NUFU PROJECT 16/98
UNIVERSITY CO-OPERATION ON
NATURE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

Biodiversity in coastal Maputaland (northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern part of Mozambique): links between geology and ecology.
1999 - 2002

1. Participating institutions
(programme co-ordinators and staff members involved, see point 9).

Agricultural University of Norway
University of Natal
Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
University of Zululand
KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service
Council for Geoscience, South Africa
National Directorate of Geology, Mozambique

2. Main topic.
This University co-operation programme is focused on nature conservation in coastal areas.
We have chosen to do the joint field studies along the Maputaland coast in northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique because:
1. Maputaland is a world-renowned centre of endemism and there are plans afoot to make a trans-national nature reserve.
2. There is a well established relationship between geology and ecology in the region.
3. The dunes are part of the system, flanked by the beach on one side and the coastal lake zone on the other.
4. The dunes are under threat from different types of development (mining, tourism, forestry, subsistence farmers)

3. Expertise of the co-operating institutions.

Agricultural University of Norway (AUN):
The leading Norwegian University on the conservation of natural resources.

University of Natal
A leading South African University on biology, geology and ecology in subtropical and tropical coastal areas.

Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
Ecology of the Maputaland area, both biological and geological topics

University of Zululand, Department of Hydrology
A leading group for studies of groundwater and hydrology in the coastal areas

KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service
Well known for its experience on nature conservation and biodiversity in coastal zones.

Council for Geoscience, South Africa and Geological Survey of Mozambique
High expertise on the geology of dunes and beach areas.

The project will benefit from the co-operation between Universities with general expertise in ecology and nature conservation and between Universities and Governmental Institutions with expertise in coastal geology and biology and conservation work along the coast of the Indian Ocean.

4. Duration.
Four years: 1999 -2002

5. Scientific background.

Maputaland is the southern part of the south-east African coastal plain is a world-renowned centre of endemism with a high biodiversity. As a consequence of this, there are a number of national parks in both northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique, with plans to form a trans-border park from Inhaca Island to Cape Vidal. This requires accumulating and synthesising available knowledge, assessing the need for such a park, drafting a preliminary management plan and then, if appropriate, promoting it.

The high biodiversity of the reason is due to two reasons: position and landscape. Maputaland straddles the tropical-subtropical transition zone with the tropical Zanzibar-Inhambane regional mosaic to the north and both the Karoo-Namib and Cape centres of endemism to the south. To the north-west there is the Zambesian centre of endemism and to the west the Kalahari-Highveld regional transition. The coastal zones are declared by the United Nations to be some of the most interesting coastal zones in the world. Along beaches, lagoons and estuaries, there is a zone of great biodiversity, with a particularly rich fauna and vegetation. These zones are vulnerable because all manipulations of the natural systems will strongly influence upon the ecology of supratidal, tidal and subtidal zones.

At the landscape level, the biodiversity is strongly controlled by the physical and chemical characteristics of the environment. Climate plays a primary role, with an east-west change in rainfall superimposed on the north-south tropical-subtropical transition. This interplay, together with an intimate relationship between geology, geomorphology and soils, has resulted in 6 main terrestrial ecozones being identified.

The evolution of the two easternmost terrestrial ecozones (the coastal dune zone and the coastal lakes and wetland zone) cannot be divorced from the marine environment. The dunes play a major role in cutting off estuaries from the sea, resulting in lakes which gradually become segmented and infilled to form wetlands. Thus it is of major concern that there is increasing pressure to utilise the coastal dune zone by mining, forestry and tourism. Most of the South African coast from Richards Bay to the Mozambican border is protected in the form of governmental and private nature reserves. In Mozambique the situation is different, and there is a great interest for the establishment of hotels and tourist centres, and there is also an interest for a mineral exploitation of the coastal dunes, which, like in KwaZulu-Natal are in places rich in heavy minerals.

The mining of these dunes is a major contraversial environmental issue in South Africa. Probably the most important scientific finding of the various studies undertaken for the EIAs was that, although certain aspects of the dunes have been studied in detail, overall it is quite clear that they are not well understood from a geological, geomorphological and hydrological as well as an ecological viewpoint.

The problem is not unique for Mozambique and South Africa, in as much as sensitive coastal zones and the manipulation of the natural ecological systems are also well known along the northern Mozambican coast as well as the coast of Tanzania. The economical exploitation of the coastal zones is also a stress factor for the natural ecosystems some places in western Africa.

There is in South Africa a wide range of Maputaland expertise in both the geological and biological fields. The Department of Geology and Applied Geology, have undertaken research in this region for a number of years including, in the past decade, the marine environment with the establishment of a Marine Geoscience Unit. There is currently a co-operative programme with the Council for Geoscience re-examining the geology of Maputaland. The Department of Biology, University of Natal, Durban has similarly been working in the region in both the terrestrial and marine environments. The Natal Parks Board and the KwaZulu Bureau of Nature Conservation have for a long period mapped and studied the fauna and vegetation in the coastal zone along north-eastern South African. Their expertise is well known, and their establishment and maintenance of the nature reserves are some of the very good examples of successful conservation in Africa. The two parks boards are now united as the KwaZulu-Natal Conservation Services and have a staff of knowledgeable biologists and ecologists.

In Mozambique there is a lack of basic data within the field of biology and conservation, and the basic mapping of the coastal zones will benefit from the co-operation between Mozambicans and South Africans. It is at the moment a great problem that there is so little sufficient data as a background for the establishment of nature reserves.

The conservation studies have been a central activitiy at the Agricultural University of Norway during the last thirty years and has been linked to a very comprehensive activity within the field of biology and ecology. Protection of geological sites have often been the topic of M.Sc. studies. Today the environmental studies is one of the strongest sides of the Universityss activity. The study in nature conservation has attracted a large number of well qualified students, and has been the most popular studies at the University. One part of this study is specialised towards third world countries. Some of the scientists at the Department of Biology and Nature Conservation are working especially with research work in third world countries. There is also a group of students at the Agricultural University who are specialised in economy and nature resources, and with particular focus on third world countries. These students follow courses at the Department of Economy and Social Science. All the students mentioned above have a good background in biology and have followed courses in geology, the latter with a focus on environmental geology.

6. Training programmes, staff member visits and student participation.

Training of technical staff members
The planned project is a co-operation between geologists, ecologists and biologists. One of the the major aims is to make a link between Norwegian and South African groups and scientists in Mozambique. One part of the project will include training courses for South African and Mozambican staff members to do rapid ecological surveys, resource quantification, collect data for mapping of coastlines and their biota. This can be extended by developing survey techniques to detect change - especially of resources being used. This part will include study stays for technicians from the Eduardo Mondlane University Mozambique at the University of Durban and at AUN.

Staff member visits at the Agricultural University of Norway
Another part of this co-operation will be to exchange experience on student programmes in nature conservation. The study in nature conservation at the Agricultural University of Norway are highly specialised, and a simiolar M.Sc.study on wild life management is now started at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Staff visits between the partner institutions will be focused on education related to nature conservation.

M.Sc. studies
M.Sc. students from the Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique will be encouraged to do their M.Sc. work along the coast together with students from South Africa, supervised by scientists from the University of Natal, KwaZulu-Natal Conservation Services, Council for Geoscience and AUN. Scientists at the University of Natal and at the Agricultural University of Norway will co-operate on the M.Sc. plans, and will encourage staff members from the Eduardo Mondlane University to take part in this planning work.

It is an important task also to raise additional funding from non-NUFU sources to finance M.Sc. studies for students in science and nature conservation at AUN, so that they can be included in this joint M.Sc. work.

We also encourage Norwegian students to follow relevant courses at the University of Natal, in order to give them a good background in nature conservation in tropical and subtropical areas. A large part of the students at the AUN spend one study year abroad, and this University co-operation will form a good basis for some students to spend this one year at the University of Natal. We will try to make a study plan for one year=s full study for students from AUN, based on the regular courses that are given at the University of Natal.

8. Specific research topics.

Research-education (post-graduate degrees)

Ph.D., Ricky Taylor: Start April 1st 2000, to be completed April 1st 2003. Main supervisor: Sylvi Haldorsen (AUN-UN-NCS-UPE)

M.Sc., Fatima Momade: Start March 20, to be completed March 20, 2002. Supervisors: Mike Watkeys and Greg Botha. (GSM-UN-CGS)

We will reserve money for at least two more M.Sc. students in the programme, with start of the study in 2001. Priority will be given to students from Mozambique and previously disadvantaged groups of staff members at the NCS and UN.

Honours degrees: These are short theses and the candidates are not yet. nominated.

Research projects

Maputo Bay: Already started up, completed 2002.
Project leader: Achimo Mussa. Participants: (UEM - Stockholm University - UN - AUN)

St Lucia: Start April 1st 2000, completed December 31st 2002, the groundwater studies to be completed in 2002.
Project leader: Ricky Taylor. More sub-projects will be included. (NCS - UN - AUN - CGS-UNIZUL)

Coastal dunes: Start April 1st, 2000, completed December 31st 2002.
The main focus will be on geology in 2000 and 2001, with a strong focus on studies in Mozambique in 2001.
In 2002-2002 the main focus will be on biology and ecology.
Project leaders: Mike Watkeys and Greg Botha. (UN - GSM - CGS)
The biologists responsible for the work in 2001 and 2002 will be nominated at the next steering committee meeting. (NCS - UN - Mozambican institutions).

Staff training

Annual Field Training Course
One main training course will be arranged each year, and will mainly take place in the field. Staff members from all partner institutions will be invited to participate.
Year 2000: Responsible: Ricky Taylor, in co-operation with Peter Thomson, and staff members at the UN. Duration: 5-10 days, scheduled to the second half of the year.
The persons responsible for the main training course in 2001-2002 will be decided on at the annual meetings each year, according to the needs of the projects. At least one of these courses should preferably be arranged in Mozambique.

Individual Staff Training
Training of individuals or smaller groups of staff members will take place at the different partner institutions when needed.
Ground penetrating radar:
July 2000 there will be a training course on ground penetrating radar. Participant: Greg Botha. Responsible: Council for Geoscience. In 2001 Greg Botha plan to use ground-penetrating radar in Mozambique, and will then give a demonstration of the method to the members of the Mozambican Geological Survey and the UEM.
Laboratory training:
2000 (dates not decided): Laboratory training at UN, with focus on geochemistry for staff members of the Eduardo Mondlane University. Similar training will be arranged each year. Participant: Achimo Mussa. Responsible: Allan Wilson.
2001-2002: Several other items have been discussed, like staff courses in coastal ecology, linked to the research, database courses and GIS.
Responsible: UN and NCS. The responsible persons will be nominated at the steering committee meetings.

Staff exchange:

Staff exchange will include laboratory co-operation in 2001-2002 between the Univ. of Natal, Durban and the UEM. In 2001 it will also include Norway.

Staff exchange, with focus on the education in nature conservation, will be held each year, and will include staff members from all involved institutions over a four years period.

International Workshop:

An international workshop is planned in 2002. The meeting will include three days with presentation of lectures, and a field trip in South Africa and Mozambique of duration five days. Priority will be given to programme participants and scientists from other African countries. A few international keynote speakers will be invited. The main costs will be covered by money from non-NUFU sources (NORAD, Ramsar, INQUA).

9. Staff member participation.

Project co-ordinator at the Agricultural University of Norway:
Professor Sylvi Haldorsen
Department of Soil- and Water Sciences

Co-ordinator at the University of Natal:
1999: Professor Mike Watkeys, Department of Geology
2000 - 2001: Deputy Dean Professor Peter J.K. Zacharias, School of Applied Environmental Sciences
2002: Professor Kevin Kirkman, Department of Grassland studies


Other staff members involved:
(Main institutional particpant in bold)

Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique:
Dr. Achimo Mussa, Department of Geology

Agricultural University of Norway:
Department of Soil and Water Science:
Michael Heim
Jan Mulder
Line Tau Strand
Department of Biology and Nature Conservation:
Prof. Reidar Borgstrøm
Espen Arestøl
NORAGRIC:
Dr. Ian Bryceson
Dr. Adelaida Semesi

University of Natal:
Department of Geology:
Prof. Allan Wilson
Department of Biology:
Ticky Forbes (1999)
Nicky Demitriades (1999)
School of Applied Environmental Sciences:
Prof. Ed Granger
Prof. Trevor Hill

University of Zululand
Department of Hydrology
Prof. Bruce Kelbe

Other Southern African institutions:
Dr. Greg Botha, Council for Geoscience, South Africa
Mr. Pete Thomson, KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services, Pietermaritzburg
Ms. Fatima Momade, National Directorate of Geology, Mozambique
Dr. Pete Goodman, KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services, Pietermaritzburg