Conservation South Africa

Last updated
Conservation South Africa
AbbreviationCSA
Formation2010 [1]
TypeSection 18A public benefit organisation [2]
Headquarters Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa [1]
Area served
South Africa
Affiliations Conservation International (independent affiliate) [2]
Website https://south-africa.conservation.org/

Conservation South Africa (CSA) is a South African public benefit organisation and an independent affiliate of Conservation International. [2] Established in 2010, it supports rural economic development linked to biodiversity conservation, including sustainable veld management and grazing practices. [1] [2] Conservation South Africa has support offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. [1] Its work includes projects in areas such as the Namakwa District, the Alfred Nzo District, and the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. [1]

Contents

History

Conservation South Africa developed from Conservation International's work in South Africa. Conservation International opened a regional office in Cape Town in 1998 and expanded its activities in the Cape Floristic Region and the Succulent Karoo in the early 2000s through work with local partners. [3] Climate-change work and a programme on transfrontier conservation areas were initiated in 1999. [3] In 2007, operating as Conservation International–South Africa, it helped establish the Climate Action Partnership, a multi-organisation programme focused on climate-change adaptation and mitigation. [4] A five-year strategy for 2010–2015 included a climate-change adaptation component and set objectives for stewardship work in three mega-corridors exceeding 300,000 hectares (3,000 km²). [4]

Conservation South Africa was established as a Conservation International affiliate in 2010. [1] In the early 2010s, Conservation International’s South Africa programme became an independent, locally registered entity called Conservation South Africa. [5] Early work in the Namakwa District included stewardship and land-management support linked to the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme (SKEP) and administration of a small-grants fund known as SKEPPIES. [5] During a 2010–2012 consolidation grant, volunteer conservancy agreements in the Three Peaks priority area protected 1,500 hectares (15 km²), and stewardship agreements in the work area were renewed and expanded to 36. [5] The organisation is registered in South Africa as a Section 18A public benefit organisation, and its programmes link biodiversity conservation with rural livelihoods, including sustainable veld management and grazing practices. [2]

Activities by location

South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
1
Red pog.svg
2
Red pog.svg
3
Red pog.svg
4
Red pog.svg
5
Red pog.svg
6
Red pog.svg
7
Red pog.svg
8
class=notpageimage|
Selected programme locations in South Africa (1 Cape Town, 2 Johannesburg, 3 Springbok, 4 Port Nolloth, 5 Matatiele, 6 Hoedspruit, 7 Rhodes, and 8 Maclear)

Conservation South Africa has support offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with field offices in Matatiele, Hoedspruit, Springbok, and Port Nolloth. [1]

Northern Cape

In the Northern Cape province, Conservation South Africa works in the Namakwa District as part of its sustainable landscape management and rural development activities linked to biodiversity conservation in the Succulent Karoo. [1] Conservation South Africa served as the Namakwa facilitating agency for the Small Grants Facility, supporting community-based climate adaptation projects in climate-smart agriculture, climate-resilient livelihoods, and climate-proof settlements. [6] [7] Activities supported through the programme in Namakwa included improved grazing management, the introduction of more climate-resilient livestock breeds, and adaptation measures such as mobile herder shelters, rainwater-harvesting infrastructure, and rehabilitation of dongas and gullies. [8] Projects supported coastal livelihoods, including safety-at-sea tracking systems for small-scale fishers in areas such as Hondeklipbaai and Port Nolloth. [9] Work with WWF South Africa has included initiatives spanning priority landscapes from the Succulent Karoo region of the Northern Cape to grassland areas in the Eastern Cape. [10]

Eastern Cape

In the Eastern Cape province, Conservation South Africa works in the Alfred Nzo District and participates in the Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership Programme, which focuses on the upper Umzimvubu catchment. [1] [11] The partnership was established in 2013 by Environmental and Rural Solutions and Conservation South Africa. [12] Since 2011, Conservation South Africa and Environmental and Rural Solutions have led a process to develop a 20-year strategy for conserving the Mzimvubu catchment, resulting in the partnership programme. [11] The catchment spans almost 2,000,000 hectares (20,000 km²), and activities include clearing over 800 hectares (8 km²) of invasive alien plant infestations and restoring more than 5,000 hectares (50 km²) of grazing land. [11] Conservation South Africa is a member of the Eastern Grasslands landscape collaborative platform and is involved in the Mega Living Landscapes programme in the Eastern Grasslands landscape, a 1.5 million-hectare (15,000 km²) landscape centred on the towns of Rhodes and Maclear. [2] [13] Work in the Eastern Grasslands landscape includes a sustainable grazing initiative and a wool value-chain project aimed at strengthening sustainable wool products. [14] [10]

Kruger to Canyons Biosphere and Greater Kruger landscape

Conservation South Africa works in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere and participates in landscape collaboration linked to the Greater Kruger (Barberton/Makhonjwa) Mega Living Landscape, including durable finance work under the Mega Living Landscapes programme. [1] [15] [2] In the biosphere landscape, Conservation South Africa is a partner in the Catchment Investment Programme led by the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, focusing on invasive alien plant clearing, sustainable rangeland management, and protected area expansion in the Blyde and other river catchments. [16] Partnerships in the biosphere region have also included community-based work in the Phiring area with funders and partners including Conservation South Africa and the Hoedspruit Hub. [17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "South Africa". Conservation International.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 GEF 8 Reimagining National Parks for People and Nature – Mega Living Landscapes Project: Stakeholder Engagement Plan (PDF) (Report). South African National Parks. p. 30.
  3. 1 2 CEPF Final Project Completion Report: Facilitating Implementation in the Priority Mega-Reserves and Lowland Corridors in the CFR (Report). Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. September 4, 2004. p. 1.
  4. 1 2 A Review of Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives within the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group Members (PDF) (Report). Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group. September 2011. pp. 79–80.
  5. 1 2 3 Annual Portfolio Overview: Succulent Karoo Region (Report). Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. pp. 5–6.
  6. ↑ "Small Grants Facility". SouthSouthNorth.
  7. ↑ Community Adaptation Small Grants Facility project: An Overview (PDF) (Report). South African National Biodiversity Institute. 2021. p. 2.
  8. ↑ Community Adaptation Small Grants Facility project: An Overview (PDF) (Report). South African National Biodiversity Institute. 2021. p. 3.
  9. ↑ Community Adaptation Small Grants Facility project: An Overview (PDF) (Report). South African National Biodiversity Institute. 2021. p. 6.
  10. 1 2 Regenerative agriculture in the grasslands of the Eastern Cape: Enabling regenerative wool production amongst communal sheep farmers (PDF) (Report). WWF South Africa.
  11. 1 2 3 "Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership Programme". Biodiversity Sector Investment Portal. South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
  12. ↑ Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership (PDF) (Report). WWF South Africa.
  13. ↑ GBFF CEO Endorsement Request: Reimagining National Parks for People and Nature – Leveraging Durable Financing Mechanisms for Mega Living Landscapes (MLL) to achieve Target 3 in South Africa (PDF) (Report). South African National Parks. p. 16.
  14. ↑ GBFF CEO Endorsement Request: Reimagining National Parks for People and Nature – Leveraging Durable Financing Mechanisms for Mega Living Landscapes (MLL) to achieve Target 3 in South Africa (PDF) (Report). South African National Parks. p. 37.
  15. ↑ GEF 8 Reimagining National Parks for People and Nature – Mega Living Landscapes Project: Stakeholder Engagement Plan (PDF) (Report). South African National Parks. p. 14.
  16. ↑ "A Year of Impact: How the K2C Biosphere is Building a Resilient Future". Kruger2Canyon. 30 April 2025.
  17. ↑ "K2C Newsletter – April 2024". Kruger2canyons. Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region NPC. 5 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.