AT THE EDGE OF SCIENCE
RESEARCH
The Magaliesberg Biosphere offers a wealth of knowledge to the world network of biospheres due to the immense diversity and depth of research that has been and is being done in abiotic, biotic and socio-economic areas.
Statutory Framework and Strategic Planning and Decision Making Theme
Issue |
Possible research area |
| No biosphere specific legislative framework currently exists. | Development of a statutory framework for the management of the biosphere. |
| Failure to draft and implement municipal by-laws. | Drafting of municipal by-laws to support the management of the biosphere. |
| The legislative regime is exceedingly complicated and fragmented combined with a lack of cooperative governance arrangements. | A critical evaluation of the legislative context and the development of cooperative governance arrangements to support the management of the biosphere. |
| Strategic policies and plans are not aligned, with special reference to spatial planning and conservation planning. | Alignment of strategic plans and policies in the area. |
| Lack of land use management implementation. | Critical evaluation of the implementation of land use management mechanisms in the study area. |
Environment and Conservation Theme
Issue | Possible research area |
| The detailed distribution and occurrence of species poorly understood. | Fine scale research on the occurrence and distribution of species in the study area. |
| The contribution of the area to water quantity and quality has not been investigated. | The contribution of the area towards water quantity and quality management for the region. |
| Justification for the extent of buffer zones is not well defined. | How to delineate and determine the required extent of buffer zones to maintain the ecological integrity of the area. |
| The region represents a climatic transition zone. However, the impact of climate change on the region has not been researched. | To determine the impact of climate change on the ecological functioning of the area. |
| The exact status of air quality is not certain for the area. Moreover, current air quality management occurs on an ad- hoc basis. | To determine the status and extent of air quality in the area and make recommendations for air quality management. |
Socio-Economic Theme
Issue |
Possible research area |
| Potential benefits and effectiveness of the Biosphere for local communities and residents, sustainable livelihoods. | Research to look at public participation and community benefits as well as community buy-in and benefits. |
| Poverty, potential economic and skills beneficiation. No coordination between businesses / farms to up skill people. | Inclusive economy study – focus on entrepreneurial skills in specific areas of the biosphere. |
| Poverty, social needs and experiences. Marginalised informal settlements with no service delivery. | Quality of Life Surveys. The contribution of mining and tourism to Quality of Life. |
| Indigenous Knowledge Systems. | The Indigenous Knowledge Network formalisation of Indigenous Knowledge System roll out. |