Characterization of flowpaths to improve the prediction of vegetation impacts on hydrological processes in semi-arid mountainous catchments of the Cape Fold Belt

Abstract

Mountainous areas are important water sources in many landscapes. An understanding of how mountainous catchments function is important particularly in semi-arid areas, where water shortages are prevalent. In addition to climate and physiographic factors, the hydrological responses of mountainous catchments can be influenced by land uses and land cover types. Although the general effects of land use and land cover types on hydrological processes are known, prediction of the specific effects in a given catchment is still problematic. This study characterized flowpaths, and hydrological responses to different land cover types in a semi-arid, mountainous Kromme River catchment (Eastern Cape province of South Africa), located in the Cape Fold Mountains of the Table Mountain Group (TMG) geological region.