Afrimab English.Indb

First published 2013 by Department of Environmental Affairs Directorate: Protected Areas Planning, Legislation, Compliance and Monitoring Private Bag X447, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa and UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences 1 Rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, CEDEX 15, France ISBN 978-0-620-57141-8 This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. In terms of the Copyright Act 98 of 1978 no part of this book may be repro- duced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo copying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Unless stated otherwise, all images are by the authors. Translations from French by Language Solutions, Stellenbosch Typesetting by G J du Toit Cover design by Nic Jooste, Comet Design Cover photographs by Nic Jooste and Nicole Palmer Printed and bound by the Government Printing Works Cape Town, South Africa Foreword by the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, UNESCO The World Network of Biosphere Reserves is one of UNESCO’s most important programmes, as it combines in an integrative manner the conservation of nature with sustainable development. Today, this network counts 610 sites in 117 countries across the world, stretching from terrestrial to coastal and marine ecosystems, from high mountain peaks to deep ocean abysses. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 64 biosphere reserves in 28 countries. This publication provides an overview of the unique role of biosphere reserves for sustainable development and nature conservation in the continent. African countries implemented this concept very early as soon as 1976 when the first sites were rec- ognized. At that time, biosphere reserves were seen as protected areas and research sites only. In the wake of the 2nd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, held in 1995 in Seville, Spain, biosphere reserves have become land and seascapes dedi- cated to exploring the principles and practice of sustainable development. Today, biosphere reserves are places for people and nature to co-exist and to interact in ways that will guide sustainability into the future. In February 2008, the 3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was held in Madrid, Spain, under the title “Learning Sites for Sustainable Development”. This Congress elaborated the Madrid Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves 2008–2013, which calls for more cooperation between the sites, further development of the network and enhanced information and communication among the biosphere reserves. To achieve this end, this book presents a selected list of sites in Africa with an outline of their natural ecosystems, human presence and activities. Information is also provided on the conservation, income generation and research and learning activities that highlight the role of each biosphere reserve in promoting the sustainable development of the surrounding region. As the International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and Biosphere Programme prepares for the evaluation of the Madrid Action Plan, this book provides new insights on the achievements and challenges regarding the World Network. I would like to use this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the Spanish Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Environment with its Autonomous Organisation for National Parks for its longstanding support to the Man and the v vi AfriMAB Biosphere Reserves in Sub-Saharan Africa: Showcasing Sustainable Development Biosphere Programme. Without such backing from Member States, the World Network would not have come as far as it has today. The 2011 UNESCO General Conference reiterated the importance of the Man and the Biosphere Programme and the World Network of Biosphere Reserves as platforms for learning about sustainable development. Ten to twenty new sites join the Network every year, including in Africa. Many have reviewed their zonation, scope and goals in order to try to achieve the sustainable development priorities of the regions in which they are located. New proposals take all recommendations of the Madrid Action Plan into consideration and are deeply committed to sustainability. Finally, I trust that this publication, whose preparation was entrusted to the UNESCO Secretariat and the MAB National Committee of South Africa at the AfriMAB Meeting, held in Nairobi in 2010, will provide extensive information about case studies and research thus offering guidance for practitioners and policy- makers. The editors of this publication hope that it will be the first of a series of pub- lications on African case studies as sites for sustainable development in action. The continued progress of this network in the African region is of outmost importance to its development and nature protection for the benefit of its people. Thomas Schaaf Director a.i., Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, UNESCO Foreword by AfriMAB One of the challenges of sustainable natural resources management in most African countries today is how to simultaneously help preserve biological diversity, enhance development and empower the poor rural people. The AfriMAB Book Project showcases the role of “Biosphere Reserves” as a concept and a tool for development and conservation of natural resources in Africa. Without doubt, the biosphere reserve concept is one effective tool meant to achieve long-term conservation objectives and sustainable development. In the same context, the biosphere reserve concept reinforces the effectiveness of ecosystem management approaches. The papers presented in this book are meant to encourage the relevant and concerned authorities in Africa to consider designating more sites as biosphere reserves, especially those with unique ecosystems which are most likely threatened with encroachment for development purposes. The concept of “Biosphere Reserves” is one of the important standard bearers of what has been referred to, in the Convention on Biological Diversity as the “ecosystem approach”. Unlike the “protected area approach” biosphere reserves are designed from the start to get the local people involved in conserving and man- aging biodiversity while at the same time meeting their livelihood needs. This is achieved through sustainable utilization of natural resources in the buffer and tran- sition areas. Thus, biosphere reserves seek to reconcile local communities’ economic development with the conservation of biodiversity. Biosphere reserves are designated by the UNESCO-MAB program to deal with one of the most sensitive and complex conservation questions the world and in par- ticular, most developing countries in Africa are facing today: that is, how to reconcile conservation with development. An effective biosphere reserve involves natural and social scientists, conservation and development groups, management authorities and local communities — all working together to tackle the complex issues of combining conservation and development. Biosphere reserves provide a framework for sustainable integrated natural resources management and development covering all types of ecosystems’ elements including areas of high natural biodiversity, whether conserved or used sustainably for human settlements, for agriculture or any other land-use system, particularly those based on ecosystem management principles. vii viii AfriMAB Biosphere Reserves in Sub-Saharan Africa: Showcasing Sustainable Development AfriMAB considers this book project as one the efforts towards addressing the Madrid Action Plan’s (MAP) “capacity enhancement” domain for Africa. It will serve as an empowering tool for MAB national committees and biosphere reserve managers in Africa. AfriMAB wishes to acknowledge the editors of this book and all the authors for their commitment towards addressing conservation challenges in Africa through this book project. Paul M. Makenzi Chair AfriMAB Foreword by the National Department of Environmental Affairs South Africa is endowed with a wealth of biological diversity and is regarded as one of Earth’s 17 biologically wealthiest countries. The South African government has adopted an outcome-based approach to improve performance and service delivery. South Africa has therefore identified 12 main outcomes of which Outcome 10 reads: “Environmental assets and natural resources protected and continually enhanced”. Our country, much like many countries around the world, is facing the interrelated pressures of increasing human footprint and the effects thereof on the environment. We thus have to find more sustainable means of supporting future livelihoods for all our people. The concept of the Man and the Biosphere Program of UNESCO provides a demonstrable option for creating better living conditions while at the same time addressing conservation of biodiversity. The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) supports the implementation of the MAB Program through designated biosphere reserves. The core areas of such biosphere reserves include legislated protected areas listed according to the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003. South Africa is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity and is actively pursuing the expansion of its conservation estate to include at least 12% of a representative sample of its biodiversity under formal conservation, including terrestrial, marine and freshwater realms. At national level, biosphere reserves have been earmarked as a valuable tool to assist with the protected areas expansion strategy. In 2008, a national biosphere reserve

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