Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
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EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats
(2020-07)Abstract Aim: The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal ... -
Towards a conceptual framework for the analysis of governance arrangements and livelihoods of small-scale fisheries in Norton, Zimbabwe
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Governance arrangements and their impacts on the livelihoods of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in Zimbabwe are an understudied phenomenon. Government and local authorities are very active, vocal and visible ... -
Opening up to the World: An Exploration of Residents’ Opinions on and Perceptions of St Helena Island’s Tourism Development
(2020-12)St Helena Island, often regarded as one of the most remote places on earth, is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom and generally considered geographically as ‘part’ of Africa. Economically, the island is wholly ... -
Encoding remotely sensed time series data as two-dimensional images for urban change detection using convolution neural networks
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Urban expansion is the most pervasive form of land cover change in South Africa. A method that can effectively detect and indicate areas that have a higher probability of displaying urban change will ... -
Wetland ecotones: testing remote sensing techniques to map ecotones in a Fynbos embedded wetland
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Various researchers starting as early as 1903, have developed many definitions of an ecotone (Clements 1905; Livingston 1903; Odum & Barrett 1971). The definition by Holland (1988) described ecotones as ... -
Vineyard yield estimation using 2-D proximal sensing : a multitemporal approach
(International Viticulture and Enology Society, 2020-10-23)Vineyard yield estimation is a fundamental aspect in precision viticulture that enables a better understanding of the inherent variability within a vineyard. Yield estimation conducted early in the growing season provides ... -
I fish because I am a fisher : exploring livelihood and fishing practices to justify claims for access to small-scale fisheries resources in South Africa
(AOSIS, 2021)In South Africa, claims for and access to natural resources are deeply embedded in people’s histories, identities and livelihood experiences. As in the case of land, access to and rights over fisheries resources is a highly ... -
Climate-based regionalization and inclusion of spectral indices for enhancing transboundary land-use/cover classification using deep learning and machine learning
(MDPI, 2021)Accurate land use and cover data are essential for effective land-use planning, hydrological modeling, and policy development. Since the Okavango Delta is a transboundary Ramsar site, managing natural resources within ... -
An analysis of eco-labelled honey practices employed in the South African beekeeping industry : implications for agricultural sustainability
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12)ENGLISH SUMMARY : This thesis presents a novel area of research for agricultural sustainability in South Africa, within the field of Geography and Environmental Studies. Previous studies on eco-labels in South Africa ... -
The status of urban heritage conservation: competency of local government in the Western Cape Province
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) (South Africa 1999) was promulgated in the efforts of establishing effective conservation principles that would meet the needs of all South Africans. The Act ... -
Discriminating between forest plantation genera using remote sensing and machine learning algorithms
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Forest inventories are constructed on a compartmental level and contain information such as forest age, species/genus, location, and extent. An up-to-date forest inventory is critical for monitoring harvests, ... -
Spatial accessibility in urban regeneration areas : a population-weighted method assessing the social amenity provision
(Cogitatio, 2021)Principles of social sustainability serve to guide urban regeneration programmes around the world. Increasingly, the upholding of these principles is subject to qualified evaluation and monitoring. One of the cornerstones ... -
Prosopis invasion in the Northern Cape: remote sensing analysis of management action effectiveness
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) for agricultural sector have grown significantly in the past decade, and are mostly prevalent in developing countries. Because LSLAs are not without negative effects ... -
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) mapping with details : smallholder versus industrial plantations and their extent in Riau, Sumatra
(MDPI, 2019-11)Oil palm is rapidly expanding in Southeast Asia and represents one of the major drivers of deforestation in the region. This includes both industrial-scale and smallholder plantations, the management of which entails ... -
Comparing thresholding with machine learning classifiers for mapping complex water
(MDPI, 2019-06)Small reservoirs play an important role in mining, industries, and agriculture, but storage levels or stage changes are very dynamic. Accurate and up-to-date maps of surface water storage and distribution are invaluable ... -
Monitoring effects of land cover change on biophysical drivers in rangelands using albedo
(MDPI, 2019)This paper explores the relationship between land cover change and albedo, recognized as a regulating ecosystems service. Trends and relationships between land cover change and surface albedo were quantified to characterise ... -
Negotiating grey spaces: A southernised relational analysis of customary land-use regulation mechanisms in peri-urban Informal mixed-use developments - A case study of the Helderberg District in Cape Town
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study investigates the phenomenon of mixed-use development in informalised public housing (Colloquially referred to as RDP housing) developments in the Helderberg region of the City of Cape Town ... -
The urban water metabolism of Cape Town : towards becoming a water sensitive city
(ASSAf, 2021-05-28)To improve its resilience to increasing climatic uncertainty, the City of Cape Town (the City) aims to become a water sensitive city by 2040. To undertake this challenge, a means to measure progress is needed that ... -
Assessment of accuracy : systematic reduction of training points for maximum likelihood classification and mixture discriminant analysis (Gaussian and t-distribution)
(CONSAS Conference, 2018-09)Remote sensing provides a valuable tool for monitoring land cover across large areas of land. A simple yet popular method for land cover classification is Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC), which assumes a single ... -
Object-based geomorphometry and soil spectroscopy in a fluvial terrace dominated landscape
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The adaptation and mitigation of adverse global change necessitate better understanding and management of natural resources. Fluvial terrace staircases are a paleo-fluvial phenomenon critical to mining, ...