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Planning for the Maintenance of Floristic Diversity in the Face of Land Cover and Climate Change

Environmental Management volume 59, pages 792–806 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Habitat loss and climate change are primary drivers of global biodiversity loss. Species will need to track changing environmental conditions through fragmented and transformed landscapes such as KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Landscape connectivity is an important tool for maintaining resilience to global change. We develop a coarse-grained connectivity map between protected areas to aid decision-making for implementing corridors to maintain floristic diversity in the face of global change. The spatial location of corridors was prioritised using a biological underpinning of floristic composition that incorporated high beta diversity regions, important plant areas, climate refugia, and aligned to major climatic gradients driving floristic pattern. We used Linkage Mapper to develop the connectivity network. The resistance layer was based on land-cover categories with natural areas discounted according to their contribution towards meeting the biological objectives. Three corridor maps were developed; a conservative option for meeting minimum corridor requirements, an optimal option for meeting a target amount of 50% of the landscape and an option including linkages in highly transformed areas. The importance of various protected areas and critical linkages in maintaining landscape connectivity are discussed, disconnected protected areas and pinch points identified where the loss of small areas could compromise landscape connectivity. This framework is suggested as a way to conserve floristic diversity into the future and is recommended as an approach for other global connectivity initiatives. A lack of implementation of corridors will lead to further habitat loss and fragmentation, resulting in further risk to plant diversity.

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Acknowledgements

DJ is supported by grant B8749.R01 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, to the Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand. The South African Environmental Observation Network is thanked for the generous support of a study bursary. BFNE is supported by the Exxaro Company of South Africa. The following people are thanked for their assistance with this project, specifically for the conservation plan data: R. Scott-Shaw developed the plant species distribution models and species targets, B. Naidoo assisted with preparing the data for the systematic conservation plan, H. Snyman and B. Escott developed the planning unit layer, H. Snyman prepared the protected area and stewardship layers, and assisted with verifying the corridors. A. Gomez assisted with data extraction and preparation. T. Khomo, I. Mlonyeni, S. Manqele, A. Mnikathi and M. Sosibo assisted with cleaning the historical field’s layer. The botanists and ecologists who contributed plant data to the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife database over many years are thanked for their contributions, without which a project such as this could never have been undertaken.

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Affiliations

  1. Biodiversity Research and Assessment, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, P.O. Box 13053, Cascades, 3202, South Africa

    Debbie Jewitt

  2. School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag X3, Johannesburg, WITS, 2050, South Africa

    Debbie Jewitt, Peter S. Goodman, Timothy G. O’Connor & Ed T. F. Witkowski

  3. Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag X3, Johannesburg, WITS, 2050, South Africa

    Barend F. N. Erasmus

  4. South African Environmental Observation Network, P.O. Box 2600, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Timothy G. O’Connor

Authors
  1. Debbie Jewitt
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  2. Peter S. Goodman
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  3. Barend F. N. Erasmus
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  4. Timothy G. O’Connor
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  5. Ed T. F. Witkowski
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Correspondence to Debbie Jewitt.

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Jewitt, D., Goodman, P.S., Erasmus, B.F. et al. Planning for the Maintenance of Floristic Diversity in the Face of Land Cover and Climate Change. Environmental Management 59, 792–806 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0829-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0829-0

Keywords

  • Beta diversity
  • Climate refugia
  • Corridors
  • Ecological processes
  • Gradients
  • Protected areas