South Africa has committed to reducing its greenhouse emissions by sixty-five percent by 2030 in their National Integrated Energy Plan (NEIP). The lack of investment and development for renewable energy sources put the country on an uncertain traject...
The Northern Cape Province of South Africa faces drought that limits human endeavours, and which explains the unpredictable progress in livestock production over time. This study evaluated the impact of agricultural drought on smallholder farming hou...
Very little is known about seasonal hunger in South Africa, or about the food security and nutritional status of farm workers. This article identifies a pathway to seasonal hunger—through intra-annual fluctuations in agricultural employment and...
The lauded Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP) has achieved much in stimulating private sector investment in the renewable energy market in South Africa. Yet, 95% of electricity generated is still from a single s...
Waste management in rural areas poses a major challenge to local governments in developing countries. Municipalities face limited budgets and obstacles with the collection of waste, as well as a lack of proper equipment, infrastructure, and treatment...
Recurring agricultural droughts are of concern to smallholder livestock farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study determined the impact of agricultural drought resilience on smallholder livestock farming households’ welfare in the Frances Baard Distr...
Small-scale livestock farmers in the drylands of South Africa are highly exposed to agricultural drought-related food insecurity. Research has used descriptive analyses and missed the need to index the diversity of coping strategies used for managing...
The application of hydrogeophysical techniques to delineating aquifers was conducted in De Aar, the eastern part of the Karoo region, Northern Cape, South Africa. Previously, recharge estimations in this region assumed a uniform aquifer type, overloo...
Across semi-arid and environmentally vulnerable regions, intensifying climate pressures, land degradation, and resource scarcity are placing growing demands on institutions, communities, and land users. However, the knowledge and technical skills req...
Urban heat stress and deteriorating air quality are environmental risks in semi-arid cities, positioning urban forests as vital nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. Despite growing recognition of urban greening imperatives, South Africa&rsq...
The monitoring of coastal evolution (coastline and associated geomorphological features) caused by episodic and persistent processes associated with climatic and anthropic activities is required for coastal management decisions. The availability of o...
The Postmasburg Manganese Field (PMF), Northern Cape Province, South Africa, once represented one of the largest sources of manganese ore worldwide. Two belts of manganese ore deposits have been distinguished in the PMF, namely the Western Belt of fe...
Dust storms are meteorological hazards associated with several adverse health impacts including eye irritations, respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, and vehicular road accidents due to poor visibility. This study investigated relations between...
The precise and accurate use of aquifer hydraulic parameters for assessing local and regional recharge potential for enhancing groundwater allocation planning is vital for many hydrogeological studies. The conventional approach for allocating groundw...
Background: The emission of air pollutants into the atmosphere is a global issue as it contributes to global warming and climate-related issues. Human activities like the burning of fossil fuel influence changes in weather patterns—resulting in...
8 January 2021
This study aimed at assessing the knowledge about healthcare risk waste (HCRW) management among doctors, professional nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians, in accordance with National Environmental Management, Waste Act 59 of 2008, Constitu...
The Bushy Park Pb-Zn deposit, hosted in unmetamorphosed carbonates of Neoarchean age, displays similarities to Phanerozoic Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) and Irish-type deposits. Mineralization is dated, by radiogenic methods, to Paleoproterozoic time...
In July 2022, the authors had the opportunity to facilitate, observe and participate in a community colloquium of civic organisations based in the Northern Areas of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa. The main purpose of the colloquium was to br...
Groundwater-dependent communities such as De Aar require a better understanding of groundwater systems to ensure sustainable allocation. This study aims to trace recharge sources in unconfined and confined aquifers and identify processes controlling...
The authors have completed the study of the genera Cervellaea Borovec & Meregalli, 2021, and Namaquania Borovec & Meregalli, 2021, two of the seven genera of the tribe Namaini Meregalli & Borovec, 2021. The type species of the two genera...
Ocean conditions influence the economies and climate of West Africa. Based on the 30-year daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (OISST) dataset during May–October, upwelling surface variability and marine heatwaves (MHWs) at the n...
The taxonomic identity and phylogenetic relationships of several southern African perennial taxa related to Frankenia repens are discussed. In particular, F. nodiflora Lam., a misunderstood species described from the Cape region and synonymised to F....
The coastal ocean off western Patagonia is one of the main coastal regions with high freshwater inputs from rivers, rain, and glaciers in the Southern Hemisphere. This study conducts an analysis of the seasonal and interannual variations in sea surfa...
The southern African species of the genus Rhamphus Clairville, 1798, is herein revised for the first time. Fourteen species are recognized, 13 of which are new to science. The single known species was Rhamphus namibicus Korotyaev, 1994 (Namibia), whe...
9 August 2017
Alcohol consumption is high among farm labourers in the Western and Northern Cape of South Africa. Excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy is common, resulting in a high prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) among children. FAS causes int...
The Cape Verde palm tree, Phoenix atlantica, holds significant ecological and cultural importance within the Cape Verde archipelago. However, its genetic distinctiveness has been questioned due to its close relationship and morphological similarity t...
Eurasian freight transportation is increasingly shaped by the need to balance transit efficiency, economic performance, and environmental impacts. This study presents a comparative carbon–cost–time assessment of alternative freight corrid...
Over the years, the Cape Peninsula has seen a rise in the number of fires that occur seasonally. This study aimed to investigate the extent of fire spread and associated damages during the 2023/2024 Cape Peninsula fire events. Remote sensing datasets...
The electricity supply in South Africa is characterized by load-shedding. This study analyzed the determinants of the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI) in South Africa. The data, which were taken from the 2019–2021 General Household...
Extracts of Sutherlandia frutescens (cancer bush) exhibit considerable qualitative and quantitative chemical variability depending on their natural wild origins. The purpose of this study was thus to determine bioactivity of extracts from different r...
The area from Tonggu Cape to Qinglan Bay off eastern Hainan Island, China, is a bedrock headland coast with a river-mouth lagoon and hosts typical habitats such as coral reefs. Qinglan Bay is located on the path of sediment transportation along the n...
Drought is a creeping phenomenon whose effects evolve with time, yet the start and end is often only clear in the hindsight. The present study assessed drought conditions using two categories of drought indicators computed from precipitation data set...
This article explores the efficiency in the administration of social grants for adult persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The focus, in particular, is on explaining why, despite a gatekeeping element, adult...
The intensity of sediment resuspension and sedimentation in the eastern part of the Bothnian Bay near the Hanhikivi cape, where the nuclear power plant ‘Hanhikivi-1’ will be constructed, has been assessed for the first time by means of nu...
Global impacts of drought conditions pose a major challenge towards the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. As a result, a clarion call for nations to take actions aimed at mitigating the adverse negative effects, managing key natu...
Small-scale hydrokinetic (HK) energy systems is a renewable energy source which has never before been explored in South Africa, mainly due to the abundance of low-cost coal-powered electricity. A HK pilot project was implemented in an applicable sect...
We investigated the genetic diversity and historic relationships among southern African sheep as well as the relationships between them and sheep outside the continent by sourcing both archaeological and modern sheep samples. Archaeological sheep sam...
South Africa is currently grappling with a national energy crisis and the high infrastructure costs associated with expanding the national grid to remote areas. Simultaneously, the government has made substantial efforts to harness renewable energy t...
Background: South Africa has a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) disease and is currently not meeting the national and international reduction outcome targets. The TB prevalence rate of South Africa in 2015 was estimated at approximately 690 per 100,0...
Long-term atmospheric changes are a result of complex interactions on various spatial scales. In this study, we examine the long-term variability of the most important meteorological variables in a convection-permitting regional climate model simulat...
Beach nourishment is a widely used strategy to mitigate coastal erosion, yet its long-term geological impacts remain poorly understood. This study provides a multi-decadal synthesis of shoreline change and sedimentological evolution on the nourished...
The concentrations of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particle-bound mercury (particles with diameter smaller than 2.5 μm; PBM2.5) were continuously observed for a period of over 10 years at Cape He...
Carcass quality includes a battery of essential economic meat traits that play a significant role in influencing farmer breed preferences. A preliminary study was undertaken to investigate the carcass quality and the associated genomic regions in a s...
Background: To provide an understanding of the clinical information sources consulted by teaching or referral hospital-based doctors in four South African provinces. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used. To identify province...
Future wind energy potential over Portugal is assessed, using wind speed data from a WRF regional simulation under the SSP5-8.5 scenario for 2046–2065 and 2081–2100. Data from a CMIP6 multi-model ensemble were also used to assess future c...
Genetic diversity and the extent of clonality in a plant species can significantly influence its reproductive success. Whilst clonality can be an effective life-history strategy, in harsh environments it can lead to low levels of diversity and sexual...
Tokyo Bay is one of the busiest ocean areas for human activity worldwide, characterized by a high density of maritime traffic and industrial development. This area is also recognized as the habitat of the narrow-ridged finless porpoise, an endangered...
This study assessed spatial, seasonal, and interannual variability in physical and biogeochemical indicators in surface waters along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast during 2022–2025 to provide an integrated characterization of coastal marine cond...
Among techniques proposed to limit global warming, there is Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering (SAG) which is aiming to increase Earth-atmosphere albedo by injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere in order to reduce the solar radiation that r...
20 November 2021
Complete patient adherence to treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR) is critical to limit vision loss. There is a dearth of evidence regarding the reasons why South African patients referred for suspected vision-threatening DR stay compliant to or d...
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