Paris - LodronUniversitySalzburg

Department Geography, Geology and Mineralogy

Dean Univ. Prof. Dr. Jürgen H. Breuste

Tel.: 0662-8044-5241Hellbrunnerstr. 34

Fax: 0662-8044-525A-5020 Salzburg

E-mail: stria

Salzburg, 2004-03-13

RESEARCH CO-OPERATION ON THE URBAN ECOLOGY OF CAPE TOWN

Co-operation Project between Stellenbosch Universit/South Africa, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the Paris-Lodron-University Salzburg/Austria, Department of Geography, Geology and Mineralogy

The co-operation project is initiated in terms of the general agreement between these two universities. It falls within the framework of the contract of co-operation between the University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa and the Paris-LodronUniversity, Salzburg, Austria.

The primary goal of the project is to promote co-operation in education and research in the field of urban ecology and urban ecological management. Both parties see this project as a long-term commitment to co-operation focussing on the following topics of bilateral interest:

Students exchange: Students of both universities are welcome to stay up to two semesters at the other institution to take part in the study courses offered. Intention to send students must be declared at least one semester in advance. An agreement to supervise the students at the host institution should be reached. The work schedule for exchange students must be set out and agreed to by staff members of both institutions. The exchange should comply with the rules of the current framework of agreement between the two universities.The main aim is to include the exchange students into the scientific work on the defined research topics (see later).

Research cooperation: Both parties are interested in an exchange of experiences in research in the field of urban ecology and urban environmental management. They are willing to focus in this co-operation on a common research field titled: Urban Ecology of Cape Town. The research co-operation will includejoint workshops, seminars and field work. The scientific meetings can be held in Stellenbosch or in Salzburg. The field work will be concentrated on the conurbation of Cape Town which includes the city of Cape Town and its sub-urban region and neighbouring towns. It is the intention to develop local co-operation with decision-makers, municipalities, planners and NGOs.

Scientific research topics: The following aspects of research are of bilateral interest:

1. Urban land use management,

including conflict management and sustainable development, planning and environmental quality targets, monitoring techniques (GIS, satellite images etc.)

2. Urban and peri-urban agriculture and cultural landscape development,

including sustainable development of cultural landscapes of the region

3. Urban landscape management, nature protection and tourism of the region,

including national parksand landscape and nature protection areas and their management

4 Urban ecology of neighbourhoods, settlements or towns,

including socio-economic as well as natural scientific aspects of these constituent areas.

Both parties will annually draw up research frameworks relating to any of these topics and make these known during the previous year.

Originally signedOriginally signed

Univ. Prof. Dr. Jürgen H. BreusteProf. Dr. Larry Zietsman

SalzburgUniversityStellenboschUniversity

Department Geography, Department of Geography

Geology and Mineralogyand Environmental Studies

Work schedule 2004

As a first step three students from Salzburgwill stay in Stellenbosch for two semesters during 2004. They will take courses in Stellenbosch and at the same time work on defined research topics. In these research topics they will be supported by the host institution and supervised by members of the staff. Prof. Dr. Larry Zietsman and Dr Pieter de Necker will co-ordinate this on the Stellenbosch side, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Breuste on the Salzburg side. Other persons from the respective departments may also be involved as deemed necessary.

The general focus of co-operation in 2004 will be on:

Management and sustainable development of the CapePeninsulaNational Park (CPNP) (To be renamed TableMountainNational Park)

The CPNP is of high importance for the protection of the unique fauna and flora of the CapePeninsulaas well as a recreational area for inhabitants of Cape Town and tourists. It is positioned in the conurbation and directly adjacent to the city and its suburbs and other towns and is divided into three main areas by traffic infrastructure. Some parts of the CPNP are highly under pressure due toa number of factors. For the ecological development of the interior of the park a management plan has been developed to secure the endemic fauna and flora and to preserve the landscape structure. This plan addresses specific problems of the urban areas (visitor pressure, irregular utilization of fringe zones, new forest management, traffic management, prevention of fire etc.).

The analysis of selected critical problems of landscape management should be at the centre of the work of the students. These research topics have to be defined by mutual agreement between both parties. They should form the bases of further work,preferrably before the students arrive in Stellenbosch.

Examples of the types of problems to be investigated are:

  • Analysis and evaluation of the relations between visitors and ecological aspects, including the management targets of the park.
  • Influence of the traffic infrastructure and the intensity of its use to the national park.
  • Information policy and public relations of the park management on nature and landscape, to explain protection targets, to reduce conflicts and to influence the behaviour of the visitors.
  • Distribution and behaviour of the visitors in the park.
  • Vehicle tourism and hiking tourism in relation to management targets.
  • Definition of quality targets for defined areas for further development in the three areas of the national park.
  • Problems of the fringe zones of the park.
  • Fire prevention.
  • Illegal utilizations and their prevention.
  • Co-operation with local communities in the neighbourhood.

Univ. Prof. Dr. Jürgen H. BreusteProf. Dr. Larry Zietsman

SalzburgUniversityStellenboschUniversity

Department Geography, Department of Geography

Geology and Mineralogyand Environmental Studies

Salzburg, 2004-03-13Stellenbosch,

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