STEP Processes - Non-planning Units

Processes were incorporated in the assessment by identifying their spatial dimensions and targeting these in their entirety. The spatial dimensions, or components, of processes are actually surrogates for biodiversity processes that operate at a regional scale. Processes included the following (details are described in Cowling et al. 2003): SPATIALLY FIXED - Biome interfaces; Ecological diversification of plant lineages; 500m buffer of untransformed habitat along thicket and adjacent biome (fynbos, grassland, succulent karoo and Nama-karoo); STEP vegetation types; Habitat transformation - Sand movement corridors; Inland movement of marine sands and associated soil development; Functional corridor comprising intact source and sink areas; Sand masses; Habitat transformation - Riverine corridors; Migration and exchange between inland and coastal biotas; 250m buffer of untransformed habitat along riverine systems linking coastal and inland subregions; Perennial rivers; Habitat transformation - Coastal interface; Migration and exchange between patches of coastal thicket; 500m buffer of untransformed habitat along the coast.; Coastline Habitat transformation SPATIALLY FLEXIBLE - Upland-lowland gradients; Ecological diversification of plant and animal lineages; migration of biota; 1km-wide strip of untransformed habitat linking the upland STEP boundary and the coast within each bio-region; Bio-regionsHabitat transformation - Macroclimatic gradients; Geographic diversification of plant and animal lineages; migration of biota; 1km strip of untransformed habitat linking major biogeographic zones; STEP vegetation typesHabitat transformation Purpose: Created for the Subtropical Thicket Ecosystem Planning Project, in order to identify spatial priorities for conservation action in the Thicket Biome. Method of capture/Lineage: Refer to: Cowling, R.M., Lombard, A.T., Rouget, M., Kerley G.I.H., Wolf T., Sims-Castley, R., Knight, A., Vlok, J.H.J., Pierce, S.M., Boshoff, A.F. and Wilson, S.L. 2003. A conservation assessment for the Subtropical Thicket Biome. TERU Report 43: 106 pp; Appendices 80 pp. Completeness: The final STEP layer is as complete as is currently possible Supplemental Information: Cowling, R.M., Lombard, A.T., Rouget, M., Kerley G.I.H., Wolf T., Sims-Castley, R., Knight, A., Vlok, J.H.J., Pierce, S.M., Boshoff, A.F. and Wilson, S.L. 2003. A conservation assessment for the Subtropical Thicket Biome. TERU Report 43: 106 pp; Appendices 80 pp. Lombard, A.T., Wolf, T. and Cole, N. 2003. GIS coverages and spatial analyses for the Subtropical Thicket Ecosystem Planning (STEP) Project. TERU Report 42: 78 pp, Appendices 78 pp.