UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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Birds and animals using weavers nests
Get PDFPHOtos of Weaver Nests (PHOWN) is a Virtual Museum, citizen science project of the Animal Demography Unit, to collect and monitor breeding distributions and colony sizes of weaver birds globally. This paper celebrates 25000 photographic records being submitted between 14 July 2010 and 1 February 2017
Kenyan dragonflies: Past, present and future
Get PDFThe report summarizes our knowledge of the Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) of Kenya. It is based on 3,376 records, assembled from both the Odonata Database of Africa and the OdonataMAP section of the ADU Virtual Museum. 172 species have been recorded from Kenya. The paper provides an initial list of the Odonata of Kenya
A Qualitative Study of Health and Safety (H&S) Construction Practices in Lagos
Get PDFProjects in the construction sector are reputed for poor H&S records when compared to other similar industries. This can be attributed among other things to an uncontrolled working environment, risk, workers' behaviour in relation to H&S commitment, cultural and religious beliefs, and uncertainties inherent in projects. Risk and hazards arising due to poor H&S practices result in injuries and fatalities in few cases. The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of workers regarding H&S on construction sites. A combination of interviews and observations was conducted in the study. The participants in the study are mainly production workers (ironworkers, masons, carpenters, roofers, and electricians) engaged in construction projects. The findings of the study reveal that workers view productive activities on construction sites as hazardous and risky. However, lack of understanding the use of PPE affects its use. This perception may also be attributed to inadequate training, socio-economic realities, cultural and religious beliefs. Therefore, there is a need for a localised H&S certification and awareness programmes to foster a commitment to improving H&S at construction sites. Further research is required to understand the influence of stakeholders on H&S practices in the Nigerian construction industry.Keywords: Health and Safety, Nigeria, Perceptions, Workers
Groins or Not: Some environmental challenges to urban development on a Lagos coastal barrier island of Lekki Peninsula
Get PDFWorldwide, barrier islands which protect mainland areas are usually sedimentary, dynamic and in great demand for urban development. Intense development on them negates their dynamics leading to risks which necessitate protective measures such as groins which tend to aggravate the problem. Suburban Lekki Peninsula on the south of Lagos metropolis is a large, long barrier island disposed largely to unplanned, accelerated growth since the inception of Lekki Scheme 1 in 1980, all without any consideration of its physical dynamics. This study therefore assessed and evaluated some risks confronting development from the dynamics of the Peninsula with the goal of demonstrating the use of low - budget online data for analysis of coastal hazards and risks. The methodology entails the integration of remote sensing, GIS techniques to assess its characteristics and evaluate risks to development from some hazards inherent in island's physical processes as a typical barrier island on the Lagos coastline. Findings reveal that the area which was 0.5% built up in 1984 had grown to about 18% in 2014 with Eti-Osa LGA as the most developed at 68.4%. Results further confirm the Peninsula as narrow in a few sections and generally low-lying with 37% between 0.5 - 3m while 63% is between 3 - 5m above m.s.l. Eti-Osa LGA is the most low -lying of the three councils in the area with 0.5 - 3m height dominant. Medium to maximum rates of beach erosion occurs mainly in Eti-Osa LGA at about 22.75m/yr around Kuramo Waters, decreasing to 5.5m/yr around Goshen Estate. Projections on coastal erosion on the most erosive area in Eti-Osa LGA from 2013 reveal potential socio-economic impacts on road infrastructure and buildings as ranging from a minimum of N1.16billion to N139.42billion over the next 30 years at present level of development and values. The study concludes that the greatest threat and risk from barrier island processes assessed presently are mainly in Eti-Osa LGA with the old Maroko and Kuramo Waters as the epicenter. Among the recommendations toward continued occupation of the Peninsula are the base flood elevation (BFE) and design flood elevation (DFE) to enhance the resilience of future developments. Comparative observations from literature on effect of groins on down drift areas from the US were further dwelt on
Building Quality Condition and Maintenance Cost: The Case of Public Low Income Housing in Abia State, Nigeria
Get PDFMaintenance cost of buildings could constitute a major cost burden on low income housing dwellers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between physical condition and maintenance cost of low income housing buildings. Data was gathered using structured questionnaire and score sheets. The questionnaires elicited responses on the respondents’ perception of their buildings’ physical condition. The score sheets were used by trained research assistants to generate information on the state of the physical conditions of the buildings. Data analyses were carried out using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman’s correlation. The study found that the element with the highest relative condition index (RCI=0.78) is internal walls, while external wall finishes/decoration has the least (RCI=0.45). Similarly, the element with the highest quality index (QI=0.88) is soak away pit and septic tank, while internal ceiling finishes/decoration has the least QI (0.49). It was further discovered that a significant difference exists between the RCI which is based on the respondents’ perceptions, and the QI which is based on the research assistants’ scores. The relationship between QI and annual maintenance cost is not significant, while the relationship between RCI and annual maintenance cost is significant. It was concluded that the perception of the condition of a building by its owner, rather than the physical state of the building is the main driver of maintenance cost. The study recommends that low income housing end users should be allowed to make inputs at the conception and planning stages of their buildings
Prime property: Rock Martins utilising new infrastructure for breeding
Get PDFIt was with great excitement then that I noticed a Rock Martin flying into a nest on the western side of C-block on 31 March 2017
Observations of a nuptial display by Malachite Sunbirds
Get PDFTuesday,1st August, 2017, at around 5.30pm, a male Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa in breeding plumage, with yellow shoulder tufts displayed, and a female, were observed performing a nuptial display on a smooth, horizontal fence pole, approximately 75 centimetres above ground level. The post and pole fence runs along the edge of the wetlands bordering the Berg River estuary, at Velddrif, South Africa (Figure 1)
Bird distribution dynamics 14 - Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta and Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland
Get PDFThe paper considers the two species in the family Recurvirostridae which occur in southern Africa, the Pied Avocet and the Black-winged Stilt. It presents maps showing the SABAP1 distribution, the SABAP2 distribution, and a range-change map which shows how the distributions have changed in the quarter-century between the two atlasing projects...
Bird distribution dynamics 5 - White-browed Sparrow-Weaver Plocepasser mahali in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland
Get PDFIn South Africa, the White-browed Sparrow-Weaver has more grid cells with increases in reporting rate than cells showing decreases, between SABAP1 (1987 - 1991) and SABAP2 (2007 - ). The highly urbanised Gauteng region has low reporting rates for the species. This results in a hole in the core of the distribution, which stretches from Limpopo to the Free State. The White-browed Sparrow-Weaver has increased in numbers and range in the Eastern Cape, spreading southwards through the Cradock district since 1950. This species appears to be expanding westwards in KwaZulu-Natal and the Kruger National Park, although reporting rates are currently low. The eastern Free State and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park show large increases between SABAP1 and SABAP2
Weaver nests as novel food sources for birds.
Get PDFThese observations suggest that in addition to providing breeding, roosting, shelter or protection for the weavers and a great diversity of other invertebrates and vertebrates, the fauna associated with weaver nests may also serve as a novel source of prey for a variety of predators, including birds