#8197. Anthropogenic impacts and implications for ecological restoration in the Karoo, South Africa
October 2026 | publication date |
Proposal available till | 08-06-2025 |
4 total number of authors per manuscript | 0 $ |
The title of the journal is available only for the authors who have already paid for |
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Journal’s subject area: |
Ecology;
Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous);
Global and Planetary Change; |
Places in the authors’ list:
1 place - free (for sale)
2 place - free (for sale)
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4 place - free (for sale)
More details about the manuscript: Science Citation Index Expanded or/and Social Sciences Citation Index
Abstract:
Arid regions globally have suffered ecological damage as European colonists have displaced virtually all nomadic cultures over the past 300 years, exploiting grazing, fauna and water unsustainably in creating permanent settlements. The Karoo is one such arid region that covers about one third of South Africa. In common with arid regions globally, this sparsely-populated shrubland was historically used mainly for ranching, but is now becoming increasingly important for renewable energy generation (wind and sun), for adventure tourism, and potentially for mining. Current and future land users in the Karoo face challenges posed by damage caused by past land use, particularly overgrazing and impoundments. Land users of the future will probably experience additional challenges caused by the combined impacts of damaging land use and climate change. This review synthesizes the bodies of literature on the archaeology, ecology, land use history, environmental change and development planning. In doing so, we address the effects of historical land use on biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services in the region. We also identify avenues for future research, including mitigation and restoration actions required to make continued human occupation of the Karoo sustainable. Insights on the sustainability of the Karoo region are relevant when considering the socio-ecological futures of arid regions elsewhere.
Keywords:
Land degradation; Mining; Overgrazing; Rehabilitation; Sustainability
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