Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area

Bredasdorp, Sudáfrica

An Overview Of Our Solution

A group of landowners and a local community, concerned by the increasing threats to the environment, decided to seek a new way of conserving on private land. The area consists of high potential agricultural land interspersed with wetlands and natural vegetation of immense value. The need was for a system that kept people on the land and maintained national food security while improving the area for all by developing an economy around the biodiversity that still exists and increasing work opportunities. The final result is a landowners association where ownership is maintained but management of the natural areas is done jointly in a strategic way leaving farmers to concentrate on food production while their natural areas are cared for, jobs are maintained and work created.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Other

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Freshwater

Grasslands

Population impacted

Estimated 6,800

Size of agricultural area

Total area 44000ha. Approximately 50% agriculture and 50% natural

Production quantity

23 Landowners (Individual information per landowner is not available)

People employed

Agriculture and subsidiaries approx. 250. Contractors (alien clearing, flower harvesting etc.) approx. 150. Seasonal approx. 150

Describe your solution

A voluntary association was formed with a constitution and a Development Framework (DF) and members had conditions binding them and their successors in title to the Constitution and DF registered on their Title Deeds. An application for National Protected Environment was lodged with the Minister of Environment. The DF promotes a model for private-community collaboration in establishing buffer zones around formally protected areas and extending biodiversity conservation into privately owned areas of ecological value;sharing the responsibility for the management of such areas across individual boundaries of private landowners and ensuring that high-potential agricultural land is utilised for sustainable agriculture. This collaborative approach allows for uniform strategic interventions over priority ecological zones, freeing farmers to concentrate on food production while creating work opportunities for local inhabitants. The natural areas are being restored and developed sustainably.The introduction of suitable game animals in an effort to create a biodiversity economy through tourism and other forms of sustainable utilization, wetland rehabilitation of flood degraded areas and an active management burning programme to both regenerate the fire dependent fynbos and form a mosaic of different aged vegetation to prevent fires, are some actions aimed at protecting the natural environment, property and sources of livelihood.

Describe your implementation

The model introduced was instrumental in accessing funding assistance through both its collaborative nature, the large area and its desire to become a Protected Environment (PE). • Commercial agriculture and jobs remain while the environment is protected • A climate change fund helped to provide for the 120km of game fencing enclosing approximately 8,500 ha, some alien clearing and firefighting equipment. • Rehabilitation of wetlands and rivers damaged during floods with small scale interventions and tree planting in the riparian zone was done. • Buffalo and other animals were introduced, while hippo were released in a wetland to help control the aggressive shallow water vegetation and keep channels open for the natural spread of water to all parts. • A fire engine was purchased and is used by the District Fire Services (DFS) under an MOA with the Association, provideig fire protection during wild fires, gives fire prevention planning and assists during management burns of approximately 1,000 ha per season • A Government fund for alien clearing follow up in areas previously cleared or burnt was obtained and approx. 4,000 ha were cleared annually for 3 years • Membership fees contribute towards the employment of two conservation managers and an ecoservices team who manage and maintain the area and all the projects undertaken. • Monitoring of flora and fauna is undertaken to measure conditions and improvements in the natural component. The proximity of the ANP and forming a buffer zone to it was an enabling and motivating factor in the development as well as the desire to become a National PE. The inclusion of entire properties in the restrictive conditions against title deeds which allowed for individual agreement of the areas to be included in the areas to be conserved was instrumental in gaining support. Obstacles encountered were the high cost of implementing Government and legal requirements.

External connections

The Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI) supported landholders to bring land under conservationincluding the development of the NWSMA. Today ABI serves as the over-arching landscape initiative on the Agulhas Plain, and remains a close partner of the Nuwejaars Wetland initiative www.agulhasbiodiversity.co.za South African National Parks (SANParks) through the GEF funded project assisted the NWSMA to develop. The separately sourced international climate change funds from the German Government for the NWSMA were channeled through SANParks as the relevant State Agency. An MoU between SANParks and the NWSMA was implemented www.sanparks.org Overberg District Municipality (ODM). NWSMA is assisting by implementing some ofthe ODM environmental objectives ie conserving wetlands. The NWSMAsupplied the ODM Fire Services witha fire engine and in turn receive fire prevention, planning and assistance in management burns. www.odm.org.za The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape is responsible for agricultural resources and National bio-diversity acts in the province. The Department is a key partner of ABI and was part of the planning committee during the NWSMA development. The Department signed a MoC with the SMA where both parties support each other in sustainable biodiversity conservation and the enhancement of economic, ecological and social wealth of the people of the Western Cape. www.nda.agric.za

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

The project area on the Agulhas Plain is a very diverse mix of agriculture, wetlands and natural fynbos with an exceptionally high percentage (23.6%) of regional endemics with (5.7%) endemic flora to the Agulhas Plain. Of the 1850 species found here at least 315 are species of special concern. The disproportionately high proportion of threatened species on the Agulhas Plain requires a special approach to achieve national conservation targets.Pressure on farming operations, through rising input costs can force landowners to use more natural land. Climate change is forcing landowners to seek alternative production systems and crops. The agricultural sector, a major job creator, is a critical stakeholder in the management of our natural resources, with 80% of the countries land surface owned by agriculture (including small-scale farmers, emerging farmers and commercial farmers). The challenge is to maintain basic food production, create jobs while conserving the natural environment.

Describe the context in which you are operating

The 23 private landowners including emergent farmers and local communities formed a voluntary association to work together to collectively manage the Nuwejaars Wetland Special Management Area (SMA) for conservation. This area effectively forms the buffer zone to the Agulhas National Park (ANP) and is the majority of the catchment of the Nuwejaars River which connects with many wetlands while crossing the Plain and feeding the De Mond Estuary, a Ramsar site of International importance.
The area produces between 20,000 and 30,000 tons of cereal crops annually, approx. 700 tons of meat as well as wool, dairy, wine and cut flowers. The river and wetlands feed the underground supply which supports the local communities and agriculture as well as communities further away while the wetlandsalso create suitable areas of natural abundance. The natural areas are under severe threat from aggressive alien plant invaders requiring constant interventions while wild fires are a threat to the whole district. The effects of climate change are exacerbating these threats and others such as unseasonal flooding.

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

Biodiversity is being improved by; • The control of alien vegetation invasion through clearing by hand • Pre-planned management block burns of natural areas which clear aliens and promote regeneration of habitat while reducing wild fire incidents • Reintroduction of historically occurring fauna to fulfill their natural role while giving value to the area. • Connecting natural areas into a corridor system to allow for flora and fauna migration to happen • Addressing wetland and riparian degradation with alien clearing, indigenous tree establishment and rehabilitation structures • Improved habitat for the severely threatened indigenous and endemic fish • Monitoring of the natural systems and its inhabitants as well as cleared areas. • Creating an area of conservation action which benefits the Agulhas National Park (ANP) • Obtained long-term landowner commitment through title deed conditions to 44,000 hectares

Language(s)

English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa

Water

Removing alien vegetation improves the water supply both above and underground filling aquifers and feeding into wetlands. This results in better hydrated wetland peat, reducing loss of carbon. These wetlandsform areas for natural abundance of fauna and flora and create habitat for many avian species and summer migrants. The healthy Nuwejaars River and associated wetlands ensures a healthy De Mond estuaryRamsar Site and enhance the ANP. The area has just been included in the Important Bird Area

Food Security/Nutrition

This conservation system assists National food security as well as job security by promoting commercial agriculture of the high producing soils of the area alongside the conservation of the highly vulnerable and threatened natural areas.

Economic/Sustainable Development

The project creates opportunity for sustainable economic development in the tourism field with game and botanical tours and bird hides. Buffalo are bred to generate income for management of the area.

Climate

Alien vegetation is prone to fire and regenerates large bulk quickly while the natural fynbos is a slow developing and less bulky vegetation, burning less frequently. Removing aliens thus reduces the carbon released into the atmosphere. Harvested aliens can be chipped and used for compost or as a power source. Riparian rehabilitation and erosion control create water retention which keeps the carbon storing peat ground from dehydrating and releasing carbon and hippo introduced to wetlands open up

Sustainability

Currently income from buffalo, tourism, biodiversity products and membership fees cover approximately 75% of costs and the remainder is from a grant. The alien clearing labour costs are from a Government poverty relief scheme and the association carries the remaining costs. The return from the fire engine secures the Fire Protection Agency membership for the group and the basic fire prevention and block burning assistance from the authorities. Any other conservation project or intervention is funded by members or externally until the Association can increase income sufficiently. The buffalo project, tourism and other products are still in the developing stage and should show steady growth for increasing the potential income

Return on investment

ZAR 2 million secured a fund of ZAR 20 million.The initial investment was returned 10 fold. The total investment is showing approximately 8-10% return

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How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

The essence of the system development is the involvement of all the stakeholders, but especially the landowners, from the start and would be best suited to areas of relatively advanced agriculture with a degree of natural undeveloped land included. Each system so developed would embody both the character of the participants and the character of the area and each situation would differ in the objectives set and the way they were to be achieved. Finance required would depend on the number of participants involved, the degree of intervention envisaged andthe level that the participants were prepared to commit to conservation. The key stakeholders would probably be the Government Organisations’ responsible for agriculture, nature conservation, National parks and local authorities as well as any surrounding communities. A specialist consultant and a legal representative with knowledge of environmental legislation would be needed to assist and guide the process. Visit www.nuwejaars.com

Overview