LRBSI

PIETERMARITZBURG

10-12 FEB 2015

DENC

NORTHERN CAPE DEPARTMENT OF

ENVIRONMENT & NATURE

CONSERVATION

Mandy Schumann

DENC PARTNERS HERE TODAY

Laurence Dworkin – Blomfontein Nature Reserve

Conservation South Africa – Rufus Hein

Morgan Cloete – Steinkopf

Annie Wildschuts - Kamiesberg

NORTHERN CAPE …..A WHOLE LOT OF

NOTHING…..

?????

NORTHERN CAPE

…..A WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING…..

NOTHINGNESS…NO….

NORTHERN CAPE ROCKS!!!

Tough people l iv ing in often marginal areas

Breeds –> Resourful lness, wi l l ingness, fr iendl iness,

enthusiasm

A world in one…..

…COME PARTNER WITH US!!!

BOKKEVELD PLATEAU - BULB CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

…COME PARTNER WITH US!!!

Provincial Resources – lets be honest…

*Few to no incentives

*Few resources

*Little capacity (3 stewardship staff

members)

*Budget constraints

*Distances - Head Office to

Nieuwoudtville office 700 km’s

….But…the extra gene……

…the extra gene……

->Celebrate every small success and

build on it

->Pick your battles…

->…and partner with like minded

individuals and organisations

->…be proactive, don’t wait!

Enter Stewardship…A living working

landscape

One of the 1st three provinces to start a

stewardship programme

-> ESTABLISH PILOT PROJECTS

Bokkeveld Stewardship Project

-> ESTABLISH PARTNERSHIPS

BIODIVERSITY STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMME

PARTNERS & PROJECTS

Pilot: BOKKEVELD STEWARDSHIP PROJECT

• Umbrella to facilitate communication and collaboration

= NORTHERN CAPE STEWARDSHIP FORUM

• Landowners – willingness and proactive

• Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor (GCBC)

• GC Fire Protection Association

• WFW

• CapeNature - Fresh Water Forum

• SKEP

• EWT – Drylands Conservation Programme –

• Riverine Rabbit Conservancies Loxton area

• Cape Critical Rivers Project – EWT, DENC, Capenature

• Clanwilliam Sandfish Species Management Plan (DEA for

gazetting

• CONSERVATION SA (CSA) – Kamiesberg, Steinkopf

• WWF, LHSKT, Table Mountain Fund – land purchase and

Stewardship Programme Development, Protected Area

Expansion Strategy

Akkerendam NR Botanical Survey (Hantam Municipality)

SKEP PRIORITY AREAS

NORTHERN CAPE …..A WHOLE LOT OF

NOTHING…..

NAMAQUALAND

Succulent Karoo Biome

Lot of focus to f ind out

what is where?

LOXTON

EWT –

Riverrine

Rabbit

Conserancies

NIEUWOUDTVILLE

Bokkeveld Plateau

SPRINGBOK

Kamiesberg;

Steinkop

Richterveld

EWT: DRYLANDS CONSERVATION PROGRAMME

Four conservancies - 350 000 ha – 40 landowners

Supported by DENC and Dept. Agriculture, forestry and f isheries

Key distr ibution areas of cri t ical ly endangered riverine rabbit (only found in one

formal protected area;

Extensive commercial l ivestock farming areas.

PROJECTS WITH LANDOWNERS:

->Landscape function analysis

( indices: stabi l i ty, inf i l trat ion & nutrient cycl ing)

->Degradation mapping

->Riparian ecosystem restoration - nursery

->Riverine rabbit project: ecology, biology, demographics

environmental conservation & awareness

->2012 & 2013 needs assessment and si tuation analysis

workshops carried out to identi fy priori t ies for inclusion

in management and operational plans.

->1st management plan is complete: Wagenaarskraal Riverine Rabbit

Conservancy, others wi l l be completed short ly fol lowing f inal

comments by members.

Managing biodiversity better and

landowners priorities?

Nieuwoudtville on fire:

2008 ,2009, 2013, 2014

GREATER CEDERBERG FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION

Incorporated Dec 2014

Training July 2014 and January 2015; 2015 WoF Team establ ished; Fire

break planning and clearing started

Nieuwoudtville under

water:

2007

2009

Freshwater Consulting

Group

University of Cape Town

Rondebosch

7701

Department of Environment and

Nature Conservation, Northern

Cape

Private Bag X6010

Kimberly

8301

CapeNature

Private Bag

X29

Gatesville

7766

Developed a Biodiversity

Management Plan for the

Clanwilliam sandfish

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Table Mountain

Fund

Centre for

Biodiversity

Conservation

Kirstenbosch

Cape Town

Above natural barrier

Below natural barrier

LRS implementation to date:

LRBS - national objective recognised within

DENC, but to date has received minimal attention

because of the capacity challenges within the

department.

Through their work Conservation South Africa

(CSA) allows for a much deeper level of

interaction with communal areas in the

Kamiesberg and Steinkopf priority area. These

lessons and approaches will be built upon and

expanded, with CSA and other partners such as

the Blomfontein project.

Watch this space…

THANK YOU TO ALL THE

ORGANISERS

AND DRDLR AND SANBI FOR

SPONSORSHIP

ANY QUESTIONS….