IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i10p6259-d820627.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Systematic Study Site Selection Protocol to Determine Environmental Flows in the Headwater Catchments of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve

Author

Listed:
  • Anesu D. Gumbo

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa)

  • Evison Kapangaziwiri

    (Hydrosciences Research Group, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria 0001, South Africa)

  • Fhumulani I. Mathivha

    (Department of Hydrology, University of Zululand, Empangeni 3886, South Africa)

Abstract

Developing nations will be worst hit by the impacts of climate change because limited resources hinder the spatial reach of climate studies, effort, and subsequent implementation to help with the improvement of livelihoods. Therefore, finding the best-case study is an essential undertaking in environmental assessments. This study explains one systematic approach to selecting a study site for an environmental assessment project. A desktop review of relevant literature, a simple factor scoring assessment process, reliance on expert opinion, and a field survey for ground-truthing were conducted. The desktop review showed the most critical factors to site selection. The scoring of these factors selected those that were crucial for the study. Experts validated the results and suggested the best study site among the ones identified. While the design is simplified, the proposed approach selects the most appropriate study site for environmental assessments.

Suggested Citation

  • Anesu D. Gumbo & Evison Kapangaziwiri & Fhumulani I. Mathivha, 2022. "A Systematic Study Site Selection Protocol to Determine Environmental Flows in the Headwater Catchments of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:10:p:6259-:d:820627
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/10/6259/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/10/6259/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rachel Heyard & Hanna Hottenrott, 2020. "The Impact of Research Funding on Knowledge Creation and Dissemination: A study of SNSF Research Grants," Papers 2011.11274, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2021.
    2. Kimberley Thomas & R. Dean Hardy & Heather Lazrus & Michael Mendez & Ben Orlove & Isabel Rivera‐Collazo & J. Timmons Roberts & Marcy Rockman & Benjamin P. Warner & Robert Winthrop, 2019. "Explaining differential vulnerability to climate change: A social science review," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(2), March.
    3. Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst & Florian Schmitt, 2020. "Exploring the Potential and Contribution of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves for Landscape Governance and Management in Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-27, July.
    4. Pfananani Ramulifho & Esther Ndou & Reuben Thifhulufhelwi & Tatenda Dalu, 2019. "Challenges to Implementing an Environmental Flow Regime in the Luvuvhu River Catchment, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Rachel Heyard & Hanna Hottenrott, 2021. "The value of research funding for knowledge creation and dissemination: A study of SNSF Research Grants," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Janne Pölönen & Otto Auranen, 2022. "Research performance and scholarly communication profile of competitive research funding: the case of Academy of Finland," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(12), pages 7415-7433, December.
    2. Fernando Almeida & José Morais & José Duarte Santos, 2022. "A Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Outcomes of European Projects on the Digital Transformation of SMEs," Publications, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Corinna Ghirelli & Enkelejda Havari & Elena Meroni & Stefano Verzillo, 2023. "The long-term causal effects of winning an ERC grant," Working Papers 2313, Banco de España.
    4. Melika Mosleh & Saeed Roshani & Mario Coccia, 2022. "Scientific laws of research funding to support citations and diffusion of knowledge in life science," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(4), pages 1931-1951, April.
    5. Alberto Corsini & Michele Pezzoni, 2022. "Does grant funding foster research impact? Evidence from France," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03912647, HAL.
    6. Rachel Heyard & Tobias Philipp & Hanna Hottenrott, 2021. "Imaginary carrot or effective fertiliser? A rejoinder on funding and productivity," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(11), pages 9333-9338, November.
    7. Alberto Corsini & Michele Pezzoni, 2022. "Does grant funding foster research impact? Evidence from France," Working Papers hal-03912647, HAL.
    8. Corsini, Alberto & Pezzoni, Michele, 2023. "Does grant funding foster research impact? Evidence from France," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(4).
    9. Leah Salm & Nicholas Nisbett & Laura Cramer & Stuart Gillespie & Philip Thornton, 2021. "How climate change interacts with inequity to affect nutrition," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), March.
    10. Gannon, Kate & Castellano, Elena & Eskander, Shaikh & Agol, Dorice & Diop, Mamadou & Conway, Declan & Sprout, Liz, 2022. "The triple differential vulnerability of female entrepreneurs to climate risk in sub-Saharan Africa: gendered barriers and enablers to private sector adaptation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115222, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Julio C. Postigo & Victoria-Eugenia Guáqueta-Solórzano & Edna Castañeda & Cesar Enrique Ortiz-Guerrero, 2024. "Adaptive Responses and Resilience of Small Livestock Producers to Climate Variability in the Cruz Verde-Sumapaz Páramo, Colombia," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, April.
    12. Eriksen, Siri & Schipper, E. Lisa F. & Scoville-Simonds, Morgan & Vincent, Katharine & Adam, Hans Nicolai & Brooks, Nick & Harding, Brian & Khatri, Dil & Lenaerts, Lutgart & Liverman, Diana & Mills-No, 2021. "Adaptation interventions and their effect on vulnerability in developing countries: Help, hindrance or irrelevance?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    13. Paola D'Orazio & Lilit Popoyan, 2020. "Taking up the climate change challenge: a new perspective on central banking," LEM Papers Series 2020/19, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    14. Willian Sierra-Barón & Pablo Olivos-Jara & Andrés Gómez-Acosta & Oscar Navarro, 2023. "Environmental Identity, Connectedness with Nature, and Well-Being as Predictors of Pro-Environmental Behavior, and Their Comparison between Inhabitants of Rural and Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, March.
    15. Shepherd, Philippa M. & Dissart, Jean-Christophe, 2022. "Reframing vulnerability and resilience to climate change through the lens of capability generation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    16. Godfred Owusu-Boateng & Akwasi Ampofo-Yeboah & Thomas Kwaku Agyemang & Kofi Sarpong, 2022. "Seasonal Variation In Water Quality Index Of The Lake Bosomtwe Biosphere Reserve," Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 6(2), pages 46-51, April.
    17. Tormos-Aponte, Fernando & García-López, Gustavo & Painter, Mary Angelica, 2021. "Energy inequality and clientelism in the wake of disasters: From colorblind to affirmative power restoration," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    18. Patricia M. Clay & Jennifer Howard & D. Shallin Busch & Lisa L. Colburn & Amber Himes-Cornell & Steven S. Rumrill & Stephani G. Zador & Roger B. Griffis, 2020. "Ocean and coastal indicators: understanding and coping with climate change at the land-sea interface," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 1773-1793, December.
    19. O'Brien, G. & Dickens, Chris & Diedericks, G. & Kaiser, A. & Barendze, C. & Pearson, H. & LeRoux, H. & MacKenzie, J. & Gerber, S. & Petersen, R. & Dlamini, V., 2022. "E-flows for the Limpopo River Basin: present ecological state - ecological response to change. Project report prepared by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) for the United States Agen," IWMI Reports 337114, International Water Management Institute.
    20. Ching-Cheng Shen & Dan Wang & Jennifer Pasion Loverio & Hsi-Lin Liu & Hsing-Yi Wang, 2022. "Influence of Attachment Theory on Pro-Environmental Behavior and Well-Being: A Case of Organic Agricultural Tourism in Taiwan Hualien and Taitung," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-16, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:10:p:6259-:d:820627. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.