Evaluating the adequacy of reserves in the Tembe–Tshanini Complex : a case study in Maputaland, South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the minimum conservation area needed to conserve vegetation types and their landscape and to apply it to an area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which is within the Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism and part of the Maputaland–Pondoland–Albany biodiversity hotspot. Outside conservation areas this Centre of Plant Endemism is under threat from human utilization. We used a method initially designed to determine minimumconservation areas for rare plant species, which we adapted from its original country and context, to determine minimum conservation areas for landscape species inMaputaland’s little-documented environment. The minimum area required for conservation was established for the Sand Forest andWoodland vegetation types in the region. We found that sufficient habitat is presently conserved to preserve the Sand Forest but not the Woodlands. Themethod holds promise to provide answers to critical conservation issues in lesser-known environments and, although relatively difficult to establish for the first time, is an efficient and easy to use tool that can be refined once more knowledge becomes available.