In early November Ulrike Irlich, a Stewardship Officer for the City’s Environmental Resource Management Department, was invited by Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to give a presentation on ways to grow Cape Town’s conservation areas.
Irlich’s presentation detailed the importance of Cape Town’s biodiversity and how it is being secured by proclaiming state-owned land as conservation areas and working with private landowners as stewards.
The Cape Floral Kingdom is a World Heritage Site and is the richest in in terms of species per area. Two-thirds of the 9 000 species in it are endemic to the Cape region. This natural heritage and the threats it faces has led Conservation International to declare it one of the world’s 30 critical biological hotspots.
Nine of the 19 vegetation types found within the City’s municipal area are critically endangered, these include Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, Peninsula Shale Renosterveld and Lourensford Alluvium Fynbos, and 319 of region’s plant species face extinction. Already 13 species have been lost, which are listed as extinct or extinct in the wild.
A thriving and varied biodiversity has immense value for Cape Town in terms of the economic value of functioning ecosystems (e.g. clean water and air), attracting tourists, creating employment and providing environmental education opportunities. It is important intrinsically, socially and spiritually for recreation and appreciation. Sustainably harvested flora generates a continual income, while retaining biodiversity offers the option of future use to future generations.
Cape Town is developing at an alarming average rate of 6.5 km2 per year, with a current housing demand from more than 400 000. It is imperative that the Environmental Resource Management Department works with all relevant City departments and spatial planning processes to contain urban sprawl and conserve biodiversity, ensuring a sustainable Cape Town.
National conservation targets have been set for all vegetation types. The City has identified a Biodiversity Network that incorporates conservation areas and remnants of land that are required to conserve representative samples of biodiversity. The goal is to conserve 60% of the Biodiversity Network’s target by 2014. Currently 36% has been proclaimed as conservation areas and the City is in the process of proclaiming another 17%. This means that 15 nature reserves will receive official protection. A further 6 822 hectares is required to reach the target by 2014.
To increase these conservation areas the options are acquiring land by purchasing it from private owners, swopping and offsetting land and imposing limited or enhanced development rights. Added to this, and in partnership with other environmental organisations is the Stewardship Programme.
About 80% of South Africa’s priority biodiversity land is in private or communal ownership. Stewardship entails making conservation attractive and placing the management of biodiversity with private landowners by offering them the tools and skills to make it happen. Comprehensive management plans, rates rebates, assistance with alien vegetation clearing, fencing and controlled burns are all possible incentives for private landowners who opt for the Stewardship Programme.
The programme offers four categories for participating landowners, these being: Conservation Area, Biodiversity Agreement, Protected Environment and Nature Reserve. The latter three have legislative backing, offering different levels of security and requiring different levels of commitment. The categories attract different incentives and benefits, all are voluntary and each landowner retains title and ownership and is the Managing Authority.
The first City Stewardship Agreement has already been signed with the owners of a smallholding named Nirvana. It has 15 hectares of critically endangered Atlantis Sand Fynbos. The owners, as stewards, have signed an agreement to make the land safe in perpetuity. The City and external conservation partners have assisted with compiling a management plan for the site, facilitated some alien clearing and completed an ecological burn. The result is that currently a surprising 180 plant species have been identified, 23 of which are threatened.
For more information about the Stewardship Programme or identifying land for conservation contact Ulrike Irlich on 021 514 4229 or Ulrike.Irlich@capetown.gov.za or visit www.capetown.gov.za/environment
