Beyond prose: Review of 'Poetic Inquiry for the Humanities and Social Sciences: Voices from the South and the North'
- Authors: McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480817 , vital:78479 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-sajsci-v121-n3-a11
- Description: The 54 authors of this book reflect on the use of poetic inquiry at a time when feminist, decolonial, and post-humanist researchers are raising concerns about the ways in which qualitative data collection and dissemination can silence some and reduce the experiences of others by adhering to the often-arbitrary restrictions of academic texts. Poetic inquiry, the authors of this book argue, should be welcoming, invite new perspectives, and make possible alternative interpretations of the social world. Sadly, as Pithouse-Morgan indicates, poetry is often associated with negative rather than positive educational experiences (p.201). For many of us, poetry is about mysterious meanings that our schoolteachers berated us for being too dense to access. While my own interest in poetic inquiry is in how we can use it to create and disseminate research, many authors in this book, such as Hough, Peté and Ndlovu, suggest that poetry can also be used “to teach complex topics from different points of view, make people more self-aware, encourage dialogue and empathy, grow social awareness, and raise ethical questions” (p.169). Badenhorst and McLeod point out that this can be challenging when working in neoliberal universities that turn us into human capital in service of competition and efficiency over social justice and equity. They suggest that poetry can help us to shift to a world “of senses and feeling [that] can provide a way to resist the tendrils of neoliberalism” (p.126).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480817 , vital:78479 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-sajsci-v121-n3-a11
- Description: The 54 authors of this book reflect on the use of poetic inquiry at a time when feminist, decolonial, and post-humanist researchers are raising concerns about the ways in which qualitative data collection and dissemination can silence some and reduce the experiences of others by adhering to the often-arbitrary restrictions of academic texts. Poetic inquiry, the authors of this book argue, should be welcoming, invite new perspectives, and make possible alternative interpretations of the social world. Sadly, as Pithouse-Morgan indicates, poetry is often associated with negative rather than positive educational experiences (p.201). For many of us, poetry is about mysterious meanings that our schoolteachers berated us for being too dense to access. While my own interest in poetic inquiry is in how we can use it to create and disseminate research, many authors in this book, such as Hough, Peté and Ndlovu, suggest that poetry can also be used “to teach complex topics from different points of view, make people more self-aware, encourage dialogue and empathy, grow social awareness, and raise ethical questions” (p.169). Badenhorst and McLeod point out that this can be challenging when working in neoliberal universities that turn us into human capital in service of competition and efficiency over social justice and equity. They suggest that poetry can help us to shift to a world “of senses and feeling [that] can provide a way to resist the tendrils of neoliberalism” (p.126).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
Neoliberalism constrains academic freedom
- Authors: McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480540 , vital:78453 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-sajsci-v121-n3-a18
- Description: Positioning the university as a public good that serves people and the planet was a central concern for those responsible for shaping post-apartheid education. Unfortunately, the current neoliberal environment has led to institutional risk aversion. This means that universities are loathe to speak out on issues of social injustice and environmental degradation. And academics often forfeit their freedoms by assuming that top management can speak on behalf of the university. In the Commentary 'Should our universities respond to geopolitical conflicts around the world?'1, Chetty questions when and why a university should speak out on global issues. In particular, Chetty refers to the Israeli-Palestinian war. I leave it to other respondents to tackle the substantive issue of South African higher education's silence on this issue. Instead, I home in on what I see as a common problem in the post-apartheid university. Chetty explains that: He thus understands the university as a complex organisation, as indeed it is. But he repeatedly reveals an understanding of the university as one which is controlled by management. For me, one of the most troubling sentences in the article is this: Universities thrive on a diversity of viewpoints, and so imposing a hegemonic view from the top management often leads to problems in a university setting.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480540 , vital:78453 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-sajsci-v121-n3-a18
- Description: Positioning the university as a public good that serves people and the planet was a central concern for those responsible for shaping post-apartheid education. Unfortunately, the current neoliberal environment has led to institutional risk aversion. This means that universities are loathe to speak out on issues of social injustice and environmental degradation. And academics often forfeit their freedoms by assuming that top management can speak on behalf of the university. In the Commentary 'Should our universities respond to geopolitical conflicts around the world?'1, Chetty questions when and why a university should speak out on global issues. In particular, Chetty refers to the Israeli-Palestinian war. I leave it to other respondents to tackle the substantive issue of South African higher education's silence on this issue. Instead, I home in on what I see as a common problem in the post-apartheid university. Chetty explains that: He thus understands the university as a complex organisation, as indeed it is. But he repeatedly reveals an understanding of the university as one which is controlled by management. For me, one of the most troubling sentences in the article is this: Universities thrive on a diversity of viewpoints, and so imposing a hegemonic view from the top management often leads to problems in a university setting.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
Our Ocean Is Sacred, You Can't Mine Heaven
- McGarry, Dylan K, McConnachie, Boudina E
- Authors: McGarry, Dylan K , McConnachie, Boudina E
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480205 , vital:78406 , ISBN 9781003381846 , https://doi.org/10.4324/978100338184
- Description: ‘Our Ocean Is Sacred, You Can’t Mine Heaven’ was a ground-breaking South African public storytelling initiative that not only emphasised the intrinsic and cultural value of the ocean but also served as a living-customary lore/law classroom. This exhibition challenged conventional archiving, promoting diversity, sovereignty and evolving ‘meaning-making,’ fostering inclusivity and justice-oriented documentation in ocean knowledge. The authors worked alongside Indigenous coastal communities and Small-Scale Fishers (SSF), who were aligned with movements defending the ocean against unchecked Blue Economy expansion in South Africa. The chapter delves into how artist-led practices, strategically embedded with legal research, played a pivotal role in a recent court ruling favouring Indigenous and SSF applicants. This victory renewed attention on ocean heritages in legal processes, highlighting the potential for expanding evidence ‘an-archives.’ The collaboration with coastal communities and SSF against unbridled ocean development used art to secure a court win, reshaping South African law and challenging norms in ocean development. This chapter explores art’s role in legal innovation, contributing to the ongoing struggle for justice and the decolonisation of blue economy narratives and processes in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: McGarry, Dylan K , McConnachie, Boudina E
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480205 , vital:78406 , ISBN 9781003381846 , https://doi.org/10.4324/978100338184
- Description: ‘Our Ocean Is Sacred, You Can’t Mine Heaven’ was a ground-breaking South African public storytelling initiative that not only emphasised the intrinsic and cultural value of the ocean but also served as a living-customary lore/law classroom. This exhibition challenged conventional archiving, promoting diversity, sovereignty and evolving ‘meaning-making,’ fostering inclusivity and justice-oriented documentation in ocean knowledge. The authors worked alongside Indigenous coastal communities and Small-Scale Fishers (SSF), who were aligned with movements defending the ocean against unchecked Blue Economy expansion in South Africa. The chapter delves into how artist-led practices, strategically embedded with legal research, played a pivotal role in a recent court ruling favouring Indigenous and SSF applicants. This victory renewed attention on ocean heritages in legal processes, highlighting the potential for expanding evidence ‘an-archives.’ The collaboration with coastal communities and SSF against unbridled ocean development used art to secure a court win, reshaping South African law and challenging norms in ocean development. This chapter explores art’s role in legal innovation, contributing to the ongoing struggle for justice and the decolonisation of blue economy narratives and processes in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
Reimagining library services: Transforming libraries into dynamic learning spaces in South African universities
- Authors: Nongalo, Noloyiso
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: Dynamic learning spaces , Collaborative enviroments , Inclusive education , Digital Literacy , Lifelong learning
- Language: English
- Type: article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/13140 , vital:77950 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025641
- Description: This conceptual paper aimed to explore the transformation of university libraries in South Africa into dynamic learning spaces that cater to evolving academic and social needs of students. In the context of South Africa's rapidly changing higher education landscape, where inclusivity and technological advancements are paramount, the role of university libraries is shifting from traditional information repositories to hubs of collaborative learning and student engagement. The paper employed a qualitative review of literature and an analysis of the existing infrastructures in libraries of Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) to identify strategies for this transformation. The findings highlighted the pivotal role libraries play in promoting lifelong learning, enhancing digital literacy, and supporting academic success. Key recommendations include the integration of advanced technology, the creation of flexible, student-centred spaces, and the incorporation of inclusive practices to accommodate diverse student populations. This paper contributes to ongoing research by offering a model for reimagining library spaces in line with global trends, providing insights for other educational institutions seeking to foster dynamic, student-focused learning environments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: Nongalo, Noloyiso
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: Dynamic learning spaces , Collaborative enviroments , Inclusive education , Digital Literacy , Lifelong learning
- Language: English
- Type: article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/13140 , vital:77950 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025641
- Description: This conceptual paper aimed to explore the transformation of university libraries in South Africa into dynamic learning spaces that cater to evolving academic and social needs of students. In the context of South Africa's rapidly changing higher education landscape, where inclusivity and technological advancements are paramount, the role of university libraries is shifting from traditional information repositories to hubs of collaborative learning and student engagement. The paper employed a qualitative review of literature and an analysis of the existing infrastructures in libraries of Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) to identify strategies for this transformation. The findings highlighted the pivotal role libraries play in promoting lifelong learning, enhancing digital literacy, and supporting academic success. Key recommendations include the integration of advanced technology, the creation of flexible, student-centred spaces, and the incorporation of inclusive practices to accommodate diverse student populations. This paper contributes to ongoing research by offering a model for reimagining library spaces in line with global trends, providing insights for other educational institutions seeking to foster dynamic, student-focused learning environments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
Shifting from Development to Empowerment Through Eco-Creative Knowledge Transmission
- McConnachie, Boudina E, Porri, Francesca, Wynberg, Rachel
- Authors: McConnachie, Boudina E , Porri, Francesca , Wynberg, Rachel
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480246 , vital:78410 , ISBN 9781003289838 , https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003289838
- Description: Conventional definitions of development can be linked to socio-economic and cultural impositions of the Global North on developing societies. These development frameworks were inherited from the colonial system, which devalued local ways of knowing, being, and developing and continues to do so. Through a transdisciplinary or Boundary Crossing environmental case study that interrogates the use of heritage skills and knowledge for nature-based solutions relating to coastal shore regeneration, this chapter reflects on experiences of knowledge co-creation in the rural Eastern Cape Province setting of South Africa. Through the lens of African Musical Arts, which includes song and dance, storytelling, heritage skills, soundscapes, and more, this research seeks to shift the project perceptions of the scientists, engaged scholars, pracademics, practitioners and community researchers involved, from simple to multi-dimensional viewpoints. Using Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs) as catalysts, our goal is to emancipate transmission of knowledge from a developmental to an empowerment framework. Using the diverse disciplinary backgrounds of the authors, this chapter allows for a holistic examination of the development of an Audio Postcards exhibition, while interrogating the project centred on African theories, ecologies, and knowledge development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: McConnachie, Boudina E , Porri, Francesca , Wynberg, Rachel
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480246 , vital:78410 , ISBN 9781003289838 , https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003289838
- Description: Conventional definitions of development can be linked to socio-economic and cultural impositions of the Global North on developing societies. These development frameworks were inherited from the colonial system, which devalued local ways of knowing, being, and developing and continues to do so. Through a transdisciplinary or Boundary Crossing environmental case study that interrogates the use of heritage skills and knowledge for nature-based solutions relating to coastal shore regeneration, this chapter reflects on experiences of knowledge co-creation in the rural Eastern Cape Province setting of South Africa. Through the lens of African Musical Arts, which includes song and dance, storytelling, heritage skills, soundscapes, and more, this research seeks to shift the project perceptions of the scientists, engaged scholars, pracademics, practitioners and community researchers involved, from simple to multi-dimensional viewpoints. Using Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs) as catalysts, our goal is to emancipate transmission of knowledge from a developmental to an empowerment framework. Using the diverse disciplinary backgrounds of the authors, this chapter allows for a holistic examination of the development of an Audio Postcards exhibition, while interrogating the project centred on African theories, ecologies, and knowledge development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
Simplified Taxation in Africa: What We Know – and Need to Know
- Gallien, Max, Hoy, Christopher, Komatsu, Hitomi, Ozer, Ceren, Rogan, Michael, Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Authors: Gallien, Max , Hoy, Christopher , Komatsu, Hitomi , Ozer, Ceren , Rogan, Michael , Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478250 , vital:78168 , DOI: 10.19088/ICTD.2025.012
- Description: Most economic operators in Africa are small and informal firms that fall under the purview of presumptive or simplified tax regimes (STRs). These taxes are expected to fulfil a range of functions, from raising revenue to facilitating formalisation and improving revenue authorities' data, and yet their effectiveness and impact are surprisingly under-researched. Meanwhile, emerging evidence suggests that STRs often raise little revenue, disproportionately impact low-income earners, and are inconsistently applied. This policy brief summarises what we know about simplified taxes in Africa, who pays them, and why they matter, while highlighting gaps in existing knowledge. It makes the argument that there is a need for a new policy conversation on simplified taxation, and one that is data-driven and evidence-based.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: Gallien, Max , Hoy, Christopher , Komatsu, Hitomi , Ozer, Ceren , Rogan, Michael , Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478250 , vital:78168 , DOI: 10.19088/ICTD.2025.012
- Description: Most economic operators in Africa are small and informal firms that fall under the purview of presumptive or simplified tax regimes (STRs). These taxes are expected to fulfil a range of functions, from raising revenue to facilitating formalisation and improving revenue authorities' data, and yet their effectiveness and impact are surprisingly under-researched. Meanwhile, emerging evidence suggests that STRs often raise little revenue, disproportionately impact low-income earners, and are inconsistently applied. This policy brief summarises what we know about simplified taxes in Africa, who pays them, and why they matter, while highlighting gaps in existing knowledge. It makes the argument that there is a need for a new policy conversation on simplified taxation, and one that is data-driven and evidence-based.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
The heterogeneous effects of macroeconomic and financial factors on financial deepening in Africa: evidence from a method of moments quantile regression analysis
- Sanga, Bahati, Aziakpono, Meshach J
- Authors: Sanga, Bahati , Aziakpono, Meshach J
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469930 , vital:77308 , https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jfep-07-2023-0199/full/html
- Description: This paper aims to investigate the heterogeneous effects of macroeconomic and financial factors across various distributions of financial deepening in 22 African countries over the past two decades (2000–2019). The paper uses a recent method of moments quantile regression, which accounts for the often overlooked heterogeneity effects. The analysis focuses on the banking sector, which is predominant in Africa, using a broad range of macroeconomic and financial indicators.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: Sanga, Bahati , Aziakpono, Meshach J
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469930 , vital:77308 , https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jfep-07-2023-0199/full/html
- Description: This paper aims to investigate the heterogeneous effects of macroeconomic and financial factors across various distributions of financial deepening in 22 African countries over the past two decades (2000–2019). The paper uses a recent method of moments quantile regression, which accounts for the often overlooked heterogeneity effects. The analysis focuses on the banking sector, which is predominant in Africa, using a broad range of macroeconomic and financial indicators.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
The taxed informal economy: Fiscal burdens and inequality in Accras
- Anyidoho, Nana A, Gallien, Max, Rogan, Michael, Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Authors: Anyidoho, Nana A , Gallien, Max , Rogan, Michael , Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478095 , vital:78154 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106879
- Description: The common assumption that informal economies are untaxed has underpinned arguments that they represent an ‘untapped goldmine’ for government coffers. However, there has been limited empirical engagement with this assumption. While some studies have highlighted that many informal businesses pay both formal and informal taxes, there has been little systematic accounting of these payments. Using a novel dataset of 2,700 informal enterprises in the Accra metropolitan area in Ghana, this article presents the first geographically representative account of the nature, distribution and impact of taxation in an urban informal sector. We find that the majority of informal sector operators in this context pay a range of taxes and fees, which together amount to a significant burden, especially for low earners. Two key findings emerge in relation to the structure of these taxes. First, the incidence and burden of tax payments is highly uneven and strongly correlated with visibility to the state, suggesting that taxation is driven more by patterns of state enforcement than the choices of informal operators. Second, taxes and fees are highly regressive, with lower-earning operators paying significantly more in relation to their earnings. These findings have important implications for both our conception of informal businesses and efforts to tax informal businesses in low- and middle-income countries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: Anyidoho, Nana A , Gallien, Max , Rogan, Michael , Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478095 , vital:78154 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106879
- Description: The common assumption that informal economies are untaxed has underpinned arguments that they represent an ‘untapped goldmine’ for government coffers. However, there has been limited empirical engagement with this assumption. While some studies have highlighted that many informal businesses pay both formal and informal taxes, there has been little systematic accounting of these payments. Using a novel dataset of 2,700 informal enterprises in the Accra metropolitan area in Ghana, this article presents the first geographically representative account of the nature, distribution and impact of taxation in an urban informal sector. We find that the majority of informal sector operators in this context pay a range of taxes and fees, which together amount to a significant burden, especially for low earners. Two key findings emerge in relation to the structure of these taxes. First, the incidence and burden of tax payments is highly uneven and strongly correlated with visibility to the state, suggesting that taxation is driven more by patterns of state enforcement than the choices of informal operators. Second, taxes and fees are highly regressive, with lower-earning operators paying significantly more in relation to their earnings. These findings have important implications for both our conception of informal businesses and efforts to tax informal businesses in low- and middle-income countries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
The taxed informal economy: Fiscal burdens and inequality in Accras
- Anyidoho, Nana A, Gallien, Max, Rogan, Michael, Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Authors: Anyidoho, Nana A , Gallien, Max , Rogan, Michael , Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478084 , vital:78153 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106879
- Description: The common assumption that informal economies are untaxed has underpinned arguments that they represent an ‘untapped goldmine’ for government coffers. However, there has been limited empirical engagement with this assumption. While some studies have highlighted that many informal businesses pay both formal and informal taxes, there has been little systematic accounting of these payments. Using a novel dataset of 2,700 informal enterprises in the Accra metropolitan area in Ghana, this article presents the first geographically representative account of the nature, distribution and impact of taxation in an urban informal sector. We find that the majority of informal sector operators in this context pay a range of taxes and fees, which together amount to a significant burden, especially for low earners. Two key findings emerge in relation to the structure of these taxes. First, the incidence and burden of tax payments is highly uneven and strongly correlated with visibility to the state, suggesting that taxation is driven more by patterns of state enforcement than the choices of informal operators. Second, taxes and fees are highly regressive, with lower-earning operators paying significantly more in relation to their earnings. These findings have important implications for both our conception of informal businesses and efforts to tax informal businesses in low- and middle-income countries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: Anyidoho, Nana A , Gallien, Max , Rogan, Michael , Van den Boogaard, Vanessa
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478084 , vital:78153 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106879
- Description: The common assumption that informal economies are untaxed has underpinned arguments that they represent an ‘untapped goldmine’ for government coffers. However, there has been limited empirical engagement with this assumption. While some studies have highlighted that many informal businesses pay both formal and informal taxes, there has been little systematic accounting of these payments. Using a novel dataset of 2,700 informal enterprises in the Accra metropolitan area in Ghana, this article presents the first geographically representative account of the nature, distribution and impact of taxation in an urban informal sector. We find that the majority of informal sector operators in this context pay a range of taxes and fees, which together amount to a significant burden, especially for low earners. Two key findings emerge in relation to the structure of these taxes. First, the incidence and burden of tax payments is highly uneven and strongly correlated with visibility to the state, suggesting that taxation is driven more by patterns of state enforcement than the choices of informal operators. Second, taxes and fees are highly regressive, with lower-earning operators paying significantly more in relation to their earnings. These findings have important implications for both our conception of informal businesses and efforts to tax informal businesses in low- and middle-income countries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
The use of gabions as an eco-engineering approach to enhance estuarine fish habitats in urbanised waterways
- Seath, Jessica L, Firth, L B, Froneman, P William, Claassens, Louw
- Authors: Seath, Jessica L , Firth, L B , Froneman, P William , Claassens, Louw
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/479396 , vital:78297 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.10743
- Description: Anthropogenic activities are often concentrated around coastal ecosystems. Harbours and marinas comprising artificial structures with steeper orientations and reduced topographic complexities than natural ecosystems contribute to habitat alteration and biodiversity loss. Ecological engineering aims to mitigate these impacts by integrating ecological principles into coastal development to enhance habitat potential and improve biodiversity. This study investigated the potential of gabions (rock-filled wire mesh baskets) to enhance fish abundance and biodiversity by comparing these structures to conventional seawalls in an urbanised marina in Knysna, South Africa. Remote underwater video systems were used to determine fish diversity, abundance and composition over a 12-month period from August 2020 to August 2021. Overall, a significantly greater abundance and diversity of fish were associated with gabions compared to seawalls. Importantly, the gabions supported an endangered species, the Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), and two near threatened species recorded only on the gabions. This study highlights the efficacy of using structurally complex gabions as a viable ecoengineering alternative to less complex seawalls to enhance fish habitat.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
- Authors: Seath, Jessica L , Firth, L B , Froneman, P William , Claassens, Louw
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/479396 , vital:78297 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.10743
- Description: Anthropogenic activities are often concentrated around coastal ecosystems. Harbours and marinas comprising artificial structures with steeper orientations and reduced topographic complexities than natural ecosystems contribute to habitat alteration and biodiversity loss. Ecological engineering aims to mitigate these impacts by integrating ecological principles into coastal development to enhance habitat potential and improve biodiversity. This study investigated the potential of gabions (rock-filled wire mesh baskets) to enhance fish abundance and biodiversity by comparing these structures to conventional seawalls in an urbanised marina in Knysna, South Africa. Remote underwater video systems were used to determine fish diversity, abundance and composition over a 12-month period from August 2020 to August 2021. Overall, a significantly greater abundance and diversity of fish were associated with gabions compared to seawalls. Importantly, the gabions supported an endangered species, the Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), and two near threatened species recorded only on the gabions. This study highlights the efficacy of using structurally complex gabions as a viable ecoengineering alternative to less complex seawalls to enhance fish habitat.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025
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