Welverdiend-South African Wildlife College - South Africa

Basic Information
Site Name
Welverdiend-South African Wildlife College
Short name
W-SAWC
Country
South Africa
Web Address
SAEON Ndlovu Node
Subsite Name(s)
South African Wildlife College, Tree Plots - South Africa
Operating Organisation
Peace Parks Foundation
Kruger National Park
South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON)
Site Description
A developing long-term research site, designed to determine the effects of harvesting of natural resources (particularly fuelwood) and domestic livestock on the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of a savanna ecosystem.
Last modified
2020-06-29 10:06:08
General Characteristics, Purpose, History
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2009
Purpose
The site makes use of two existing land uses, located in close proximity of one another, to investigate the effects of harvesting of natural resources on natural ecosystems. The one site is a heavily utilized communal rangeland, with a high stocking rate of cattle and widespread cutting of trees for fuelwood. The sister site is a natural area within the greater Kruger National Park, and includes a fenced area protected from all large herbivores.
History
The site was established by the SAEON through negotiating access to both sites. The initial project, which started in 2009, involves regular measurement of the species and size of tree stems cut for fuelwood.
Research Topics
ecology
biodiversity
species diversity
animal ecology
plant ecology
vegetation dynamics
population ecology
population dynamics
plants population changes over time
terrestrial ecology
Parameters
agricultural parameter
plant cover
ecosystem parameter
ecosystem structure
habitat structure
deadwood decaying rate
species abundance
birds abundance
species presence
birds presence
diversity index
Photos
not defined

not defined

not defined

not defined

Geographic
Size
3500.00ha
Elevation (average)
480.00msl
Elevation (min)
450.00msl
Elevation (max)
510.00msl
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
ILTER✔This site is a verified "ILTER" member.
SAEON✔ (LTER-SAF-ZA-13)This site is a verified "SAEON" member.
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
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Site information [.json]

Centroid coordinates [.shp] [.kml]
GEO-BON Biome
Terrestrial
Biome
Savanna
Ecosystem and Land Use
Agricultural
Grasslands
Savanna
Air Temperature: Average Annual
22.00°C
Air Temperature Range (Monthly Minimum)
8.50°C
Air Temperature Range (Monthly Maximum)
31.00°C
Precipitation Annual
550.00mm
Precipitation Maximum Monthly
1000.00mm
Precipitation Minimum Monthly
250.00mm
Geology
Granite, gabbro
Vegetation
Granite Lowveld savanna
Hydrology
No perennial rivers
EUNIS habitat
Habitat complexes (X)
Habitat complexes (X) » Mosaic landscapes with a woodland element (bocages) (X10)
Site Type (Spatial Design)
Complex Site
Design of Experimentation
no experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
not applicable
Design of Observation
only observation
Scale of Observation
beyond catchment
Infrastructure
Supporting infrastructure » Lodging at site » Unknown number of beds
Accessible All Year
Yes
All parts of Site Accessible
Yes
Access Type
dirt road (4WD)
Permanent Power Supply
Yes
Permanent Operation
Yes
Site Visit Interval
60
Maintenance Interval
30
General Data Policy
Formal acknowledgement of the dataset providers
The data provider is given and agrees to a statement of uses to which the dataset will be put
Data Policy URL
http://saeon.dirisa.org/management/it-governance/G373.2%20Policy%20and%20Guidel…
Data Storage Location
Central
Data Services
Data portal
LTER Site Classification
Regular