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Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values

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Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values Using Biodiversity Stewardship as a Means to Secure the Natural Wild Values on Communal Land in South Africa Kevin McCann, Dr Roelie Kloppers, and Dr Andrew Venter Abstract—South Africa is one of the most biodiversity-rich coun- These voluntary Biodiversity Stewardship agreements are charac- tries in the world, with much valuable biodiversity situated on a terised by innovative, pro-poor green enterprise-based approaches to range of different land tenure types, including state, private and sustainable development and the conservation of biodiversity. They communal land. Despite this, these wild lands are being lost at an aim to create a green economy where the conservation of ecosystems unprecedented rate, with the resultant loss of natural areas and and biodiversity is the foundation of sustainable development and associated ecosystem services. The challenge lies in the need to where a closer alignment of environmental and economic systems protect the unique biodiversity, by integrating the development is imperative, ensuring direct community benefit through improved needs of poverty-stricken communities with the need to secure the natural resource management. remaining natural wild places, and thereby secure the very areas on which these communities rely for their daily requirements (water, firewood, medicinal plants). Biodiversity Stewardship is increasingly becoming the principal strategy to secure land, in favour of more traditional methods such Introduction ______________________ as land acquisition. This mechanism recognises landowners as cus- As a developing country that needs to reduce poverty lev- todians of their land, and promotes and supports the wise use and els and ensure sustainable livelihoods for its people, South management of natural resources and biodiversity, through the form Africa faces critical challenges relating to the need to protect of voluntary legal agreements, thereby making rural landowners biodiversity and at the same time implement programmes effective “stewards” of their land. This paper analyses discussions and policies that seek to address the inequalities within with three separate communities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal the broader society as a result of the country’s recent past. (South Africa) considering voluntary agreements, each highlighting In addressing issues relating to sustainable development the relevance of the Biodiversity Stewardship approach in secur- in South Africa, government policy has been redressed to ing areas under different types of communal land tenure. These formulate a New Growth Path, which needs to be achieved communities are the Gumbi, AmaZizi / Amangwane and Mabandla against a backdrop of South Africa being a mega-biodiverse communities. Collectively, they own and manage 61,600ha of land. country (Cadman et al. 2010). South Africa is ranked as the This comprises the Somkhanda Game Reserve, 11 600 ha of land third most biologically diverse country in the world, with an claimed by the Gumbi community through the land reform process exceptionally large proportion of endemism, including the in 2005, which was formally proclaimed as a protected area in 2011; Maputoland, Pondoland and Albany Centres of Endemism. the 45 000 ha Upper Thukela community area (land owned by the As such, South Africa is not only a signatory to the Conven- Ingonyama Trust), which is in the final stages of obtaining formal tion on Biological Diversity (CBD 1992), but also the Cancun conservation security; and the 5 000 ha Umgano Reserve on state Declaration of Like-minded Megadiversity Countries (2002). owned land, secured through multiple agreements. In addition, three global biodiversity hotspots straddle the national borders of the country. It is also the only country that has an entire plant kingdom within its national borders – the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and the only desert identified as a biodiversity hotspot. As such South Africa has a respon- sibility, from an international and national perspective, to properly protect the natural environment in pursuing this New Growth Path. This paper explores a mechanism allowing the achievement of biodiversity security in the communal areas of South Africa, Kevin McCann, Deputy Director, Wildlands Conservation Trust, P.O. Box in a manner that allows sustainable development by the 1138, Hilton, South Africa, 3245; e-mail: [email protected]. Dr Roelie rural population relying on these areas for their daily needs. Kloppers, Executive Director, Wildlands Conservation Trust. Dr Andrew Venter, CEO, Wildlands Conservation Trust. In: Watson, Alan; Carver, Stephen; Krenova, Zdenka; McBride, Brooke, South African Context comps. 2015. Science and stewardship to protect and sustain wilderness values: Tenth World Wilderness Congress symposium; 2013, 4-10 October; According to the latest census data, 53 million people live Salamanca, Spain. Proceedings RMRS-P-74. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Depart- in South Africa (Statistics South Africa, P0302 - Mid-year ment of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 208 p. population estimates, 2013). Despite rapid urbanisation, USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-74. 2015 133 McCann, Kloppers, and Venter Using Biodiversity Stewardship as a Means to Secure the Natural Wild Values on Communal Land in South Africa almost 40% of people still live in rural areas. These rural the diversification of rural livelihoods, creation of sustainable communities are mostly accommodated on land which is jobs, alleviation of poverty and the improvement of the qual- referred to as “communal land”, either being: a) state land ity of life of all South Africans. Responding to this requires (allocated through a government gazette notice to a specific a development path in which options for relieving pressures community Traditional Authority); b) Ingonyama Trust land, on biodiversity and ecosystems also provide opportunities established in 1997 to act as the landowner-in-law for the for addressing poverty, securing essential services and ad- land held in Trust on behalf of His Majesty the Zulu King dressing a range of other social improvement needs (Green (incorporating approximately 2,8 million hectares); or c) land Economy, UNEP, 2011). returned to its previous inhabitants through the Land Resti- The social and economic costs of not managing ecosystems tution programme (including 2.6 million hectares since 1995). in a sustainable manner are high. This is demonstrated For reasons relating to the past political system, rural areas through accelerated land degradation, biodiversity loss, loss under this communal land tenure (some 13 – 15% of total land of ecosystem resilience, loss of freshwater resources, increased surface) are characterised by extremely poor infrastructure, infestations of alien plants, declines in fish stocks, reduction high levels of poverty and very few economic opportunities. in water quality and quantity, and the deterioration of air As a result, there is a massive reliance of these people on quality, all of which were identified as areas of concern in the the natural environment, resulting in South Africa’s natural South African State of the Environment Report (DEAT 2008). resources being vulnerable to over-exploitation and misuse. Globally there is therefore a recognition of the need to Therefore, local people must be helped to plan local resource reduce the loss of natural resources resulting from unsustain- use and to manage and conserve their environment for the able land-use practices, but at the same time manage and benefit of future generations (DRDLR 2009). use these ecosystems and biodiversity in a way that caters for the development needs of growing populations (Cadman 2010). There are often direct conflict demands between these Linking Biodiversity to Human Livelihoods values, which are expected to worsen as a result of human- Biodiversity continues to be lost at a rapid rate across the induced climate change. Therefore, development choices and planet. The National Biodiversity Assessment 2011 (Driver land use decisions have a significant effect on the impacts et al. 2012) of South Africa points to multiple indicators of on biodiversity, and therefore the resulting ability of rural continuing decline in those components critical for rural communities to improve their livelihoods and quality of life. communities to survive, including: a. Very low protection (only 18%) for South Africa’s Wildlands’ Strategy for Sustainable critical “high water yield areas”; b. Wetlands being the most threatened of all South Development _____________________ Africa’s ecosystems, with 48% of wetland types listed The Wildlands Conservation Trust is a South African as critically endangered; Non-Profit Organization, working to conserve South Africa’s c. River tributaries generally being in better condition biodiversity. It aims to achieve this through the development and less threatened than main rivers, which tend to and facilitation of innovative solutions which take into ac- be hard working; count the unique biodiversity and socio-economic needs in d. Rates of natural habitat loss are high in many parts South Africa today. Their VISION is “A Sustainable Future of South Africa; for All”. This Vision reflects the growing global awareness e. Almost 10% of the traded medicinal plants are listed of the fragile state of our planet. The ever present threat of as threatened; significant climate change is testament to this fragile state. f. Coastal and inshore marine ecosystems are more Years of
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