**1. Introduction**

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328 Biodiversity - The Dynamic Balance of the Planet

rine Science, Townsville.

tion, 92: 73-83.

The Free State province is located in the central part of South Africa (Figure 1) and is approx‐ imately 1 300 m above sea level. The northern boundary is formed by the Vaal River with the Orange River forming the southern border. The Province covers an area of approximately 130 000 square kilometers comprising 10.6% of the total area of South Africa and has a population of almost 3 million people (southafrica.info 2012). Bloemfontein is the capitol with almost 370 000 residents and is located in the southern part of the Province.

Mining and agriculture are the major contributors to the province's economy. Various, coal, diamonds and bentonite mining activities occur throughout the province while approximately 120 000 square kilometres of land is used by the agricultural section for crop production and grazing purposes (southafrica.info 2012). These activities as well as the continued increase in human population numbers with resultant development of new infrastructure places stress on the natural environment.

A country's ability to conserve and sustainably manage its natural vegetation and water resources is reflected by its industrial potential and the standard of living of its people. Any injudicious utilisation of these natural resources will disturb the balance between the different components of the ecosystem and can have disastrous results for both humans and animals (Aucamp & Danckwerts 1989).

The environment consists of complex ecosystems within which a balance exists. Any disturb‐ ance in an ecosystem will affect the interactions between different species and therefore the natural resources available to different organisms. Vegetation is the most physical represen‐ tation of the environment (Kent & Coker 1992; Kent 2012). Any changes environment whether

© 2014 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

a critical level and humans are destroying Earth at an unprecedented rate. Humans need to be aware of their actions and the effects it is having on our ecosystems and ultimately survival as

Threats of Mining and Urbanisation on a Vulnerable Ecosystem in the Free State, South Africa

The vegetation of the Free State Province of South Africa falls within the Grassland, Savanna and Nama-karoo biomes with grasslands forming the largest component. The Province has 34 different vegetation types (Mucina & Rutherford 2006). As previously mentioned large areas of these vegetation units are threatened and degraded due to various human actions (e.g. mining, development, agriculture). One of these vegetation units, the Bloemfontein Karroid Shrubland vegetation type (Gh8) (Mucina & Rutherford 2006) occurs as small islands scattered

very small vegetation unit's existence is under threat from mining, road construction and residential developments. If not properly protected and managed these areas and its unique

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a broad description of the plant species associations and the species diversity of the Bloemfontein Karroid Shrubland vegetation type (Gh8) (Mucina & Rutherford 2006) and to provide guidelines to conserve this sensitive ecosystem. In this chapter we follow a broad plant phytosociological and floristic approach to describe

The Bloemfontein Karroid shrubland vegetation type (Gh8) (Mucina & Rutherford 2006) occurs as an archipelago of isolated patches on shallow dolerite outcrops within the Highveld grassland region of the Free State Province of South Africa (Figure 1). The vegetation is characterised by small-leaved dwarf karroid and succulent shrubs underlain by dolerite sheets of igneous origin (Figure 2). The soil is very shallow and gravelly with exposed rock outcrops prominent. In-between the rock crevices slightly deeper and less gravelly soil occur. A large proportion of the soil present on the rock sheets and those formed from the weathering of the rocks is washed into the adjacent lower-lying areas and

The province is located within the summer rainfall area of South Africa and experiences warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. Maximum temperatures are experienced in December and January (30.2°C) while June and July are the coldest months when the average daily temperature could drop to -1.6°C (Dingaan & Du Preez 2002). The eastern areas are prone to snowfalls especially on the higher-lying mountains while the western areas are more arid. The province receives approximately 580 mm of rain per annum with the highest rainfall between

In order to obtain a representative sample of the Bloemfontein Karroid Shrubland, a total

type in various parts of the province. The data obtained is representative of five different stands

) were surveyed within randomly stratified units of this vegetation

ha (0.004% of the Province). This

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/57589

331

throughout the Province comprising a total area of 473.09 km2

plant species associations will be permanently destroyed.

**2. Study area and methods**

depressions (Dingaan & Du Preez 2002).

November and February.

number of 68 relevés (16 m2

the unique plant species and assemblages within this vegetation type.

a species.

**Figure 1.** Locality of the Free State Province and the distribution of the Bloemfontein Karroid shrubland vegetation type (Gh8) in the Province.

it is as a result of pollution, development, droughts etc. is first seen in the vegetation and its species diversity and composition.

The term biodiversity refers to the diversity and number of plant and animal species on earth. Biodiversity conservation not only refers to the protection of all species, but also habitats, ecosystems and biomes (Brower *et al.* 1990; Van As *et al.* 2012*).* The diversity of species within an ecosystem is partly a reflection of the diversity of the physical environment. The more diverse the environment the higher the species richness is expected to be due to different microhabitats available for different plant and animal species (Van As *et al.* 2012). A diverse ecosystem contains a variety of genetic material that will ensure long-term stability and survival and also are less likely to be invaded by alien or pioneer species. Biodiversity conservation is very important for the survival of humans on earth. Each and every species on earth is important and crucial in an ecosystem. The loss of one species could lead to the loss of various others that in turn will have a chain reaction of events that could cause the destruc‐ tion of one or many ecosystems.

The impact of humans on the environment is widespread and a cause for concern (Botha 2003). As the human population increased over time, people started to exert a bigger influence on nature (Grime 1997). The demand for land for housing, agriculture, mining and industries are increasing and so is demand for more food and water. The depletion of our natural resources to sustain our life styles causes large scale destruction of the environment. According to Van As *et al.* (2012) and Keddy (2007) the average ecological footprint of humans has reached a critical level and humans are destroying Earth at an unprecedented rate. Humans need to be aware of their actions and the effects it is having on our ecosystems and ultimately survival as a species.

The vegetation of the Free State Province of South Africa falls within the Grassland, Savanna and Nama-karoo biomes with grasslands forming the largest component. The Province has 34 different vegetation types (Mucina & Rutherford 2006). As previously mentioned large areas of these vegetation units are threatened and degraded due to various human actions (e.g. mining, development, agriculture). One of these vegetation units, the Bloemfontein Karroid Shrubland vegetation type (Gh8) (Mucina & Rutherford 2006) occurs as small islands scattered throughout the Province comprising a total area of 473.09 km2 ha (0.004% of the Province). This very small vegetation unit's existence is under threat from mining, road construction and residential developments. If not properly protected and managed these areas and its unique plant species associations will be permanently destroyed.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a broad description of the plant species associations and the species diversity of the Bloemfontein Karroid Shrubland vegetation type (Gh8) (Mucina & Rutherford 2006) and to provide guidelines to conserve this sensitive ecosystem. In this chapter we follow a broad plant phytosociological and floristic approach to describe the unique plant species and assemblages within this vegetation type.
