The importance of an indigenous tree to southern African communities with specific relevance to its domestication and commercialization: a case of the marula tree

Local communities in southern Africa derive many benefits from marula [Sclerocarya birrea（A.Rich.） Hochst.subsp.caffra（Sond.） Kokwaro].These include the contribution of this species towards health,nutrition,food security and conservation by sharing local skills and knowledge related to it.Marula fruits can be eaten fresh,squeezed to make juice,brewed in traditional beer or used to make jam and jelly.The kernels are also edible and can be pressed to extract oil for cooking and cosmetics,i.e.,for skin and hair application.The bark,roots,seeds and leaves are exploited for traditional medicinal purposes.Marula has acquired significant commercial value since its fruits and other products have entered local,regional and international trade in southern Africa.To diver-sify fruit production and satisfy the increasing demands for this resource,several domestication initiatives have been carried out at regional and international levels.The accumulated knowledge and skills relevant to the establishment and commercialization of marula therefore provide an effective guide in areas where marula remains undomesticated or underutilized.We discuss the great importance of marula in southern Africa to reveal its great potential to regions where it remains unexploited.

Acacia karroo Hayne:Ethnomedicinal uses,phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important medicinal plant in southern Africa

Acacia karroo(A.karroo) has been used as herbal medicine by the indigenous people of southern Africa for several centuries.The potential of.4.karroo as herbal medicine,its associated phytochemistry and biological activities are reviewed.The extensive literature survey revealed that A.karroo is traditionally used to treat or manage 32 and five human and animal diseases and ailmenls.respectively.The species is used as herbal medicine for diseases and ailments such as colds,diarrhoea,dysentery,flu.malaria,sexually transmitted infections(STis),wounds,and also as colic and ethnovetcrinary medicine.Multiple classes of phytochemicals such as flavonoids.phenols,phytosterols,proanthocyanidin.tannin,terpenes as well as several minerals have been identified from leaves and roots of A.karroo.Scientific studies on A.karroo indicate that it has a wide range of pharmacological activities which include antibacterial,antifungal,antigonococcal.antihelmintic,antilisterial,antimalarial,antimycobacterial,antioxidant.HIV-1 reverse transcriptase,anti-inflammatory and analgesic.Acacia karroo has a lot of potential as a possible source of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of a wide range of both human and animal diseases and ailments.Future research should focus on the mechanisms of action of the different plant parts used as herbal medicines.isolated compounds,their efficacy,toxicity and clinical relevance.

A comparison of the management models of protected areas between China and the southern Africa region

A comparison of the management models of protected areas between China and the African south region allows reading and evaluating the similarities and differences in the use of management model as a management tool for protected areas and specifi- cally some positive and negative features of the management approaches in these two regions. Previous to this study it verified the designation of protected areas as increasing at a faster rate than ever before, comparatively much faster now in China than southern Africa regions. With the aim of evaluating similarities and differences in the use of management model as a management tool for pro- tected areas in China and southern Africa Region, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Qualitative data were mainly from policy documents, scientific articles and magazine reports, whereas quantitative （secondary data） statistical data from Interna- tional Union for Conservation of Nature Resources （IUCN） and World Database on Protected Areas （WDPA）. In view of the data sources above, the study found that in China all the protected areas are state owned whilst in southern Africa regions there are some protected areas that are privately owned; also that the models or typology of governance applied are successful for the fact that they both combine co-management or collaborative management, community-conserved areas and private protected areas that are subject to greater success and can help design planning and management than those who use exclusively government management. To this, the study concluded that the use of management model is influenced by the type of governance a country applies to its reserved areas.

The State of Sea Systems and Practices in East and Southern Africa

This paper develops a comparative overview of SEA in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa regarding legal, institutional and procedural perspectives, in order to assess their effectiveness and unveil main constrains. It is clear from this brief review that SEA is a tool of environmental governance that is of growing importance in East and Southern Africa. With regards to the institutional and legal framework, both Kenya and Tanzania have formal provisions for SEA, but no specific legislation. The main constrains on SEA effectiveness are related to the lack of a clear mandate and institutional framework, guidelines for procedures and public participation. As this analysis and case studies from the three countries examined here reveal, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa have expanded their use of SEA as a preventive mechanism for environmental policy and to enhance the efficiency of strategic decisions. While each of these countries has made great strides in developing the SEA process and integrating it into their decision-making processes, much work remains to be done. Ongoing refinement to the SEA process, both within this region and elsewhere in the world, will mean that this important tool integrates sustainable environmental management principles and practices into policies, plans, and programmes and the decision-making process.

The Recent Droughts of 2019/20 in Southern Africa and Its Teleconnection with ENSO Events

This study is motivated to highlight the variability of recent drought hotspots in the region of southern Africa in terms of the seasonal and annual rainfall regimes and their possible spatial linkage with the 1950-2020 seasonal El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Some evidence is found on possible links between the occurrence of drought hotspots in the region in terms of seasonal and mean annual runoff and warm ENSO events. This was revealed by the existence of a strong and nearly-strong positive linear correlation between Seasonal and annual rainfall depths and the warm seasonal ENSO indices explained by the southern oscillation index represented by the sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies data obtained from the National Oceanographic and Aeronautics Administration (NOAA). Considering the entire southern African region, 41% of the surface areas exhibit moderate (r > 0.25) and strong (r > 0.5) correlation coefficients in terms of the December to February quarter rainfall and ENSO indices. Above 50% confidence interval in the correlation between seasonal rainfall and ENSO during DJF quarters is found in 74% of the surface area of the region of southern Africa. The high confidence interval of the positive correlation coefficients is an indication that substantial variance of precipitation during ENSO years is accounted for by the warm ENSO events. The areas with pronounced lower rainfalls and droughts associated with ENSO activity in the region include larger and some pockets of various countries in southern Africa, including but not limited to Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. The recent drought events of 2019/2020, and previously in 2015/16 in this region with wider regional impacts can be explained by the ENSO phenomena.

Stenian A-type granitoids in the Namaqua-Natal Belt,southern Africa,Maud Belt,Antarctica and Nampula Terrane,Mozambique:Rodinia and Gondwana amalgamation implications

We carried out SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating on A-type granitic intrusions from the Namaqua-Natal Province,South Africa,Sverdrupfjella,western Dronning Maud Land,Antarctica and the Nampula Province of northern Mozambique.Zircon grains in these granitic rocks are typically elongated and oscillatory zoned,suggesting magmatic origins.Zircons from the granitoid intrusions analyzed in this study suggest^1025-1100 Ma ages,which confirm widespread Mesoproterozoic A-type granitic magmatism in the Namaqua-Natal(South Africa),Maud(Antarctica)and Mozambique metamorphic terrains.No older inherited(e.g.,~2500 Ma Achean basement or^1200 Ma island are magmatism in northern Natal)zircon grains were seen.Four plutons from the Natal Belt(Mvoti Pluton,Glendale Pluton,Kwalembe Pluton,Ntimbankulu Pluton)display 1050-1040 Ma ages,whereas the Nthlimbitwa Pluton in northern Natal indicates older 1090-1080 Ma ages.A sample from Sverdrupfjella,Antarctica has^1091 Ma old zircons along with^530 Ma metamorphic rims.Similarly,four samples analysed from the Nampula Province of Mozambique suggest crystallization ages of^1060-1090 Ma but also show significant discordance with two samples showing younger^550 Ma overgrowths.None of the Natal samples show any younger overgrowths.A single sample from southwestern Namaqualand yielded an age of^1033 Ma.Currently available chronological data suggest magmatism took place in the Namaqua-Natal-MaudMozambique(NNMM)belt between^1025 Ma and^1100 Ma with two broad phases between^1060-1020 Ma and 1100-1070 Ma respectively,with peaks at between^1030-1040 Ma and^1070-1090 Ma.The age data from the granitic intrusions from Namaqualand.combined with those from Natal,Antarctica and Mozambique suggest a crude spatial-age relationship with the older>1070 Ma ages being largely restricted close to the eastern and western margins of the Kalahari Craton in northern Natal,Mozambique.Namaqualand and WDML Antarctica whereas the younger<1060 Ma ages dominate in southern Natal and western Namaqualand and are largely restricted to the southern and possibly the western margins of the Kalahari Craton.The older ages of magmatism partially overlap with or are marginally younger than the intracratonic Mkondo Large lgneous Provinee intruded into or extruded onto the Kalahari Craton,suggesting a tectonic relationship with the Maud Belt.Similar ages from granitic augen gneisses in Sri Lanka suggest a continuous belt stretching from Namaqualand to Sri Lanka in a reconstituted Gondwana,formed during the terminal stages of amalgamation of Rodinia and predating the East African Orogen.This contiguity contributes to defining the extent of Rodinia-age crustal blocks,subsequently fragmented by the dispersal of Rodinia and Gondwana.

Impact of the Future Changing Climate on the Southern Africa Biomes, and the Importance of Geology

The Southern African biomes are complex biotic communities, with its distinctive plant and animal species, and are maintained under the suitable climatic conditions of the region. It includes the Fynbos Biome and the Succulent Karoo Biome, which forms the smallest of the world’s six Floristic Kingdoms, and they are of conservation concern. The other six biomes are Albany Thicket, Desert, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal belt, Nama-Karoo, Savanna. The biomes are not only threatened by agricultural expansion, overgrazing, and mining;but also by future climate changes and droughts. This study investigates the how to best model the possible vulnerable biome areas, under future climate changes, and how Southern African geology plays a huge role in the restriction of the biome shifts. It provides evidence regarding the importance of the study to understanding the climate change impacts and the geological variables on the Southern African biomes, in terms of possible future biome habitat loss.

Geospatial characteristics of fire occurrences in southern hemispheric Africa and Madagascar during 2001-2020

For this study of long-term spatial patterns and trends of active fires in southern hemispheric Africa and on Madagascar from 2001 to 2020,active fire data from the MODIS FIRMS global fire data products were analyzed.The annual center of fire concentration tended to migrate toward the preserved rainforests and nature conservation areas in the Congo Basin and the mountain forests on the northeastern coast of Madagascar.Fire frequency varied seasonally at both study areas.We used geo statistical analysis techniques,such as measures of dispersion and emerging hot spot analysis,to reveal long-term trends in spatial patterns of fire events.In southern hemispheric Africa,the observed active fires tended to drift northward toward the Zambia-DRC border in the Congo basin.This northward migration progressed toward humid rainforests,which were better suited to sustaining repeated fire events.On Madagascar,the observed active fires tended to migrate toward the east coast in protected mountain forests.The spatial patterns of long-term trends showed a concentration of fires in the tropical regions of southern hemispheric Africa.Moreover,smaller clusters of new hot spots were located over eastern South Africa,overlapping with undifferentiated woodlands.On Madagascar,both hot and cold spots were identified and were separated by the highland region in the center of the island.Most of the eastern island was characterized by cold spots that received less precipitation than did the rest of the island.The presence of increasing hots spots in the densely vegetated areas highlights the urgent need for fire prevention and management in this region.

Perspectives on geospatial information science education:an example of urban planners in Southern Africa

Since the introduction of geographic information systems(GIS)in the 1960s,it has evolved tremendously to an extent that it permeates our daily lives.Initially,GIS usage started in the developed countries and now increasingly filtered to developing countries.The town planning profession was one of the early adopters of GIS.Geospatial information is a useful source of data that is needed in urban planning.In these days of the New Urban Agenda 2030,smart cities are even more required from planners in using geospatial information to face urban challenges such as sustainable urban development and climate change.Although GIS has promised a lot for urban planning,it has not reached its full potential.Moreover,many studies have focused on developed countries with limited studies on geospatial information application in municipalities and GIS education from a perspective of developing countries.In this study,a survey on the usage of geospatial information science(GSIS)in two cities,namely Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and Ekurhuleni in South Africa,was conducted,and an overview of the state of GIS curricula in planning schools is discussed.The results indicate that considerable progress has been made in the application of geospatial information in municipal planning;however,there are impediments limiting the full utilization of geospatial information in local municipalities.These impediments include:inadequate GIS curricula in planning schools,lack of resources,and lack of political will.These challenges manifest differently in well-resourced municipalities and those with limited resources.The study proposes planning-relevant GIS curricula to improve the level of GIS use in planning practice.

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Rainfed Farming Systems: A Modeling Framework for Scaling-Out Climate Smart Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Improving agricultural water productivity, under rainfed or irrigated conditions, holds significant scope for addressing climate change vulnerability. It also offers adaptation capacity needs as well as water and food security in the southern African region. In this study, evidence for climate change impacts and adaptation strategies in rainfed agricultural systems is explored through modeling predictions of crop yield, soil moisture and excess water for potential harvesting. The study specifically presents the results of climate change impacts under rainfed conditions for maize, sorghum and sunflower using soil-water-crop model simulations, integrated based on daily inputs of rainfall and evapotranspiration disaggregated from GCM scenarios. The research targets a vast farming region dominated by heavy clay soils where rainfed agriculture is a dominant practice. The potential for improving soil water productivity and improved water harvesting have been explored as ways of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. This can be utilized to explore and design appropriate conservation agriculture and adaptation practices in similar agro-ecological environments, and create opportunities for outscaling for much wider areas. The results of this study can suggest the need for possible policy refinements towards reducing vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in rainfed farming systems.

非洲中南部卢弗里安地区Cu-Co矿床研究进展

对非洲中南部卢弗里安地区Cu-Co矿床的大量研究成果进行了总结,概括了典型矿床的区域地质背景、岩石地层划分,较为系统地分析了成矿带中矿床的地质特征和矿床成因。得到①罗安群成岩年龄为765~735Ma,这也是同生沉积层状铜钴矿的形成年龄;②后期多阶段改造的主要成矿年龄为510~500Ma,主要受到卢弗里安时期复杂的逆冲推覆断裂和褶皱控制。

中南部非洲金刚石矿床的成矿地质背景、成矿类型及矿床特征

中南部非洲是世界上金刚石资源最为丰富的地区之一,其金刚石矿床主要产于津巴布韦克拉通和卡普瓦尔克拉通内,主要分为两种类型:①原生金刚石矿床;②次生金刚石矿床,且以原生金刚石矿床的研究程度较高,代表了中南部非洲的研究现状。本文通过总结前人研究资料发现,该地区的金伯利岩分为Ⅰ型和Ⅱ型,其内包体可以分为两种:橄榄岩型和榴辉岩型;金刚石可以分为三类:橄榄岩型、榴辉岩型及两者的过渡类型——二辉岩型。其中,橄榄岩型和部分榴辉岩型金刚石来自于地幔结晶堆晶体,而另一部分榴辉岩型则与板块俯冲的构造—热事件有关。金伯利岩的年龄主要分布于白垩纪、二叠纪、寒武纪及元古宙,而金刚石的年龄主要为元古宙和太古宙,金伯利岩和金刚石为不同时期的产物,金刚石为金伯利岩侵位期间捕获的上地幔物理破碎产物。其中900～1000Ma左右的金刚石为板块构造—热事件的产物,并对早期金刚石进行了改造破坏。次生金刚石矿床为原生矿床风化后的产物,可分为四种类型,构造特征、基岩地质及地貌演化等对该类矿床的分布具有重要的影响作用。

南部非洲锰矿成矿规律与资源潜力

锰作为一种重要的金属矿产,广泛应用于各种工业领域。世界锰矿资源总量丰富,但分布极不均衡,主要分布在南非、乌克兰、巴西、澳大利亚等国。中国锰矿资源具有总量大、平均品位低、开采难度大等特点,为满足国内需求,中国每年需从海外进口大量锰矿。南部非洲地区锰矿资源丰富,主要有海相沉积受变质型、海相沉积型、热液型及表生型锰矿4种成矿类型。其中,海相沉积受变质型和海相沉积型最重要,依据含矿岩系特征又进一步将其划分为BIF岩系型锰矿、黑色页岩系型锰矿及硅-泥-灰岩系型锰矿。南部非洲原生锰矿成矿时代主要集中在2.2~2.0 Ga,与Eburnean造山运动时代耦合;空间上主要分布在古陆块边缘,成矿背景以弧后盆地及边缘盆地为主。南部非洲地区锰矿成矿地质条件优越,且总体找矿勘查程度较低,资源潜力巨大。

南部非洲汉语学习者目标任务需求分析——以博茨瓦纳为例

在任务型语言教学理念中,学习者学习某种语言的目标任务是教学任务的根本。文章在多渠道、多方面收集南部非洲地区主要是博茨瓦纳学习者学习汉语目标任务的基础上,通过对一定规模问卷调查结果的定量研究,了解了他们对众多交际任务项目的需要程度和这些任务项目的内在结构,分析了目标任务的多层次性和多面性,提倡更加准确地认识当地汉语学习者的目标任务需求,使当地汉语教学更具有针对性。

南部非洲中文教育现状及问题分析--以博茨瓦纳为例

非洲国家众多、资源丰富、市场潜力巨大,是中国外交“基础中的基础”,具有重要的地缘战略意义。博茨瓦纳位于南部非洲“十字路口”,是南部非洲共合体的核心地区,对博茨瓦纳中文教育发展的研究有助于厘清南部非洲诸国对中文的需求,为中文教育区域化推进提供策略,以更好服务中非“一带一路”建设和高水平中非命运共同体建设等国家战略。为此,两国应进一步加强合作,逐步推进中文纳入国民教育体系、完善多元主体参与模式、推动“两教”本土化建设,以促进中文教育在博茨瓦纳高质量可持续发展,充分发挥中文在“一带一路”建设中的服务作用,为构建中非命运共同体贡献中国力量。

试析南非种族主义政权的区域“扰乱政策”

20世纪70年代,南非种族主义政权根据国际国内形势的变化制定了"总战略"。"总战略"在南部非洲区域层面体现在要将相关国家纳入南非控制的体系,而对拒绝接受控制的国家,南非则采取"扰乱政策",对它们进行多种形式、不间断、低烈度的"扰乱"。南非的"扰乱政策"给这些国家造成了巨大的损失,也阻碍了整个南部非洲区域的发展。但是,随着种族主义政权的垮台,南非的这一政策最终归于失败。

南部非洲矿业发展的特点与中国的应对

南部非洲矿产资源丰富,矿业在这一区域工业体系中占据非常重要的地位。南部非洲矿业的发展水平相对较高,但又呈现出比较明显的单一性和外向性,并具有受外部资本、南非和利益集团影响程度较高的特性,同时面临着部分国家和地区不稳定形势的威胁。当前,中国对非洲矿产资源的需求度正逐步提高,南部非洲因其丰富的矿产资源和较高的矿业发展水平而对中国格外重要,中国应在把握并适应相关特点的基础上与南部非洲开展矿业合作。

非洲G盆地南部凹陷热演化史恢复及成藏期次判断

非洲G盆地是受中非剪切带影响而发育形成的典型被动裂谷盆地，其南部凹陷带为盆地主要油源区。为进一步明确G盆地油气勘探方向，需开展盆地南部凹陷热演化史及油气成藏方面的研究。油层测温表明，南部凹陷现今平均地温梯度为3．9℃／100m，属于中温型地温场。根据镜质体反射率、包裹体测温恢复了G盆地凹陷带古地温演化史，研究表明G盆地凹陷白垩纪古地温梯度为2．4～3．77℃／100m，古地温梯度低于现今地温梯度。古地温恢复及热史模拟表明最高地温是在现今达到的，下白垩统烃源岩热演化程度主要受现今地温场控制。包裹体均一温度分析表明G盆地南部凹陷存在两次流体作用事件，分别发生在晚白垩世早期（96．0～87．0Ma）及第四纪（3．0—0Ma）。下白垩统油气的主要成藏期在晚白垩世早期。

非洲一体化组织与冲突解决:“前线国家”的历史经验

冲突是非洲在当前和未来相当长一段时期内都必须面对的问题,虽然非洲一体化组织在冲突解决过程中发挥了重要作用,但仍有诸多不足。"前线国家"在20世纪70至90年代的南部非洲区域性冲突解决中发挥了重要且具有实质性的作用,其原因在于"前线国家"各成员有解决冲突的客观迫切需要,是一个直接切实面对冲突的机制且建立了配套的经济协调组织。"前线国家"的这些历史经验值得非洲一体化组织在应对和解决非洲冲突的过程中思考和借鉴。