Browsing by Author "Gorgens, A. H. M."

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    Facilitation of interdisciplinary collaboration in research : lessons from a Kruger National Park Rivers Research Programme project
    (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2000) Jewitt, G. P. W.; Gorgens, A. H. M.
    Recent shifts in natural resources management have highlighted the need for an integrated approach that draws upon the expertise of scientists in different disciplines. However, it has been said that effective interdisciplinary collaboration is one of science's missing links. This issue is of importance to many projects, which are increasingly dependent upon successful interaction of scientists from several disciplines. A project, which formed part of the Kruger National Park Rivers Research Programme, focused on linking changes in catchment hydrology, sedimentation and geomorphology to the responses of the fish and riparian vegetation of the Sabie River through the develOpment of simulation models. The completion of this project was dependent on successful interdisciplinary collaboration between an hydrologist, an engineer, a botanist, an ecologist and a geomorphologist, all of whom were based at different institutions and separated by wide geographical distances. In this paper, we describe the potential obstacles that may affect similar interdisciplinary projects and the extent to which these affected, and were resolved in, the Kruger Park project.
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    Invasive alien plants and water resources in South Africa : current understanding, predictive ability and research challenges
    (Academy of Science for South Africa, 2004) Gorgens, A. H. M.; Van Wilgen, B. W.
    Predictions that invasive alien plants would use significant amounts of water were a major factor in the establishment of South Africa's Working for Water programme, which aims to protect water resources by clearing these plants. The predictions were made by combining the results of hydrological experiments, conducted to assess the effects of afforestation with alien trees on water resources, with an ecological understanding of the spread and establishment of invasive trees. The forecasts were then scaled up to arrive at national estimates of the corresponding water consumption. This paper reviews the approaches that have been used to estimate these consequences at different scales. We propose a framework for assessing the process of knowledge generation, and review the approaches used in South Africa at each level of the framework, the current level of understanding arising from the use of these methods, and significant gaps in understanding. The framework has four levels: fundamental observations from which a detailed understanding of biophysical processes can be developed; applied or predictive research from which an understanding of processes can be scaled up to predict generic outcomes; integrative research where a predictive understanding of hydrology can be combined with information from other disciplines to place the outcomes in a wider context; and research on management support, such that the information can be used to improve management and policy decisions. We conclude that much knowledge exists, but that there are also significant gaps in understanding, and challenges associated with scaling up and down to make appropriate predictions. This is especially true at the management support level, where very different kinds of uncertainties operate in the same comparative framework. Existing knowledge needs also to be used more effectively, to help prioritize clearing operations by targeting areas in terms of water-related benefits.