for minimizing risk and losses from disasters. Despite global efforts to reduce disaster risk, research into what hinders LA in investing for

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore students’ environmental perceptions and some of the determinants of these perceptions at the University of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Students were asked if they perceive a positive future for the environment in Gauteng. Study results revealed that a large majority of students were neutral on whether they perceived a positive

ABSTRACT Extreme Temperature Events (ETEs), including heatwaves, warm spells, cold waves and cold spells, have disastrous impacts on human health and ecosystems. The frequency, intensity, and duration of ETEs is projected to increase due to climate change. However, very little research has been done on ETEs in South Africa, and only a few attempts have been made to identify and examine trends. Currently

ABSTRACT South Africa has periods of drought, which lead to water restrictions. Enhanced public awareness and understanding of water scarcity and drought might contribute to the sensible use of water resources. In this article the level and nature of public awareness towards water scarcity and drought in South Africa were determined using Google Trends over a period of 10 consecutive years from 1 January

ABSTRACT Although amateur birding makes important contributions towards conservation and the tourism industry, the precise motivations driving birders have not been extensively investigated. The aims of this study were to analyse birders’ highlights for birding trips within southern Africa and to establish whether local and foreign birders preferred to see rare or morphologically unusual birds, as

(2021). Commemorating three decades of the Southern African association of geomorphologists. South African Geographical Journal: Vol. 103, Geomorphology., pp. 1-6.

(2021). Publisher’s Note. South African Geographical Journal: Vol. 103, Geomorphology., pp. 64-64.

ABSTRACT Landform allometry has been a topic of inquiry since at least the 1970s. In this study, the presence of allometry is investigated for a barchan dunefield in northern Namibia. Using a combination of traditional morphometric parameters and techniques borrowed from geometric morphometrics it is shown that barchan allometry is present. This allometry is a combination of positive and negative allometry

ABSTRACT This study highlights a significant methodological and practical issue involving the use of a magnetic compass in aeolian studies in the field. Geomagnetic declination can significantly affect field measurements of wind direction from anemometers as well as measurement of the orientation of geomorphic features such as sand dunes, depending on geographic location. It is therefore surprising

ABSTRACT Landform allometry has been a topic of inquiry since at least the 1970s. In this study, the presence of allometry is investigated for a barchan dunefield in northern Namibia. Using a combination of traditional morphometric parameters and techniques borrowed from geometric morphometrics it is shown that barchan allometry is present. This allometry is a combination of positive and negative allometry

ABSTRACT Input data is one of the main sources of uncertainty in Land Use Cover Change (LUCC) modelling. Research has focussed on the sensitivity of LUCC models to the spatial resolution of Land Use Cover (LUC) maps. However, little attention has been paid to the way that spatial resolution is changed. Both the spatial resolution and the resampling method change the modelled landscape composition and

ABSTRACT Gated communities have evolved into providing unique residential offerings aimed at specific markets. Eco-estates and eco-friendly estates are examples of such niche estates which have witnessed increasing growth in their development throughout South Africa. This paper overviews the literature on the evolution of gated communities and provides a spatial articulation of the location of eco-

ABSTRACT The adoption of remotely sensed data in forest applications has grown significantly. Whereas high spatial resolution sensors have been successful in mapping and monitoring commercial forests, their cost, accessibility, and spatial coverage remain a critical challenge. Hence, it is was necessary to investigate the value of new and improved freely available sensors in forest species mapping

ABSTRACT The South African land redistribution is stalling, and frustration in both citizens and politicians has gained momentum in recent years. Among its numerous recommendations, the Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture, appointed by the presidency to ease the frustration, has recommended research to better understand the beneficiaries of land redistribution. Using a sample of 469 potential

ABSTRACT Wetlands form part of a diverse range of habitats and play an important role in the ecology and hydrological cycle but are amongst the most threatened ecological systems. It is therefore critical to understand the hydrology of wetlands, and their contributing water sources in particular, to ensure appropriate management of these systems. Land use activities not only alter the runoff characteristics

The importance of Military Geography in the curricula of military academies cannot be overemphasized, because geography plays a significant role during military operations of any nature. Military G...

ABSTRACT Implementation of climate-smart livelihood strategies in communities is central to reducing impacts of climate shocks. Although the communities are vulnerable to climate variability, the magnitude of vulnerability depends on the choice of livelihood strategies being implemented. This paper applied a realist synthesis method to evaluate peer-reviewed literature on climate-smart livelihood strategies

ABSTRACT Countries such as Latin America, Asia and Africa in the Global South are characterized by the prevalence of informal settlements, where policing is very challenging. Empirical research in an informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) highlighted these challenges which included a lack of infrastructure and roads. Accurate geospatial data are required to timeously identify crime hotspots and

ABSTRACT South Africa experienced since 2008 high escalations in rhinoceros poaching. It is essential to protect southern Africa’s heritage by developing/adapting new research methods and techniques that can assist prosecutors to improve their successes in achieving convictions. The paper aimed to investigate the use of forensic geomorphology in the context of a poached rhino to assist in the prosecution

ABSTRACT Trend analysis for the long-term average temperature and rainfall of Ethiopia during 1901 to 2015 has been performed to understand the pattern of these important meteorological features under climate change. The rainfall characterizations viz., precipitation concentration index (PCI), seasonality index (SI), rainfall anomaly index (RAI) and departure analysis of rainfall (DAR) have been calculated

ABSTRACT In spite of their positive role, wetland ecosystems are under intense human pressure that results in their degradation and thus their ability to provide vital functions. The semi-urban community of Ga-Makanye in the Limpopo Province of South Africa is situated adjacent to a small wetland ecosystem. Because this community is poorly serviced in municipal functions such as personal and domestic

ABSTRACT This paper demonstrates the use of Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by SCANning electron microscopy (QEMSCAN®), an automated scanning microscopy technique, which combines scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), providing ultra-fast analysis of particle grains at a micron-scale resolution. We evaluate its application in aerosol studies by comparing surface

ABSTRACT Poor rural communities in Zimbabwe are increasingly becoming more reliant on the natural environment for their livelihoods. This is in direct response to the prolonged economic crisis facing the country. However, it is unclear how these livelihood strategies affect the natural environment. The purpose of this article is to identify the livelihood strategies used by people living in a rural

ABSTRACT South Africa is crippled with high rates of crime. Examining factors that may build neighbourhood-level resilience to crime is central to reducing the poverty gap and lowering inequality particularly in impoverished communities. By drawing on theories from environmental criminology in this study we quantify and spatially locate resilient neighbourhoods in the township of Khayelitsha located

ABSTRACT Oral semiotic resources used by individuals for wayfinding purposes have not received sufficient attention in linguistic landscape (LL) studies. In a bid to contribute to this neglected area, this paper explores oral route directions and the invention of street names in two rural places – Ulco and Delportshoop. Drawing on conceptual frameworks from cognitive geography, this paper uses linguistic

ABSTRACT Drought frequency is expected to increase in the coming decades due to climate change. Droughts are one of the most devastating natural disasters affecting food production, water resources and causing widespread human and animal mortalities. Sub-Saharan Africa is considered the most vulnerable region to climate change, due to low rainfall, long dry seasons and high levels of poverty. A systematic

ABSTRACT As part of a special edition of the South African Geographical Journal on the centenary of geography at the University of Stellenbosch, this paper briefly documents the evolution of human geography since 1920 in the department. The paper is structured in three sections. First, a brief account is given of the contribution by an era of Piet Serton, founding professor of the department. Second

ABSTRACT This reflective paper, which introduces this special edition on a century of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Stellenbosch University, begins by touching on two main features of the department since its inception, namely the fact that the department was founded mainly as a strong human geography department and the issue of Afrikaans as academic language. Then, brief

ABSTRACT The use of geographical information systems (GISs) for making sense of geospatial data has a long history at Stellenbosch University’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and has become an anchor identity of the department. As part of the department’s centennial celebrations, this article reflects on the circumstances and events that contributed to the evolution of GIS at Stellenbosch

Sediment fingerprinting techniques are increasingly utilized across the globe to identify and quantify sources of sediment in catchments to assist adequate management and rehabilitation strategies....

ABSTRACT The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Stellenbosch University is the oldest geography department in South Africa and celebrates its centenary in 2020. This paper provides insight into a range of publications that emanated from the department during that time. The presentation is periodized in three sections of review and analysis: the genesis of the department from 1920

ABSTRACT Restoration resources are usually limited and strategic information on and erosion susceptible areas are required to avoid further degradation. This study has potential in the Mzimvubu River Catchment, South Africa, where two large reservoirs are planned on the Tsitsa tributary. The Tsitsa River Catchment, however, consists of highly erodible soils with widespread gully erosion evident. It

ABSTRACT Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of active wildfires is critical for supporting policies and legislation related to wildfire management. The study tested the extent to which active wildfires significantly cluster in both space and time from 2000 to 2019 using space-time scan statistics permutation model (STSSP) available in the SaTScanTM software at the 6 month and annual scales

Marion Island is a peak of a shield volcano located in the southern Indian Ocean. The island is strategically important for the collection of climatological data and marine and terrestrial research...

Cosmogenic nuclide (CN) applications offer methods to quantify rates of landscape change and of dating geomorphological deposits and surfaces. Over the past two decades, CNs have been used to deter...

ABSTRACT The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Stellenbosch University boasts a long history of geography teaching and research. Notably, physical geography only gained traction in research only in the 1960s at Stellenbosch University and would again all but disappear from the research agenda of the department in the late 1990s and early 2000s, to be, in a sense, replaced by environmental

Cyclones are some of the most devastating natural disasters that cause major losses of life and property. A few months after Cyclone Idai swept through Beira, Mozambique between 4 and 20 March 2019...

The conservation of indigenous tree species is not only significant for the natural heritage, but for conserving numerous species that are heavily dependent on these trees for survival. Remotely se...

Solid waste management (SWM) is a challenge in poor urban neighbourhoods in sub-Saharan African cities. It is in this perspective that this paper examines the role of community participation in SWM...

This research investigates the distribution and magnitude of vegetation loss in the Save catchment. The main objective is to map and quantify human-induced land degradation in the Save catchment, u...

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), based on remotely sensed data, is an important tool for assessing erosion prone areas and serves as a guide towards soil conservation efforts. Besi...

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is recognized as a valuable component of environmental management, yet it has been neglected internationally and in South Africa. Disaster Risk Assessment (DRA), is i...

ABSTRACT Environmental problems during the post-mining phase have generally been given less attention than those during the operational phase of a mine. We reviewed the existing knowledge of the threats posed by closed and abandoned mines to natural and human environments in Namibia and identified current limitations and constraints to mine rehabilitation. The exposure of ecosystems and communities

ABSTRACT Destructive agricultural practices are some of the leading causes of environmental degradation. The adoption of voluntary landscape scale conservation initiatives, such as the South African conservancy model, offers a possible solution. This article uses the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy as an example of how the gap between agricultural productivity and landscape conservation can be bridged

ABSTRACT City and town administrators in Zimbabwe continue to push for the installation of prepaid water meters (PWMs). This is despite the residents' objections to the proposal. The merits and demerits of PWMs continue to be debated, and more empirical information will help chart a new course especially in smaller cities in poor countries. The paper adopts a qualitative research design and case study

ABSTRACT Urban greenery provide a variety of goods and services to city dwellers. A core one is amelioration of the urban heat island effect. However, the many estimates from temperate regions cannot be extrapolated to the tropics, where more empirical studies are required to guide urban planning and optimization of green infrastructure design and distribution. This study reports on the temperature

ABSTRACT The importance of considering both social and environmental impacts of infrastructure development is widely accepted. However, social impacts are often treated in subordination to environmental impacts. This paper examined whether social or environmental impacts dominate public discourse by reviewing 10 years of news coverage by the Mail and Guardian. This found that social impacts dominated