Governance in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Project Activities

The Garden Route Biosphere Reserve (GRBR) in the Eastern and Western Cape has seen unprecedented land use changes within its borders like agriculture expansion at the cost of indigenous vegetation. Identifying the most recent land use and land cover (LULC) dynamics within this study area is an important step in sustainably managing natural resources and the reconciling the land use needs of the GCBR’s stakeholders.

The specific focus of this research is the Kaaimans catchment (George, Western Cape). This catchment area is an important fresh water source, not only in terms of biodiversity but also because it forms part of the Outeniqua strategic water source area which supplies water to George, Oudtshoorn and the Garden Route area.

The Kaaimans catchment lacks up to date LULC data and future LULC predictions, which is what this research seeks to resolve. This research will also contribute to the knowledge of using machine learning and remotely sensed satellite imagery for mapping current and future land use changes. By improving the understanding of how the relationships between different land uses and land covers function within a region, more effective management strategies can be implemented. Land use and land cover maps allow for the examination of the landscape characteristics which are important for understanding the condition of land, the extent of certain land uses, and the state of the natural land cover. Aligning with the aim of biosphere reserves, having an integrated land management strategy can only be achieved effectively by having the knowledge of the main land uses in and around a biosphere reserve.

This research is in progress. It is being undertaken as an Honours research project at the University of the Pretoria (Department of Geography, Geoinformatics & Meteorology) by Ms. Gabrielle Grobler under the supervision of Drs Kaera Coetzer (UP), Dr Philemon Tsele (UP), and Dr Bianca Currie (GRBR).