JOURNAL
Karoo research update : Progress , gaps and threats
M Timm Hoffman 1 , Richard M Cowling 2 , 3 , Hana Petersen 1 & Cherryl Walker 4
Current Address : 1 Plant Conservation Unit , Department of Biological Sciences , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa ; 2 Department of Botany , Nelson Mandela University , Port Elizabeth , South Africa ; 3 African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience , Nelson Mandela University , Port Elizabeth , South Africa
4
DSI / NRF SARChI Chair in the Sociology of Land , Environment and Sustainable Development , Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology , Stellenbosch University , Stellenbosch , South Africa Reprinted from : S Afr J Sci . 2021 ; 117 ( 1 / 2 ), Art . # 8695 . https :// bit . ly / 38u36Xd
It has been more than three decades since the conclusion of the Karoo Biome Project ( KBP ). 1 At its height in the late 1980s , the KBP coordinated the efforts of nearly 100 research projects across a range of mainly ecological and agricultural disciplines . In this brief update we examine the research that has occurred in the Nama-Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes since then and describe the relative contributions made by different disciplines to this body of knowledge . We also highlight efforts to synthesise knowledge across the disciplinary divides . Finally , we identify notable gaps in the research , especially considering the major land-use changes that are occurring across the Karoo . We conclude that new questions should be asked and that significantly greater collaboration between disciplines should be fostered in order to address the pressing challenges facing the Karoo more effectively . This necessitates a far more coordinated response than has been the case to date . Institutional leadership and additional funding will also be required to achieve this .
Growth and disciplinary focus in the published Karoo literature
To identify the research that has taken place in the Karoo , we searched the Web of Science for all articles using the words Karoo , Karroo , Namaqualand , Richtersveld , Sperrgebiet , Bushmanland , Knersvlakte or Augrabies in their titles , keywords or abstracts . The 5277 articles identified from this search were then reviewed separately by two of the authors ( M . T . H . and H . P .). Articles which extended beyond the Karoo region , narrowly defined as the Nama-Karoo a
No . of publica�ons
700 600 500 400 300 200 100
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366
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Figure 1 : ( a ) The number of articles ( N = 1578 ) concerned with Karoo research and which are listed in the Web of Science for the period 1946 – 2019 . ( b ) The percentage of publications on the Karoo according to their main disciplinary focus .
and Succulent Karoo biomes 2 , were not considered further . Articles for which an abstract was not available were also excluded . The remaining 1578 journal articles (~ 30 % of the original list ) were then each assigned a keyword to reflect the primary disciplinary focus .
The selection criteria for our bibliography meant that several important books , book chapters , articles in nonpeer reviewed journals , field records and short research notes that are either not indexed in the Web of Science or do not meet our full selection criteria fell out of the analysis . While this is a limitation , particularly with respect to the human sciences , we nevertheless consider that this database provides a broadly indicative and useful overview of the state of Karoo studies , one which
b
% of publica�ons
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can be expanded through follow-up work .
Results show that there has been a steady increase over time in the number of publications concerned with the Karoo ( Figure 1a ). The last decade of the 20th century was a clear turning point for Karoo research . More than four times the number of articles were published in the decade 1990 – 1999 than had been produced in all the years since 1946 . The momentum created by the KBP undoubtedly contributed to this surge in publications . The number of publications has increased by 30 % or more in each subsequent decade . This suggests an ongoing and vibrant research interest in the Karoo which shows little sign of abating .
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11 Grassroots Vol 21 No 1 March 2021