A multi-dimensional assessment of land degradation in the Sterkspruit river catchment: The nexus between landscape sensitivity, land use dynamics and landscape resilience

Abstract

This study sets out to assess the status and causes of land degradation in the Sterkspruit catchment of the Eastern Cape, and the extent to which this has affected the biophysical environment and rural livelihoods. The attributes of the biophysical and socio-economic environments that predispose the area to land degradation, the manifestations of land degradation and people's responses to the dynamics of their environmental circumstances are some of the key issues of enquiry.