Population size and development history determine street tree distribution and composition within and between Eastern Cape towns, South Africa
- Authors: Gwedla, Nanamhla , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/180468 , vital:43392 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.04.014"
- Description: Street trees are a common feature of urban nature, providing ecological, economic and social benefits. These public functions are highly dependent on specific design principles, including the composition and diversity of tree species within the urban forest. Consequently, it is important to understand the patterns and correlates of street tree distribution and diversity to assess benefit flows. This requires sampling across and within towns. This paper reports on an assessment of the distribution, composition and diversity of street trees between and within multiple South African towns, and ascertains the correlations between tree density and composition with social contexts. Randomly selected streets were sampled in the affluent, township and low cost housing suburbs of ten Eastern Cape towns. Sixty-nine out of 300 sampled transects had street trees, with 888 trees enumerated, spanning 97 species. Alien tree species accounted for 71% of all the enumerated trees while indigenous trees species accounted for 12%. Tree density and composition were significantly lower in smaller towns and those marginalised during the previous racially-based political regime. Within towns, the poor areas had fewer street trees, with many streets having none. Collaboration and constant communication between the various government departments involved in suburb development is crucial to ensure a more rigorous incorporation of green infrastructure into the building and development plans of new housing developments.
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- Date Issued: 2017
The development visions and attitudes towards urban forestry of officials responsible for greening in South African towns
- Authors: Gwedla, Nanamhla , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/180856 , vital:43651 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.07.004"
- Description: The planting and maintenance of trees in public areas of South African towns is the responsibility of local municipalities. Therefore, it is necessary to appreciate the visions and attitudes of municipal officials and decision-makers in charge of such activities for an understanding of the distribution and abundance of trees along streets and in urban green spaces. We hypothesised that the town size and relative wealth and current extent of trees in public places would influence the visions of such officials. We therefore conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with the officials responsible for urban tree planting in 24 towns in the Eastern Cape province, whilst also assessing the abundance of street trees via GIS counts. The density of street trees was variable, ranging from 0.5 to 9.5 trees/ha. There were significantly positive relationships between town size, relative wealth measures and street tree density. Several of the managers did not include environmental issues or trees in vision of the future for their town, although most did. There was no relationship between the managers’ visions for the future and attitudes and current street tree density. Most of the managers experienced several constraints in trying to implement their vision, notably a lack of funds for urban forestry, limited space for tree planting in low-cost housing developments, vandalism, and lack of skilled personnel.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Trees stocks in domestic gardens and willingness to participate in tree planting initiatives in low-cost housing areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Gwedla, Nanamhla , Shackleton, Charlie , Olvitt, Lausanne L
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/372825 , vital:66626 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127484"
- Description: Increasing human populations and rapid urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa have prompted the development and maintenance of urban green infrastructure, including urban trees for sustainability, human wellbeing, liveability and climate resilience. However, there are still insufficient amounts and large inequities in the distribution of trees between and within towns and cities of the Global North and South. In South Africa, urban green space planning and planting are encoded in several policies at national level. However, these policies are rarely translated into specific guides, standards or actions, and consequently disparities in urban trees and green space distribution persist. This study assessed the prevalence of urban trees in domestic gardens in low-cost housing areas (LCHAs) of eight small to medium-sized towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and examined residents’ perceptions in this regard. This was done via surveys with 800 households in old and recently developed LCHAs. The results revealed that most households (52 %) had at least one tree in their yard, with more households in the older neighbourhoods (60 %) reporting having trees than in the newer ones (44 %). Most of the trees (66 %) had been deliberately planted as opposed to natural regeneration. Experience of formal urban tree planting programs was low, but 75 % of residents expressed willingness to participate in the future, preferably in tree planting and maintenance. Urban green spaces and trees cannot be an afterthought in the development of sustainable human settlements, and municipal plans should reflect tangible commitments in this regard. Meeting goals for greener LCHAs requires the involvement of local residents, and for municipal authorities to be receptive to the wishes of residents and willingness to green their residential areas.
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- Date Issued: 2022