‘Enough to be considered useful’: John Acocks’ contribution to South African botany

Abstract

John Acocks died in 1979 after working for nearly 50 years as a botanist in South Africa. His scientific contributions have had a profound influence on southern African ecology and this introductory article which includes a biographical sketch of his life, places his contribution in perspective. The 10 articles which appear in this issue have been prepared not only as a tribute to his contribution but also as an assessment of its current utility. Scientific thought is constantly changing and an attempt has been made to indicate where Acocks’ views are still supported by current evidence and where revision is necessary. His contribution lay in three main areas. Firstly, his description of the vegetation (or Veld Types) of South Africa remains a work of considerable importance and will probably never be repeated at the same level of scale, by a single individual, again. Three articles show that when assessed at a smaller scale his Veld Type concept is robust in some, but not all, cases. Differences between Acocks’ views and current treatments of the data are highlighted for the Bankenveld and for the vegetation of the Subtropical Thicket and Nama-karoo biomes. Acocks’ second important influence concerns his views on precolonial vegetation and the extent of human impact. He could not have presaged the explosion of palaeoenvironmental techniques which have arisen since his death and which have provided a somewhat different view of pre-colonial environments from the one he articulated, particularly with regard to the influence of fire on grasslands, savannas and forests. Although his views on the expansion of the eastern Karoo are not upheld in the light of recent findings there is good evidence for significant changes in the fauna and flora of the Karoo over the last 300 years. Acocks’ final contribution lay in the field of veld restoration and grazing management where he continues to have an influence on a small sector of the farming and range science community today. Not only has John Acocks provided a rich theoretical framework for scholars to test but he has also left a legacy of well-organised data for future generations. The final two papers in this special issue indicate the utility of his archives which will gain in value over the years. Challenges to Acocks’ views will continue apace and much of what he has written will undoubtedly be revised. This doesn’t detract from his contribution in any way but serves to highlight the importance of the foundation that he created during his lifetime and which we acknowledge in this special issue.