Browsing by Author "Kula, Luxolo"
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- ItemLand use change in Stellenbosch and its environs between 1994 and 2004(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007-03) Kula, Luxolo; Schloms, B. H. A.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Land use change in urban environments has created an urgent need for updated maps, both for cities and metropolitan areas in South Africa. In Stellenbosch in particular, there is concern that the ruralurban fringe is threatened by urban development. Stellenbosch Square, Bosman's Crossing, new residential construction in Welgevonden and the planned Paradyskloof golf estate on the slopes of Stellenbosch Mountain indicate that the degree of land use change is unprecedented. These changes in the urban envirom11ent foster the need to examine land use transformation in Stellenbosch and the surrounding area. A land use database for 2004 was generated and compared with the existing 1994 dataset. The 2004 land use dataset was developed by mapping the 2001 digital 01ihophoto imagery and updated through extensive field observations. The land use Kappa Index of Agreement (KIA) was calculated in IDRISI's GIS analysis cross-tabulation module which permitted the comparison of twodate grids of 100 X 1 OOm resolution. This research found that urban growth through residential and commercial development threatens farmland and the natural environment that lie in the rural-urban fringe. The land use areas for agriculture, urban development, commerce, infonnal settlements and open land categ01y shows that changes took place from 1994 and 2004. Notable land use changes during the period 1994 to 2004 were found in annual agriculture, rural institutional, rural industry, recreation, forestry and open land/veld that decreased by 32.5 per cent, 6 per cent, 34.3 per cent, 25.4 per cent, 16.2 per cent and 6.4 per cent, respectively. In contrast, perennial agriculture, industrial agriculture, formal urban development, informal settlements, rural commerce and hotels and extraction increased by 14.2 per cent, 191.3 per cent, 7.8 per cent, 566.7 per cent, 140 per cent and 100.80 per cent, respectively. Practically speaking, the areas of rural institutional and rural industry were stable within these two dates although the computation of area shows that changes took place in these categories. At the same time, the recreational areas actually increased from 1994 to 2004. The urban area and infom1al settlements developed rapidly during the decade at the expense of the natural environment and agricultural areas. This study detem1ined that the proposed future urban growth sites will be located in the sensitive natural environments. The overall KIA of land use change in Stellenbosch and its environs is 0.74 indicating that the two date's images are not completely different although land use changes took place from 1994 to 2004. This study has updated the land use database developed in the past and gives a good indication of land use dynamics. Hopefully, this research will aid future urban land use planning and decision-making with regard to sustainable land resource management and also contribute to the field of global environmental change.