Guarding the Grasslands of Gauteng through biodiversity stewardship

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by Emily Taylor, Endangered Wildlife Trust

Gauteng Biodiversity Stewardship Programme

Endangered Wildlife Trust

Gauteng Province is a hub for South Africa’s economic growth. Still, the urbanisation and population growth in the province places significant stress on its natural resources. The supportive ecological infrastructure is under threat, and it is necessary to implement conservation measures now. Protected area expansion is a priority in Gauteng, and in 2015 the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) partnered with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to establish the Gauteng Biodiversity Stewardship Programme (GBSP), funded by the WWF Nedbank Green Trust. The GBSP was intended to catalyse the implementation of biodiversity stewardship (BDS) in Gauteng by increasing capacity within the GDARD and develop robust and relevant institutional structures for the sustainability of BDS in the province. The GBSP target was to publish the intent to declare 5,000 ha of private land as protected under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 57 of 2003, within three years.

Last update: 16 Nov 2020

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Context

Challenges addressed

Drought

Loss of Biodiversity

Wildfires

Conflicting uses / cumulative impacts

Erosion

Ecosystem loss

Invasive species

Poaching

Unsustainable harvesting incl. Overfishing

Lack of access to long-term funding

Scale of implementation

Subnational

Ecosystems

Temperate grassland, savanna, shrubland

Connective infrastructure, networks and corridors

Green spaces (parks, gardens, urban forests)

Theme

Habitat fragmentation and degradation

Invasive alien species

Species management

Adaptation

Connectivity / transboundary conservation

Ecosystem services

Protected and conserved areas governance

Land management

Protected and conserved areas management planning

Science and research

Agriculture

Tourism

Location

Gauteng, South Africa

East and South Africa

Impacts

Through the GBSP, a rigorous approach to the declaration of new protected areas has been established, based on tools and approaches tailored to the particular conditions of Gauteng, whilst meeting the legal requirements of the Protected Areas Act
New protected areas totalling 10,634 ha (double the original project target) have been legally declared in areas of high biodiversity value through the biodiversity stewardship (BDS) process, contributing significantly to protected area expansion, the ecological integrity of Gauteng, and the maintenance of ecological functions and processes that serve both biodiversity and people.
The EWT and GDARD have developed significant capacity and expertise in BDS implementation
The strong working relationship between the EWT and GDARD has highlighted the collaborative nature of BDS and the successes that can be achieved through partnerships between landowners, provincial conservation authorities, and NGOs
GDARD has embraced BDS as an effective approach to protected area expansion, and a successful permanent programme has been established
The GDARD has already applied the knowledge and experience gained through the GBSP to assist with the declaration of a third proposed protected area made up of more than 100 landowners, situated in the buffer zone of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.