UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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Life History of Elegant/Sandwich tern hybrid: Life History of Elegant/Sandwich tern hybrid
No full textLife History of ringed bird -Elegant/Sandwich tern hybrid from researcher in France- Julien Gernigo
SAFRING Ringing Report for 2017
Get PDFFollowing on from the 2016 SAFRING ringing summary, the SAFRING database has grown to 2,677,367 ringing records (initial, retrap, resightings and recoveries). This number is increased to 2,698,821 records when foreign scheme records stored in the database are included
Hippo cannibalism
Get PDFHippo cannibalism was observed at Mandavu reservoir in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris expansion in South Africa
Get PDFThe Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris has progressively expanded its range in South Africa since its introduction into Cape Town in the late 19th century. In the past few decades it has extended this range into Gauteng province. Using data from the Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2, this paper examines the spread and relative abundance changes for the species across South Africa over the past 10 years, with a detailed look at the recently-colonised Gauteng. Across South Africa, the Common Starling's distribution has shifted, and grown. As it spreads north along the coastline and northwards inland, some of the former range has been lost. In Gauteng, the species has shown a range and abundance expansion over the same period. If the observed trends are to continue, this species is likely to eventually become a prominent species across the entire country, and further north into the sub-region. However, the potential impact that this species has on indigenous avifauna is unknown and, in the face of rapid anthropogenic change, remains to be investigated
Aggregations of African Black Oystercatchers in remote coastal areas of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa
Get PDFCounts of African Black Oystercatchers along the Northern Cape Coastline, excluding the Namaqua National Park, were conducted during August and November of 2015, 2016 and 2017. An average of 387 oystercatchers were counted in this area. The area between Port Nolloth and Kleinsee accounted for 46 % of oystercatchers counted, and this relatively undisturbed and remote area could be an important site for the conservation of oystercatchers in South Africa
OdonataMAP: Progress report on the Atlas of the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Africa: 2016/17 and 2017/18: OdonataMAP progress report: 2016/17 and 2017/18
No full textThis paper reports progress with OdonataMAP, the Atlas of Dragonflies and Damselflies of Africa, for the two-year period 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2018. During the two-year review period, the database for the project grew by 30,423 records to 52,257, starting from 22,809 records collected between 2010 and June 2016. Submissions were made from 25 African countries. In six of the nine provinces of South Africa, the number of OdonataMAP records for the province more than doubled. The provinces in which the number of records were not doubled were Gauteng (44% of records made during reporting period), Free State and North West (both 46%). Five observers contributed more than 1000 records over the two-year period, and a further 10 between 500 and 999 records. The total number of observers for the two-year period was 529, compared with 295 in the 2010–16 period. One of the important success of OdonataMAP during the review period was to increase the number of observers, and to reduce the project’s dependence on a small number of citizen scientists
An Investigation into the Relatively Low Uptake of Residential Stock within South African Real Estate Investment Trusts
Get PDFSince the establishment of the first South African Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in 2013, the listed property sector has seen significant growth with a current market capitalisation of R400 billion in comparison to 1998 where the market capitalisation was R5 billion. However, South African REITs invest less in the residential sector when compared to the global REIT market. The purpose of this research was to determine the factors that have attributed to this low uptake of residential stock. This was achieved using a qualitative survey consisting of semi-structured interviews with listed property fund managers and upper management from four REITs listed on the South African stock exchange. The findings indicated a number of factors that have influenced the low uptake of residential stock. These have been identified as the financial performance of residential real estate in South Africa, the nature of residential real estate, and the maturity of the REITs sector in South Africa. These findings make a valuable contribution to the very limited literature on REITs in South Africa. Furthermore, understanding these factors is crucial in further developing the REITs sector in South Africa which has the potential to catalyse broader developments for housing and the economy
Housing Affordability, Government Intervention and Housing Informality: An African Dilemma?
Get PDFThe imperfections associated with housing markets have often been the basis for government intervention policies. The purpose of this article is to show the need for governmental responsiveness regarding local realities in structuring policies in specific sectors of the housing market. It shows how government intervention contributes to housing supply and the consequences of this in developed and developing countries. Conversely, it also explores how government intervention in co-operative societies has been utilised in various countries to address housing supply inelasticity, the outcome of this, and lessons that can be learnt. This study takes the form of a literature review and a quantitative survey of co-operative societies in Lagos, Nigeria. Its analysis is based on multivariate techniques. The quantitative survey is utilised to show a specific case of government inactivity in the co-operative housing sector, while the literature review is utilised to showcase government intervention in co-operative housing in four countries. The study argues that while government interventions (by way of planning regulations) often leads to house-price increases and unaffordability in developed countries, it has contributed to the emergence of informal settlements in several African cities.Additionally, while co-operative societies have been historically recognised to reduce inelasticity, improve supply and affordability in developed countries, they have yet to be recognised and supported in African cities like Lagos. It is concluded that while housing affordability is a dilemma that faces both developed and African countries, informality arises as a uniquely developing country response to unaffordability. It is recommended that, learning from history, African governments should recognise and integrate co-operative societies into their housing supply system. Furthermore, governments should implement appropriate policies to guide their activities towards reducing supply inelasticity, increasing affordability and the reduction of ever-expanding informal communities
Challenges to Land Registration in Kaduna State, Nigeria
Get PDFNigeria’s land registration programmes are beset with challenges. The linkage between land, the government and the people create a complex system with unique obstacles. This research investigates the challenges of land registration in Nigeria with an in-depth study of Kaduna State. The objective is to ascertain the frequency of land registration and the factors that stand as challenges to it from the perspectives of households, consultants in land transactions, and the Kaduna Geographic Information System (KADGIS). The results indicate a low level of land registration in which challenges include ignorance, affordability problems, inefficient registration processes, corruption, and inadequate skilled workforce with the human capital to implement the programmes. The research has implications for both land and housing markets in Nigeria and throughout Africa
Household and Neighbourhood Responses to House Burglary in Ibadan
Get PDFHouse burglary is a prevailing issue in Nigeria owing to the inefficiency of formal security institutions in dealing with incidences of urban household burglary. This study examines households and neighbourhoods’ responses to household burglary in Ibadan, Nigeria. In-depth interviews and household questionnaires were the primary data collection tools. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted while a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 299 respondents. Analysis of Variance confirmed the research hypothesis which suggested that burglary crimes committed differ significantly among residential neighbourhoods (F=3.012). Burglary occurred mostly in houses that were accessed through footpaths. Furthermore, females reported witnessing burglaries more than males. Neighbourhood responses to burglary include the use of gates, private security outfits and local vigilante groups. Individual households relied on burglary proof windows and door; broken bottles and wire fencing for protection. The intensity of crime in suburban areas impacts residential relocation and property values. Neighbourhood planning and good housing design remain other means through which easy accessibility by burglars can be prevented