| Popis: |
Three objective criteria for assessing sites being considered as marine nature reserves are developed and applied to a region of the west coast of South Africa, between the Groen and the Spoeg rivers, that has been mooted as a possible nature reserve. On a national and regional macroscale, zoogeographic analyses of 2 000 species of invertebrates were used to reappraise accepted marine biogeographic provinces. On a mesoscale and local scale, the intertidal community composition of rocky shores was examined and related to the physiographic habitat diversity. Five major zoogeographic regions are identified around the southern African coast, including a distinct Namaqua province. The Groen-Spoeg area, which receives no adequate conservation, is representative of both the major zoogeographic province that it falls in and the Northern Namaqua sub-province. A long period of limited human access as a result of diamond-mining has kept the shore near-pristine. On a global scale, the region is unique in the extent t... |
