Vulnerability assessment of vegetation types

Abstract

Humans have transformed almost half of the world's land surface area into agriculture and urban systems. The most severe biodiversity loss occurs when a natural ecosystem is converted to an artificial system. This does not only affect ecosystems by altering their composition and processes, but also has important consequences for water supply and other ecosystem services upon which humans depend. South Africa is one of the top 25 countries in the world in terms of biodiversity. This assessment focuses on the potential loss of natural habitat due to habitat transformation and degradation processes, which will threaten the biodiversity of the area. In this assessment, two classes of vulnerability are referred to as land use vulnerability and degradation vulnerability. The objective of this chapter is to describe the relationship between biodiversity patterns, landscape structure and land use pressures in natural habitats of South Africa and to interpret this relationship in terms of vulnerability.