the richtersveld cultural and botanical landscape - SAHRA
the richtersveld cultural and botanical landscape - SAHRA
the richtersveld cultural and botanical landscape - SAHRA
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Richtersveld Cultural <strong>and</strong> Botanical L<strong>and</strong>scape World Heritage Site Nomination 92<br />
focused on youth, such as <strong>the</strong> annual Youth Summit in <strong>the</strong> Conservancy, have also<br />
contributed to awareness about <strong>the</strong> importance of conserving <strong>and</strong> retaining <strong>the</strong><br />
environmental <strong>and</strong> <strong>cultural</strong> heritage objects, including plant an animal species.<br />
Additional awareness campaigns are planned for 2006 <strong>and</strong> 2007.<br />
As described in Section 3.d. (Integrity <strong>and</strong> Au<strong>the</strong>nticity), mining development does<br />
not pose a threat to <strong>the</strong> site. In addition to <strong>the</strong> zoning restrictions which are currently<br />
written into <strong>the</strong> municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Management Plan of <strong>the</strong> Conservancy <strong>and</strong> forthcoming legal restrictions in <strong>the</strong><br />
declaration of <strong>the</strong> Heritage Area, <strong>the</strong>re are significant environmental restrictions<br />
which prevent diamond mining from occurring in <strong>the</strong> Conservancy, as well as its<br />
Buffer Zones, as specified in more detail in Section 3.d (Integrity <strong>and</strong> Au<strong>the</strong>nticity).<br />
4.b (ii) Environmental Pressures<br />
Seasonal drought is an occurrence in <strong>the</strong> Conservancy <strong>and</strong> one which is inherently<br />
part of <strong>the</strong> region’s climate which has led to <strong>the</strong> diversity of plants which one finds in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Conservancy. These seasonal droughts are coped with by local herders by <strong>the</strong><br />
movement of herds throughout <strong>the</strong> Conservancy area. The Conservancy also<br />
encompasses two rainfall zones, summer <strong>and</strong> winter, which allows drought-hit<br />
areas to recover <strong>and</strong> remain without livestock for several months off <strong>the</strong> year. The<br />
region despite bouts of dry wea<strong>the</strong>r receives fairly reliable rainfall, especially for <strong>the</strong><br />
desert area.<br />
Studies of <strong>the</strong> impacts of climate change on <strong>the</strong> Richtersveld flora are being carried<br />
out. Particularly, <strong>the</strong> Aloe dichotoma <strong>and</strong> Aloe pillansii are considered under threat<br />
from global warming. Several areas where A. dichotoma were formerly abundant<br />
are now devoid of young plants, leading scientists to believe that <strong>the</strong> rise in<br />
temperature <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> resultant effect on changes in rainfall patterns are preventing<br />
young plants from surviving. This phenomenon is likely to be happening also to A.<br />
pillansii, a significantly rarer aloe of which almost <strong>the</strong> entire population occurs in <strong>the</strong><br />
Conservancy. Fur<strong>the</strong>r study is required on A. pillansii <strong>and</strong> Pachypodium<br />
namaquanum (halfmens), both rare <strong>and</strong> threatened species.