LandCare, Western Cape Dept of Agriculture

Stellenbosch, South Africa

An Overview Of Our Solution

Between 2003-2006, the beautiful Hessequa municipal area, in the Western Cape of South Africa, experienced 3 major floods. The Duiwenhoks River was badly affected. This river supports a farming community and 4 towns situated along its banks. But the floods cost farmers, communities and towns downstream millions of rands. Fruit orchards, holiday resorts and sewage works were washed away. 1000s of hectares of arable land were lost, and 1000s of head of livestock died in the floods. The crisis affected the entire municipality. And it all stemmed from poor management by some farmers in the area. That’s when LandCare, Western Cape Department of Agriculture stepped in. Spending R40m, and using innovative structures, the river is being repaired, invasive plants removed, and riverbanks rehabilitated, supporting agriculture and livelihoods that depend on this river.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Government

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Freshwater

Population impacted

9,320

Size of agricultural area

20,000 hectares

Production quantity

Difficult to quantify, given the mixed farming activities

People employed

140 in construction; 144 in invasive alien clearing

Describe your solution

The LandCare team required an innovative solution to this challenge. And it needed a tough approach – one which built trust with farmers along the river, while still preventing any further development and damage to the river system. So aside from a strong implementation plan, a good communications and awareness plan was also required. So the LandCare team designed new gabion structures, as yet untested in South Africa. The structures had one simple task: to facilitate a healthy landscape and natural environment around them in the river. (Previously success had been measured on the structures themselves; now that changed to assess the return of natural vegetation in the riparian zones). Invasive plants growing along the river were removed, and wetlands were rehabilitated. At the same time, LandCare officials started working closely with landowners along river. The team provided new skills and education on river systems, and how they are living systems. Previously farmers would bulldoze channels, believing they were fixing river courses. These and other poor management practices were discouraged. The awareness campaign took many years (and is still ongoing). However, today the positive impacts of the structures, and the return of life to the river tells a powerful story: how landowners can play their role in protecting the natural resources on their properties – not only for their own farming practices, but also those downstream.

Describe your implementation

The Duiwenhoks River needed a radical intervention. And it needed to take place on many fronts. First was to stop further erosion in the river. So the LandCare team designed innovative weirs and groyne structures to stabilise the river. These structures were designed specifically for the river, using examples seen overseas. 2 weirs and 30 groyne structures were built, creating jobs for 140 people (mostly from Heidelberg), and costing R40-million. Erosion control can’t take place without alien clearing. So LandCare teamed up with the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy – the oldest conservancy in the Western Cape. Together they developed a clearing model where LandCare provides 70% of the funding, while landowners commit to 30%. Since October last year, 113 hectares have been cleared along the river. Through additional support from the Department of Environmental Affairs, 8 contracting teams, employing 144 people, mostly from Heidelberg, now clear invasives daily. Where aliens have been cleared, the LandCare team plants palmiet and other indigenous plants to stabilise riverbanks where appropriate. None of this work could take place without landowner buy-in. So over 10 years, the LandCare team worked to build close relations with landowners, to build trust, and so to change farming practices. The aim was to encourage farmers working along the riverbanks to protect their natural resources – not just to conserve the biodiversity, but to allow higher productivity on farms over time. Dedicated LandCare officials facilitated landowner support. So much so that the Grootvadersbosch conservancy today consists of 25 members, all committed to excellent natural resource management. Even the farmer who originally destroyed the wetland is now a conservancy member and contributes to alien clearing.

External connections

The LandCare team has connected well with private landowners. These are the custodians of the natural resources – and where much support is needed. The team has high praise for the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy, and together undertaken numerous projects, including the invasive alien clearing and wetland rehabilitation work. Many farmers in the area don’t belong to the conservancy. And so a dedicated team of extension support officials meets landowners regularly. Traditionally, the level of trust between government and the private sector has been low. However, LandCare District Manager in the Hessequa area, Hannes Muller, has worked to build up trust with these key stakeholders over many years. Today, he says landowners are willing to cooperate to restore a wetland, and frequently approach LandCare for support. LandCare also works closely with other structures in government. CapeNature is the conservation authority in the Western Cape. CapeNature is rehabilitating the eastern leg of the river (LandCare is working on the western leg). Cooperation between these two players is vital, with LandCare providing technical support on groyne and weir structures. The team also works with Working for Wetlands, a job creation programme within government, the Department of Transport (responsible for road infrastructure), as well as the local Hessequa Municipality.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

The Duiwenhoks River (50km long), a 12,000 year old river, is classified as a National Fresh Water Ecosystem Priority Area and critical aquatic biodiversity area. It’s also a hub for endangered species. But the 3 floods between 2003-2006 affected the health of the river. Erosion led to deep gulley’s of 11m, with eroded areas stretching 40m in breadth. At the time, raw sewage flowed into the river. Poor land management magnified the impact of the floods. Farming started here in 1725. Over the years, wetlands were replaced with agricultural lands. Half the natural vegetation was lost in just 60 years. In the early 2000s, 1 farmer removed 30ha of wetlands for pastures – close to the river’s catchment. So when the river flooded, the system couldn’t act as it should. Erosion, sedimentation, lower water quality and quantity affected those downstream. So LandCare worked to halt further erosion, help the river heal itself, and encourage farmers to work in partnership with nature.

Describe the context in which you are operating

The Duiwenhoks River supports much of the municipal area (population of 52,000). Around 13,000 individuals are involved in the agriculture sector, about a quarter of the population, either as farmers or farmworkers. Much of the population is considered to be historically disadvantaged. 45% of the population has some primary school education, and only 33% some secondary school education. So the role of agriculture is vital – environmentally, economically and socially. If the river is irreparably damaged, a lifeline of the community is lost.
But the river’s role stretches beyond agriculture. It’s the main source of water for 4 towns: Heidelberg, Puntjie, Vermaaklikheid, Slangrivier. Heidelberg is the largest, with a population of 8000. Aside from a bentonite mine (employing about 50 people), most people here work in agriculture. The water scheme, Overberg Water, draws its water from the Duiwenhoks, providing water to 600 households and farming operations.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

Improvements took place both through LandCare’s direct contribution, and through indirect impacts. The 30 groyne structures and two weirs were strategically placed along the river. One of the weirs was placed where an 11m gulley had formed. This weir lifted the gulley by 4m. And this has already had impressive benefits – with the erosion having stabilized, and with palmiet returning to the region, as well as other fauna and flora. The groyne structures were built to slow down the fast-flowing waters eroding away outer banks, and then depositing sediment from the outside bank to the inner bank. These structures ensure a straighter flow of water, displacing fast-flowing water to the middle of the river. That stops further erosion, improves water quality and quantity, and allows natural vegetation to return to the banks of the river. Invasive alien plants are a catastrophe in the Western Cape. So the clearing work taking place along the river has further improved biodiversity.

Language(s)

Afrikaans, Xhosa, English

Water

According to local water scheme, Overberg Water, the project has had numerous benefits. The water scheme provides water to 600 households and farming operations. Following the floods, sedimentation was a problem, slowing down the amount of water provided to these water users. With the structures in place, there has been a 66% improvement in water extraction. And the river has not been too low to extract water in the past 8 years, since groynes were first built. Water quality has also improved.

Food Security/Nutrition

When the river flooded in 2004, not only were thousands of hectares of arable land affected, but water for irrigation was also impacted. The project has secured the river system, which allows for irrigation of commercial and subsistence farming operations along the banks and beyond. The river supports around 20,000 hectares of farmland along its banks – consisting of dairy farming, fruit, livestock, vegetables and grain (even game breeding).

Economic/Sustainable Development

The Hessequa Municipal area is largely dependent on the agriculture sector. In fact, LandCare became involved in the project given the sector’s importance, and given that so many households depended on a vibrant farming economy (with 20,000 hectares directly dependent along the river). The Duiwenhoks Flood Works was therefore LandCare’s effort to promote this economy – with strong success to date.

Climate

Between 2003-2006, the region experienced 3 major floods – which experts attributed to a changing climate. After the flood in 2004, stakeholders came together to develop a solution. At the time, wetlands along the riverbanks were poorly managed, and couldn’t support floods or droughts. Since the launch of the project, the region still sees unusual weather events but the river system is now much healthier and more resilient to climate change.

Sustainability

The Duiwenhoks Flood Works was initially funded by local government, following the floods of 2004. These Disaster Funds allowed R40-million to be spent on the construction of the groyne and weir structures. However, these funds have leveraged funds from numerous other sources, including private landowners, who today co-fund invasive alien clearing work in the area, as well as funding from the National Department of Environmental Affairs (also for invasive alien clearing). While few landowners could afford the construction work that has taken place to stabilise the river, it has led to new landowner support to encourage a healthier river system, as well as support from other conservation agencies such as CapeNature.

Return on investment

The region experienced 3 major floods between 2003-2006, just before the launch of the Duiwenhoks River Works. During the first flood, the sewage works were badly affected, costing the municipality R20m to repair. Following the 2004 flood, the recently fixed sewage plant was again impacted, with the sewage pipes damaged, leading to raw sewage leaking into the river. During this flood, municipal chalets were flooded, and today the holiday resort remains closed, with the municipality opting to not fix the costly infrastructure. In 2006, more storms damaged the pipeline – again costing millions to fix. So while the project cost R40m, the saving on infrastructure downstream alone is worth millions; not least the saving to farming operations.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

The Duiwenhoks Flood Works and work in the Buffeljags River were the first to test new innovative stabilizing structures. The construction of the groyne structures and the weirs successfully re-aligned the river channel. Given the success of the project, it has already been replicated across the Western Cape. For example, a 2 metre deep erosion gulley in the Elandskloof River, also in the Western Cape, has been fixed following the construction of five gabion weirs in the gulley, which has halted erosion and staiblised the river downstream. This river also has a biodiversity-rich wetland downstream. The Duiwenhoks Flood Works will also be replicated in the Brandwacht River, near Mossel Bay in the Western Cape. Already the baseline risk assessment report for this river has been completed. And 27 groyne structures will be constructed in the river.

Overview