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Annual Report NUWEJAARS SMA Wetlands 2019 / 20 Annual Report To protect and manage the Consolidated Core and Buffer Area and its interface into one functioning ecosystem, forming an innovative system for conservation on private land, while providing environmental education, and sustainable socio- economic activity and tourism opportunities. Our VISION | ANNUAL REPORTVision 2019/20 Protecting life-giving Wetlands & Rivers IN THE AGULHAS PLAIN, AND THE ANIMALS, PLANTS & HUMAN LIFE THEY SUSTAIN. ContentsMessage from the Chair 2 The NWSMA: A unique conservation venture 3 Programme 1: Conservation 4 Programme 2: Enhancing wellbeing and opportunities 10 Programme 3: Tourism and biodiversity products 12 Programme 4: Land and infrastructure development 13 Programme 5: Sustainable agriculture 14 Our team, donors and partners 15 Financial Report and Statements 2019/20 16 Contact details OBC *Photograph credits: Pierre Hensburg, Erica Brink, Eugéne Hahndiek, Willem Myburgh, Liesbet Willemse, Trevor Hardaker, Ross Kettles, LoveGreen Communications and Dirk Human. ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 | CONTENTS | 1 Message from the Chair 2019 must surely go down as one of the A team was put in place to help build our most exciting years for the Nuwejaars tourism offering (and much of this had been Wetlands Special Management Area. achieved, when the Coronavirus temporarily We achieved so much together – as halted many of these plans). This all forms part of our efforts to protect our part of our vision to make the NWSMA special wetlands and rivers, and the sustainable. Through this wonderful donation, surrounding landscapes and wildlife. it became possible to look at longer-term Globally this is a time of extreme loss: natural solutions – and to again pilot innovative habitats are being removed; ecosystems are ideas to generate an income to support our being abused; wildlife is being decimated. All of conservation efforts. After all, we were the this is taking place at the hands of humankind. first Special Management Area in South Our generation will have much to answer for Africa. Now we continue to look to develop in years to come. We will have to explain why new innovative opportunities to benefit all we caused such devastation of our natural (and that other conservation ventures could world – which provides us life. adopt in future). And yet here, at Africa’s southernmost tip, We learnt an important lesson recently, there is much to celebrate. Through wonderful though. When the COVID-19 pandemic landed donors and partners, we provide the support to on our shores, we saw the need arise among Mother Earth, which then allows her to restore many of our NWSMA and neighbouring herself. By improving the ecological integrity of communities. People were in a battle for our area, by creating natural corridors, and by survival. removing barriers to natural functions, she can Once again, with support from donors ensure it functions as this ecosystem should – (including Harry and the Cape Agulhas providing our region with water and life. Municipality), we realised we’re more than There’s another reason why 2019 was a conservation Section 21 Company. We are a spectacular year for us: it gave us the uniquely positioned to help bring stability opportunity to make people – especially children back to a region in crisis. Although we are – an even bigger part of the solution. Again, our in unprecedented times right now, it allows donors helped us provide (and increase) the the NWSMA to let our natural world create number of green jobs in the NWSMA. And we opportunities for people – which can in turn could also launch our environmental education benefit nature. programme (through support of philanthropic This work continues, as we strive to achieve donor, Harry Moore) – introducing young our (brand-new) mantra: To conserve, to children to this natural environment through educate and to inspire. school outings, encouraging them to respect and love all living things. Yours sincerely, Dirk Human 2 | NWSMA | ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 The Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area: A unique conservation venture There’s no value you can attach to project-related staff and other experts, to protecting nature. But the world is learning better understand our natural world, and about the dire consequences of not to put management actions in place to protecting our natural world. maintain, improve and expand it. Nature can be protected through formal What’s more, they adopted this approach structures, like nature reserves or 17 years ago, becoming the first Special protected areas. Many of these structures Management Area in the country at the have a top-down approach: they’re time. dictated to from a higher authority. Some, The NWSMA works according to five however, take a different stance. They’re programmes – as part of our efforts to implemented from the bottom up – driven protect our natural world: by the actual custodians; by those who really care about what they have. Programme 1: Conservation That’s what the Nuwejaars Wetlands Programme 2: Enhancing well-being and Special Management Area (NWSMA) is: opportunities It’s a conservation venture driven by our Programme 3: Tourism and biodiversity 23 members and the community of Elim, products to protect our biodiversity-rich wetlands and wildlife close to Africa’s southernmost Programme 4: Land and infrastructure tip. It’s unique, because of the huge development commitment made by these members, to Programme 5: Sustainable agriculture care for our corner of the planet. We report as per these five programmes in These members allow us to appoint a team our 2019/20 annual report. made up of conservationists, researchers, ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 | NWSMA | 3 Programme 1: Conservation The Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area was created around – and because of – the very special Nuwejaars wetlands and surrounding habitat, and the wildlife they support. These wetlands have been described by the Cape Action for People and the Environment as ‘highly irreplaceable’. And they lead into the Heuningnes estuary – a Ramsar-listed site of international importance. Because of this biodiversity treasure, landowners who are the custodians of the wetlands, the Nuwejaars River and its many tributaries, and the natural habitat that provides conservation corridors to this wildlife, joined together. This allows us to care for and protect the entire 46,000 hectares of the NWSMA at a strategic level. Our conservation team achieves this through a number of projects. Rehabilitating our wetlands for our special bird life a sanctuary for resident and migratory bird species (especially those species associated with riparian wetlands and floodplains). Our project maintenance team (a contractor and five general workers) undertake the rehabilitation work. The project area is 289 hectares in size (it has been expanded by 64 ha, thanks to support from the Overberg District Municipality). And The NWSMA is maintaining, act as drainage corridors. in the past year, follow- expanding and rehabilitating up treatment for invasive This project is funded by the Palmiet and Berzillia plants was carried out in WWF South Africa. We’re riparian wetland along the project area, with some clearing invasive alien plant the Nuwejaars River. initial clearing work also The wetland is fed by the species in the wetland, taking place in very densely- Nuwejaars River, and non- undertaking ecological burns, infested areas. The team also perennial and perennial and supporting appropriate developed drainage channels river tributaries. Our project infrastructure development to reinstate the hydrological area includes the natural along 5km’s of the river. This process, and encourage the vegetation surrounding three will improve the quality, spread and flow of water waterways that flow into the and increase the extent through a corridor of the Nuwejaars wetlands, which of the habitat, to provide Nuwejaars wetlands. 4 | CONSERVATION | ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Monitoring the Southern Black Korhaan Past research by the NWSMA team has shown that our area is a stronghold for Southern Black Korhaan. This species is listed as Vulnerable (global and regional status) – and anecdotal evidence shows their numbers are declining quickly. The NWSMA conservation team has monitored 14 hotspot areas (identified by past research) for presence of Southern Black Korhaan during the breeding season (August to January) to investigate potential Southern Black Korhaan breeding sites. The conservation managers are working with the Overberg Crane Group to develop a scientific monitoring method to analyse their preferred habitat in order to predict where they could occur, their habitat suitability and niche preferences in order to direct appropriate conservation action. Conserving, monitoring and Understanding the impact of managing our NWSMA: Hans powerlines on threatened birds Hoheisen Charitable Trust The NWSMA conservation team works with the At the start of 2020, we were awarded Overberg Crane Group to undertake powerline grant funding for a three-year project surveys within the Cape Agulhas area. from the Hans Hoheisen Charitable According to research, Blue Cranes and other Trust. This Trust has become an threatened species like Denham’s Bustard are integral partner to the NWSMA. With vulnerable to powerline collisions which lead their support, the NWSMA undertakes to significant mortality. Man-made structures in comprehensive monitoring and the landscape are a relatively recent addition, research, which informs our adaptive
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