South African forest hydrologist whose catchment studies at Jonkershoek, near Stellenbosch, measured how pine plantations reduce streamflow from fynbos catchments. His 1987 paper in Water SA is the base rate the wiki cites for the water cost of pine invasion in the fynbos biome.
Contribution
Stellenbosch University holds an MSc thesis by Daniel Bartholomeus van Wyk (1977) on the effect of afforestation with Pinus radiata on the total annual runoff of the Jonkershoek streams. The wiki takes this thesis and the 1987 paper to be the work of the same researcher.
The 1987 paper documented a 55 percent reduction in streamflow, from 600 mm to 270 mm, in fynbos catchments 23 years after pine afforestation. The finding anchors the defensible water claim on Bioprecipitation: clearing invasive alien trees restores runoff and infiltration. It also underpins the business case for the Greater Cape Town Water Fund.
Selected works
- Van Wyk, D.B. (1977). Die invloed van bebossing met Pinus radiata op die totale jaarlikse afvoer van die Jonkershoek strome. MSc thesis, Stellenbosch University.
- Van Wyk, D.B. (1987). “Some effects of afforestation on streamflow in the Western Cape Province.” Water SA.
Related pages
Sources
- Van Wyk, D.B. (1987). Some effects of afforestation on streamflow in the Western Cape Province
- Thesis record, Stellenbosch University SUNScholar
Provenance
First-pass entry: sections require enrichment from the underlying project documents. Public biographical information on this researcher is thin; the page records only the thesis and the cited paper.