Field Guide to Renosterveld of the Overberg

Title: Field Guide to Renosterveld of the Overberg
Authors: Odette Curtis-Scott; Mike Goulding; Nick Helme; Rhoda McMaster; Sean Privett; Charles Stirton
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Nature
Cape Town, South Africa 2020
ISBN 9781775845805 / ISBN 978-1-77-584580-5
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 488 pages, throughout colour photos

About: Field Guide to Renosterveld of the Overberg

Experts estimate that just 5 per cent of original Renosterveld survives in a landscape fragmented by agriculture and human settlements. Often regarded as the ugly sister of Fynbos, Renosterveld is part of the Greater Cape Floristic Region's Fynbos biome. While this biome's more charismatic members - proteas, ericas and restios - survive in nutrient-poor environments, the shrublands of Renosterveld grow in relatively fertile soils. Extraordinarily diverse, this vegetation type is dominated by bulbs, flowering plants and palatable grasses.

Field Guide to Renosterveld of the Overberg describes almost 1,000 plants and 140 animals found in the region. Each species is supported by informative photographs. The extensive introduction includes a brief history and describes and explores this vegetation fully. A glossary of terms with illustrations unpacks difficult terminology. Guidelines for Renosterveld management are also included. Detailing exciting new discoveries together with endemic and threatened species, this field guide promises to be an enduring record and a vital addition to any nature lover's bookshelf.

An award-winning champion of the Renosterveld and author of Field Guide to Renosterveld of the Overberg, Dr Odette Curtis-Scott founded the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust in 2012. She is passionate about the conservation of Renosterveld and has spent more than a third of her life working towards improving our ecological understanding of this critically endangered ecosystem, to ensure that Renosterveld has a future.

Content: Field Guide to Renosterveld of the Overberg

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Authors
Introduction
Renosterveld of the Overberg
Renosterveld history and current-day context
Understanding Renosterveld ecology
Human-induced impact on Renosterveld
How to use this book
Conservation and Red List species
Conservation Status of Renosterveld flora
The Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust
Plants
Lycopodiophytes
Marchantiophytes
Pteridophytes
Monocotyledons
Dicotyledons
Animals
Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
Fish
Slugs
Spiders
Scorpions
Insects
Appendixes
Renosterveld management guidelines
Formalising conservation on private land
Bibliography
Glossary of terms
Illustrated glossary
Index