A brighter and more sustainable future motivating Cedarville farmers to collaborate
Bonnie Schumann, EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme, bonnies@ewt.org.za South Africa’s Grassland Biome is highly productive and rich in biodiversity. However, the Grasslands are under tremendous pressure from agriculture and unsustainable mining developments. Poor planning, mismanagement, and inadequate enforcement have led to over-utilisation, degradation, and habitat loss. Altogether, 30% of the biome has already been irreversibly transformed. However, where the rangeland is still productive and extensively farmed, there are promising opportunities to reverse degradation and improve biodiversity resilience and agricultural production in the landscape. These opportunities can benefit the endemic and threatened species present and protect the livelihoods that depend on the landscape’s natural resources and ecosystem services. Farming with livestock and crops in the grasslands plays a critical role in supporting livelihoods for communities. Knowledge sharing is a powerful approach to finding solutions to challenges, particularly in diverse landscapes involving various stakeholders. With this in mind, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) engaged farmers in the biodiversity-rich grasslands of the Cedarville area in the Eastern Cape. We talked to the farmers to understand their challenges and whether they were interested in attending structured training to develop solutions to an array of sustainable land management issues together.
The Cedarville farmers face challenges primarily related to poor infrastructure on the commonages that does not support optimal grazing practices. Rangeland is grazed continuously, which does not allow the vegetation an opportunity to rest and build up reserves. Palatable species are under tremendous pressure and often disappear from the landscape, resulting in the loss of ground cover and production and an increase in undesirable plant species. Coupled with this, communities that utilise the rangeland have not had the opportunity to collaborate and coordinate their activities, limiting their abilities to manage the rangeland effectively. In addition, they cannot effectively access the highly competitive agricultural sector. Participating farmers were keen to address these issues and explore opportunities to collaborate to improve their farming practices and protect their natural resources. In February 2022, the EWT hosted an Integrated Farm Planning and Management (IFP) training course in Cedarville, attended by almost 40 farmers – double the expected turnout.
The IFP course content focuses broadly on sustainable land management principles. The original course created by the EWT was focused on the Nama Karoo Biome and is available as a free online course at https://karooforever.org.za/en/. The original course was adapted to include the Grasslands Biome content. The Cedarville course was the first IFP to be held in the grasslands, and the fourth IFP course we have presented. The EWT collaborated with Agricultural Extension officers from the Underberg Farmers Association and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DRDAR), who copresented the course with staff from the EWT’s African Crane Conservation (ACCP) and the Drylands Conservation (DCP) programmes.
The Cedarville area is important for Crowned Crane conservation as the birds breed in its wetlands. Conserving Africa’s threatened crane species has benefits far beyond the cranes and their admirers. Africa’s four threatened crane species are ambassadors for conserving water catchments, including wetlands and grassland ecosystems. They are iconic and charismatic and appeal to the public, allowing us to develop relationships within communities and with other stakeholders through crane conservation activities. These grasslands supply additional non-agricultural services, such as water supply and flow regulation, carbon storage, erosion control, climate mitigation, pollination, and cultural ecosystem services. For more information on the work in the Cedarville area, contact:
Samson Phakathi, Senior Community Project Officer, Endangered Wildlife Trust’s African Crane Conservation Programme, samsonp@ewt.org.za
For resources on sustainable land management, visit:
https://karooforever.org.za/en/
The development of the original IFP Nama Karoo course was supported with funding from the UNDP GEF5 SLM Karoo Landscape Project.
The course in the Grasslands Biome in the Eastern Cape was made possible with funds from the National Lotteries Commission. The NLC relies on funds from the proceeds of the National Lottery. The Lotteries Act and regulations guide the way in which NLC funding may be allocated. The NLC wants the grants to make a difference in the lives of all South Africans, especially those more vulnerable, and to improve the sustainability of the beneficiary organisations. Available funds are distributed to registered and qualifying non-profit organisations in the fields of charities; arts, culture, and national heritage; and sport and recreation. By placing its emphasis on areas of greatest need and potential, the NLC contributes to South Africa’s development.
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PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES FOR RIVERINE RABBITS IN THE ANYSBERG
Bonnie Schumann, the EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme, bonnies@ewt.org.za
The ancient landscapes of the Karoo are home to one of South Africa’s most elusive and Critically Endangered species, the Riverine Rabbit. Riverine Rabbits occur in three known populations in three separate regions of the Karoo. Originally thought to only occur in the Nama Karoo, where they were first discovered in 1901, rabbits were later discovered near Touwsriver in the Succulent Karoo in 2003. This discovery completely upended the applecart on what we knew about the distribution and behaviour of this species. However, at least one other surprise was awaiting us when a third population was discovered west of the Baviaanskloof in 2018.
In the 1990s, landowners and conservationists joined forces to create Riverine Rabbit conservancies in the Loxton-Fraserburgh-Beaufort West area of the Nama Karoo to conserve the species. These conservancies still exist today. Even though many of these landowners rarely, or in some cases, have never seen a Riverine Rabbit, they are passionate about conserving them on their properties. While rabbits occur in three different regions of the Karoo, their threats are the same in all three landscapes. The most severe threats are habitat loss and damage to the remaining habitat. The floodplains of the seasonal rivers in the Karoo consist of deep alluvial soil areas that make for fertile agricultural soil in an otherwise arid landscape. These areas are largely transformed into ploughed lands, which in many cases now lie fallow and abandoned. The changing economic situations and erratic rainfall make it risky to depend on rain-fed cropping and flood irrigation. In recent decades, it has not been worthwhile to grow rain-fed crops in many places across the drylands.
In the past, the riparian areas, often comprising floodplains a few kilometres wide, were densely vegetated and would have provided a unique habitat to a range of species, including the Riverine Rabbit. The loss of over 60% of the riparian vegetation was devastating for the Nama Karoo Riverine Rabbit population. Outside of the riparian zone, the vegetation does not provide enough cover for a species that relies on dense vegetation to avoid detection and capture by predators. Rabbits have disappeared from areas where the vegetation is overgrazed and “opened up” by livestock. They are an indicator species for ecosystem health, and If the riparian vegetation is managed sustainably, rabbits will persist. If not, they will continue to quietly vanish.
Following the initial discovery of rabbits in the Succulent Karoo, surveys for rabbits took place in the riparian areas, based on the assumption that the “southern” rabbits use the landscape similarly to their Nama Karoo counterparts, which are riparian habitat specialists. Here is where it became interesting. What is now clear is that rabbits in the Succulent Karoo can range more widely across the landscape, occurring outside of riparian areas where the vegetation on the gently sloping hills is often quite dense. They occur outside the riparian zones, and their range also extends into a third Biome, the Fynbos Biome, where they primarily favour the Renosterveld vegetation. The fact that the rabbits can persist in vegetation units outside the riparian zones in the Succulent Karoo is very fortunate, given that much of their riparian habitat has been lost to agriculture. This means that the gently sloping areas that are unsuitable for ploughing and are densely vegetated have provided critical refuges for rabbits. It is probably safe to speculate that Riverine Rabbits were once widely distributed along the valleys and hills of the Little Karoo. However, the extensive loss of habitat across this region has resulted in them remaining only in pockets of suitable intact vegetation. Conservationists are researching the genetics of the region’s rabbit populations – how closely they are related to each other and their overall genetic health – to understand how viable the populations are and if any connectivity (gene-flow) between the three populations still exists.
The spectacular Anysberg Nature Reserve was officially declared in 1990 to formally protect the incredible but highly threatened biodiversity of the Succulent Karoo, an internationally recognised biodiversity “hotspot”. Riverine Rabbits were recorded in the reserve for the first time in 2013. This was the best news of the century for rabbit conservation because the discovery meant that the reserve was the first formally protected area to boast a Riverine Rabbit population. What is doubly exciting is that landowners bordering the reserve had a vision for conservation going back 25 years. Several individuals bought properties in this area to conserve the land and wildlife. Livestock was removed, and the land has been resting and recovering ever since. In 2018, one of the landowners approached the Endangered Wildlife Trust to assist him in taking his conservation efforts to the next level by declaring the property a contractual Nature Reserve. As a result, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, CapeNature (the designated authority with statutory responsibility for biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape) and six landowners are collaborating to declare a cluster of properties as nature reserves. These contractual reserves will be formally protected and attain the same status as the Provincial Reserves, effectively expanding protected areas at a national level. This essentially means that the Anysberg Nature Reserve, also a World Heritage Site, will be buffered by an additional 20,000 hectares of protected landscapes. Several additional vegetation units, each supporting unique and, in many cases, endemic plant and animal species, not yet included in the Anysberg Nature Reserve, will now also be formally protected.This initiative is testimony to what can be achieved when stakeholders combine forces to achieve a shared vision. Many species facing severe persecution outside protected areas, including Leopard, Brown Hyaena and Honey Badger, will now be able to safely roam over an increasingly vast area. And, of course, as the largest formally protected area cluster for Riverine Rabbits, it now represents the single most important stronghold for Riverine Rabbits in South Africa. In this case, size is critical, as only a small portion of the entire area will meet the habitat requirements for rabbits, so the bigger the area, the better.
Ecotourism, including adventure tourism and, in some cases, limited agricultural activities, provide a diversified income for the landowners around the Anysberg Nature Reserve. This is an extremely marginal area for extensive livestock production, and the reality is that the veld has been utilised to, and in some cases beyond, its limits and can no longer support herds of goats and sheep. Developing a “green” conservation-based economy can breathe new life into this region where poverty and unemployment are rife. Ecotourism provides jobs, supports livelihoods, and can help fund the restoration work that needs to be done in the degraded areas. The Anysberg is only approximately 260 kilometres from Cape Town, making it easily accessible as a weekend getaway. It is also easily accessible to international tourists looking for some peace and quiet in one of the most beautiful and safe regions of South Africa.
There are few undiscovered natural gems left out there. The Anysberg area is truly one of the most exciting and largely undiscovered gems in South Africa. The shared vision for this area is to develop an economy based on what the region has to offer in terms of unspoiled landscapes, wide-open skies, and incredible scenic beauty while conserving the unrivalled unique biodiversity of the Succulent Karoo. The project’s next phase is supported by IUCN Save Our Species and co-funded by the European Union.
For more information, visit:
www.ewt.org.za
https://www.capenature.co.za/reserves/anysberg-nature-reserve
www.karooforever.co.za
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Science Snippets:The African Vulture Crisis- what do we know?
Most populations of vultures in Africa are declining rapidly, and conservationists are calling this an ‘African Vulture Crisis’1. There has been an increasing focus on the movements of vultures using tracking devices, but so far, there are very few continent-wide studies 2. To address this, a group of 35 researchers pooled their tracking data from 163 vultures to look at how vulture movements vary across Africa and how vultures are using protected areas in a new study published in Biological Conservation 3. The researchers found that breeding adult vultures had smaller ranges than non-breeding adults and immature vultures. Adult Rüppell’s Vultures had range sizes larger than 75,000 km2, while Cape Vultures and White-backed Vultures had range sizes of up to 36,000 km2. But the overlap of vultures’ ranges with protected areas was low, which poses significant challenges for conserving African vultures, particularly since the main threat to vultures, the intentional poisoning of carcasses, is widespread, and one poisoning event can kill large numbers of vultures because most species of vultures are social feeders. Successful conservation of vultures relies on reducing wildlife poisoning over vast areas, both inside and outside of protected areas, by tackling the drivers of poisoning. These drivers include human-wildlife conflict, trade in vulture parts4, and elephant poaching 5. For African vultures to survive and thrive, we need better law enforcement and anti-poaching, reduced human-wildlife conflict, and prevention of the illegal trade in vulture parts. Studies using tracked vultures should help prioritise where these interventions are needed most. Full article available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109516
References:
1 Ogada D. et al. (2016). Another continental vulture crisis: Africa’s vultures collapsing toward extinction. Conservation Letters 9: 89-97. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12182
2 Thompson L.J. et al. (2020). Variation in monthly sizes of home‐ranges of Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus in western, eastern and southern Africa. Ibis 162: 1324-1338. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12836
3 Kane A. et al. (2022) Understanding continent-wide variation in vulture ranging behavior to assess feasibility of Vulture Safe Zones in Africa: Challenges and possibilities. Biological Conservation 268: 109516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109516
4 Mashele N.M. et al. (2021). Uses of vultures in traditional medicines in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa. Journal of Raptor Research 55: 328-339. https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-20-36
5 Mateo-Tomás P. and López-Bao J.V. (2020). Poisoning poached megafauna can boost trade in African vultures. Biological Conservation 241: 108389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108389
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Our best-kept secret
Emily Taylor, EWT Communications and Marketing Manager, emilyt@ewt.org.za
This month’s tale from the field is a special one. It isn’t often that Support Services staff based at Head Office get to write stories about field trips, or at least ones that would be interesting! But in February, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Communications and Marketing team was given the opportunity to get out from behind our desks and venture into the spectacular Soutpansberg mountains. And what a trip it was.
The VhaVenda call it “Tha vhani ya muno” – the Mountain of salt. Rising like an island from the surrounding bushveld flatlands, the forgotten Soutpansberg is South Africa’s best kept secret and one of the country’s most unique and unexplored natural areas. The name ‘Soutpansberg’ is derived from the large natural salt pan to the northwest of the range.
The Soutpansberg Mountains. Photo credit: Suzette Britz
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The Medike Mountain Reserve boasts 58 butterfly species, 15 scorpion, 19 amphibian, 61 reptile, 59 mammal, 229 bird, and 237 tree species. The Vulnerable Leopard, the Near Threatened Brown Hyaena and Natal Red Duiker, and the Endangered Mountain Reedbuck are among these.
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The Soutpansberg in Limpopo is South Africa’s northernmost mountain range and forms part of the UNESCO Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. The mountainous landscape comprises an impressive variety of habitats: forest, thick thornveld, savannah, and grassland – and is home to several iconic, rare, and Endangered species, including a plethora of endemic species of both fauna and flora (which occur nowhere else on Earth)! It is also a critical groundwater source. The EWT identified the urgent need to conserve the area, and in 2015, on behalf of the Roberts family in Australia, the EWT purchased the 1,398 ha Medike Mountain Reserve in the Soutpansberg. We subsequently received funding from the Rainforest Trust to purchase a neighbouring property, almost doubling the reserve’s size.
When the EWT began working on the mountain, we embarked on several ambitious projects to restore the integrity of the mountain by clearing large patches of alien and invasive plants that had encroached on native vegetation and affected the function of the water sources on the mountain. Check out our Forgotten Mountain video to see the benefits these projects have had for the landowners and local communities. The EWT also began to engage with neighbouring landowners about interlinking their properties and creating an opportunity for the community to unite and optimise the mountain’s value as an ecotourism destination. Many landowners welcomed the opportunity for collaboration, and 17 have already decided to join the EWT in legally declaring their properties as one large protected area spanning 22,000 ha of the Western Soutpansberg, called the Western Soutpansberg Nature Reserve (WSNR). The collective vision for the WSNR is to create and protect a connected landscape under formal conservation, covering priority species, habitats, hydrologically important areas, and cultural heritage, for the benefit of biodiversity, ecosystems, and people in perpetuity.
The Old Salt Trail is one of the first projects initiated to share the mountain and its unique and diverse landscapes and cultural heritage with others, generate income for local people, and secure a sustainable future for the WSNR and Luvhondo Nature Reserves. The long-term vision is for this project to catalyse a successful ecotourism initiative, bringing visitors to the mountain in an ecologically sensitive way. Hikers will be able to experience the exceptional beauty and biodiversity on offer while gaining knowledge from local trail guides and supporting local socio-economic development within a protected environment.
The EWT’s Communications and Marketing Team. From left to right, Kedibone Chauchau, Suzette Britz, and Emily Taylor
This particular field trip enabled the Communications and Marketing team to visit the EWT’s Medike Mountain Reserve and neighbouring properties to experience first-hand the unique mountain landscape and meet with the local landowners and communities to better understand how to market the area, and the Old Salt Trail in particular, as a unique ecotourism destination.
The Soutpansberg, and Medike in particular, is known for its astonishing diversity of landscapes and habitats , and as the geology changes, so too do the colours of the soil, the topography, the shape, size, and density of the vegetation, and the animals that occupy each habitat. And a few hundred metres later, they all change again. One minute we marvelled at the less dense thorn-veld with its brown soils, patches of golden grass, and fine-leafed thorn trees; the next, at the dense green bushveld packed with broad-leafed Bushwillows, Gardenias, Silver Cluster Leafs, and the remarkable Rock Figs that wrap themselves around and push through the mammoth rocks.
I was a field officer once upon a time, and, perhaps out of self-preservation, I often forget the utter bliss that being in the bush brings. I almost forgot that I was there for work and found so much joy just driving along, chatting to the landowners and the EWT’s Soutpansberg Rangers, and seeing first-hand what they have all achieved in the last few years. More than that, though, it was touching and inspiring to witness the connection that those living and working there have with “the mountain”, as they affectionately call it. I completely and instantly understood why they have this deep and eternal love for this land – it is undeniably one of the most enchanting places on Earth. But don’t take my word for it – you need to see it to fully comprehend its magic – contact Catherine Vise for more information on how to find the forgotten mountain.
Don’t miss out!
This spectacular range of Mountains will host the second running of the Soutpansberg Mountain Marathon. With 42 km, 21 km,10 km, and 5km courses on offer, all start and finish and Schoemansdal (30 mins from Louis Trichardt) at the base of the mountain range. The longer three courses climb up the mountain and can be considered proper challenges. To register, click here.
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Fighting landslides in Rukiga
Phionah Orishaba, EWT’s African Crane Conservation Programme/International Crane Foundation Partnership, Field Officer – Southwestern Uganda, PhionaO@ewt.org.za
April 2022
Kigezi region in southwestern Uganda has always experienced heavy rains in March-May and September–November, which are also the crop growing seasons. Human activities on the steep hillslopes in Rukiga, including bush burning, deforestation, and overgrazing, have left the soil bare and eroded. With nothing holding the soil there, runoff from the steep slopes after heavy rains has increased drastically, causing landslides that destroy people’s property and crops below. The runoff removes soil and sediment in wetlands, affecting the local populations of Grey Crowned Cranes, such as in the Rushebeya-Kanyabaha wetland. Soil erosion control in Uganda is a critical issue that needs addressing for communities to thrive.
While an important economic activity in the Rukiga District, excessive eucalyptus planting on the hillslopes has become a great environmental challenge. Eucalyptus trees don’t allow the growth of short grass under their canopies, and rainwater runs quickly down the hillslopes and into the lowlands, where it causes havoc for the communities. Under pressure from an ever-increasing population, the fragmented land of Rukiga has continued to be divided into smaller plots to cater to the many children in each family. Households in the Rukiga district have an average number of six children each, and parents struggle to provide for the basic needs of their families.
Soil and water conservation initiatives have been proposed to remedy the issue of runoff that causes soil erosion in Rukiga district. One such project, funded by The Darwin Initiative, is being implemented by the International Crane Foundation/Endangered Wildlife Trust Partnership, Margaret Pyke Trust, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Rugarama Hospital in Rukiga district. The project has established two Napier grass demonstration gardens in
A Napier grass garden in Rukiga
Rwamucuucu and Kashambya sub-counties, in which Napier grass will be distributed to farmers to plant on the terraces of their gardens so that, when mature, the grass will stabilise these slopes. As part of the resilient livelihoods support that has been given to 248 households, each household was given 500 stem cuttings of three nodes each to be planted along their terraces, as soil and water conservation is one of the conservation actions identified in conservation agreements between the community conservation groups and project partners.
The Rwamucuucu sub-county chief Gideon Tumwesigyire has shown appreciation for the initiative. “This project has come at a time where it is needed because we normally experience heavy rains, sometimes unexpected, which has been a challenge to our community people. We therefore think that giving this Napier grass to farmers in the communities will cause a great impact by controlling soil erosion”.
Communal trenches dug on the hillslopes in Rukiga District to control the speed of water during heavy rains
The chairperson of the local council in Kashambya sub-county embraced the initiative saying that soil erosion has always been a great challenge to their people, but with this Napier grass, we hope to make a difference in the sub-county and district at large.
Community engagement has motivated the district leadership at all local council levels to join hands with ICF/EWT to make communal trenches on the hillslopes as one of the soil and conservation activities that can help to control the speed of water caused by heavy rains that have become disastrous to peoples, crops, and property. These simple conservation actions they can take themselves provide people in the district with the hope that they can stop fighting the land they depend on.
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EWT Golf Fundraiser Mar2022: A Hole-in-One for Conservation
The EWT Golf Fundraiser Mar2022 proved to be one of our most successful events yet. Held on Thursday, 17 March at the picturesque Westlake Golf Club, the tournament coincided perfectly with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Fortunately, the weather gods smiled upon us – players enjoyed a windless day under brilliant blue skies, with Table Mountain providing a breathtaking backdrop to the action.
Over 100 enthusiastic golfers participated in this important fundraising event. While some demonstrated impressive skills on the fairways, others showed equal commitment through their spirited approach to the game. Regardless of scores, every player contributed to the wonderful atmosphere and helped raise vital funds for conservation.
Ford Wildlife Foundation sponsored research vehicle
We are profoundly grateful to the Ford Wildlife Foundation for their generous support as our headline sponsor. Their ongoing partnership provides essential mobility solutions that enable our field teams to protect endangered species in remote areas. Furthermore, we extend our sincere appreciation to all our hole sponsors, prize donors, and participating businesses who helped make this day possible.
Special recognition must go to Sarah Raine, whose tireless efforts in organising the tournament were instrumental to its success. Additionally, we thank the Westlake Golf Club staff for their professional support throughout the event.
The funds raised will directly support our critical conservation programs. Specifically, they will help:
- Protect threatened species like rhinos and cheetahs
- Restore vital habitats
- Support community conservation initiatives
- Fund essential research projects
Looking ahead, we’re already planning our next fundraising events. We encourage all participants to visit our website’s Events page for updates on upcoming opportunities to support wildlife conservation. Your continued involvement makes our vital work possible.
To all who participated: thank you for golfing for a cause. Together, we’re making a real difference for Africa’s wildlife!
Frogs: Friends, fortune, or foes?
Dr Jeanne Tarrant, EWT Threatened Amphibian Programme Manager, jeannet@ewt.org.za
April 2022
Frogs and folklore go hand-in-hand. Countless children’s stories and fairy tales feature frogs and toads, and these amphibians have appeared in proverbs, rituals, and myths and have been interwoven into cultures across the world for centuries. Often, these stories represent frogs as important symbols of good fortune, fertility, and abundance. For example, each year, numerous frogs appear with the flooding of the Nile. These floods were vital to agriculture because they provided water for growing crops. Frogs represented abundance and became a symbol for the number hufnu, which meant 100,000. Many native cultures place small frog coins in their purses because they believe the coins will help them keep their money. The nature of the complete transformation of frogs from tadpoles also conjures a wide range of possible representations, including the option of transforming again into something even more wonderful, as in the traditional fairies about frogs turning into princes. The idea that a frog could be a prince – or anything else – makes them excellent fictional characters. Their metamorphosis from tadpole to frog can be seen as a form of “magic” and is relatable to young readers’ transformations, from toddler to child or child to teenager. Frogs symbolise hope in these stories.
In other cultures, toads represent less favourable symbols. In medieval Europe, for example, toads were considered evil creatures whose body parts had strange powers. Some of these views were articulated by authors from Classical Rome and Greece, whose writings had an immense influence on public opinion. Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It” alludes to a widely held superstition about a jewel that was supposed to be found inside the head of the toad. Once placed in a ring or necklace, this jewel, known as “toad-stone”, would warm up or change colour in the presence of venom, protecting the wearer from possible danger and foul play. Additionally, toads took on the role of evil spirits who assisted witches in their evil designs. In South Africa, frogs form part of similar cultural beliefs associated with witchcraft.
These myths and legends, and all stories really, are part of our journeys to better understand the world around us and are often derived as ways of protecting or warning us. Wanting to learn more about our local stories associated with frogs, we created the #FrogLore social media campaign for this year’s Leap Day for Frogs.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s annual Leap Day for Frogs campaign has been running for eight years, highlighting how important, interesting, and under threat frogs are.
Globally, amphibians remain the most threatened backboned animals on Earth, with 41% of species threatened with extinction. This 41% is a huge proportion of an ancient group of animals that have been successful for 300 million years, inhabiting all corners of the planet – except those too cold, too hot, or inaccessible to frogs, such as the Galapagos Islands. But now, because of habitat destruction, freshwater pollution, and a deadly fungus (which incidentally is having a way bigger impact on many more species than Covid-19), amphibians are facing a very real and rapid demise. It is a warning that our changing planet cannot support life in the way it should.
These sobering statistics are not cause for celebration, so why have fun in the name of frogs? While Leap Day for Frogs does highlight the threats to these creatures, it also celebrates them and creates an appreciation for them, which is the first step towards recognising their importance. Leap Day for Frogs invites members of the public to get involved however and wherever they like – be this by creating frog art or poetry at schools, cleaning up a local wetland, learning more about frogs, or playing a game of leapfrog!
Leap Day for Frogs event in Ipithi Nature Reserve on 26 February 2022
This year, in addition to the FrogLore campaign, we were fortunate to host in-person events again. We partnered with Kloof Conservancy to run a fun day of activities and a night frog walk at Ipithi Nature Reserve in Gillitts on 26 February, with over 300 people attending! We also joined forces with Hillcrest Conservancy, where 120 people joined a frog talk and walk at Springside Nature Reserve. Both amazing turnouts demonstrate that families are ready to get out to explore their local green spaces – in many instances, for the first time. Through our multiple partnerships and independent lessons, we also engaged over 700 school learners in 2022 already.
Through the FrogLore social media campaign, we reached over 34,000 people, and we received some stories – mostly related to lightning and frogs. One event participant mentioned a belief in eSwatini that if you dig up a frog, you will be struck by lightning! There is a fairly common association between frogs and weather events, which makes sense as frogs emerge during rain, and this natural occurrence may be at the root of many similar beliefs. Frogs also have very long tongues, which may explain why some think frogs shoot lightning from their mouths!
What stories or beliefs about frogs have you heard?
Please share them with us via our social media platforms with #Froglore or email ewt@ewt.org.za.
The more we know about people’s beliefs and attitudes towards frogs, the more we can promote positive interactions and save more frogs.
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How well are we considering nature in covid recovery plans in Africa?
Harriet Davies-Mostert, EWT Head of Conservation, harrietd@ewt.org.za
Panel Discussion, IUCN Global Virtual Members’ Conference on Nature-based Recovery
1 February 2022
The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a global economic crisis, and Africa’s GDP shrank by 2.1% in 2020, its worst recession in more than five decades. Southern Africa was hardest hit, with an economic contraction of 7%. Food insecurity and debt have been rising, and many development gains are being lost. The African Development Bank estimates that Covid-19 has increased the proportion of people living in extreme poverty, with as many as 38.7 million more Africans sliding into this category.
As in other parts of the world, immediate responses to the pandemic have been to focus on containing the virus, addressing the immediate health crisis, and limiting economic fallout. But a large part of the conversation has also been about the pandemic, which represents an opportunity to shift our economic models onto a greener and more inclusive trajectory.
Africa is home to tremendous biodiversity and natural resources, but these are experiencing dramatic losses due to agricultural expansion, overharvesting, alien invasive species, pollution, and climate change. It is vital that governments use post-Covid recovery spending to meet economic objectives like jobs, health, education, and economic growth – while also meeting the environmental goal of a greener, inclusive, and sustainable development trajectory.
As part of broader recovery efforts on the African continent, the African Union Commission launched a 5-year Green Recovery Action Plan in July 2021. This plan aims to ramp up action on five priority areas, including improving climate finance; supporting the just transition to renewable energy; nature-based solutions and a focus on biodiversity; resilient agriculture; and green and resilient cities.
To support this action plan, the African Ministerial Conference on the environment adopted the African Green Stimulus Programme, which seeks to address the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the pandemic and to unlock and harness the opportunities which a sustainable approach can bring for the continent of Africa.
An online platform was launched in September 2021 to support the roll-out of the stimulus programme. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. The programme aims to mobilise sufficient, additional resources and the effective use of these resources to implement a diverse portfolio of initiatives. And it will only be able to deliver impactful results at scale when these resources materialise.
Several grants have been made towards promoting green and inclusive recovery. For example, GIZ recently approved an award of nearly 1 million euros to a consortium led by South African National Parks to support Covid-19 relief efforts along the boundary of Kruger National Park in South Africa. This programme will support sustainable supply chains, enterprise development, green entrepreneurship, and responsible resource use to drive sustainable jobs and livelihoods.
Nature-based tourism was one of the main casualties of the economic shutdowns, and there have been many grants and green recovery initiatives aimed at recovering this critical sector.
The African Nature-Based Tourism Platform was initiated in April last year with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to forge connections between funders and communities, nature-based tourism enterprises, and conservation areas in southern and eastern Africa. The 3-year project aims to mobilise at least $15 million. The platform gathers data on the impacts of COVID-19 on local communities and small businesses in the nature-based tourism sector and shares this information to unlock funding streams that will bring greater resilience to nature-based tourism in the future.
While Africa’s agenda 2063 aims to industrialise the continent, there is widespread recognition and commitment that this must be done in a low carbon, nature-positive way. We need a new paradigm for development that centres on sustainable development and building forward better. And this isn’t just because it’s the right thing to do: for example, work done by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa shows that in South Africa, investing in the green economy and nature-based solutions provides 250% more jobs than investing in similar fossil-fuel-based industries. So investment in nature-based economies and nature-based solutions in Africa makes good business sense.
Most of us would agree that post-covid recovery packages have failed to incorporate nature in the seismic way that many of us had hoped they would at the start of the pandemic. Our region has some excellent and ambitious programmes and initiatives, but they remain largely underfunded and under-capacitated. Most African countries cannot raise money from their own economies to implement their recovery plans, and the cost of finance is disproportionately high for African countries compared to more developed nations. Global financial flows, from both the public and private sectors, need to be unlocked to ensure that development in Africa moves along a pathway in which people can have sustainable livelihoods without exacerbating the climate and biodiversity crises.
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Sungazer Custodians
Bradley Gibbons, African Crane Conservation Programme, bradleyg@ewt.org.za
Sungazer lizards Smaug giganteus are more commonly known as Ouvolk in South Africa’s Free State province, the only place on earth where these Vulnerable charismatic lizards can be found in the wild together with a very small population located in the south of Mpumalanga.
Since 2015, the EWT has awarded Sungazer custodian boards to exactly 30 farmers, five of which were awarded during 2021.
Sungazer custodians are farmers who go the extra mile for Sungazers and assist the EWT to conserve these reptiles on their farms and act as champions for Sungazer conservation in their area. It is never difficult to select a Sungazer custodian, because they show an extra passion for Sungazers on their properties. They ensure that their farms are safe for Sungazers, by conserving the habitat used by Sungazers and minimising disturbance to them. Another example of going the extra mile is to ensure that areas where Sungazers occur are avoided and farmers won’t drive too close to their colonies. It is important to note that Sungazers are found in colonies in natural grasslands which differs from typical lizards found in rocky areas. The EWT recognises these landowners’ conservation actions through the Sungazer Custodianship Programme.
The custodian agrees to sign a short agreement to cement their commitment to protect the Sungazers for the five-year custodianship period (with the option to renew). Through this they commit to report any useful or relevant information to the EWT, such as new areas where Sungazers are found on the farm (and in some cases to send photos of baby Sungazers) and report potential or current threats to prevent further harm to Sungazers as much as possible in their respective region. We hope that other farmers from the areas will notice the board when they visit a custodian and then follow the example of the custodian. One of the five custodians in 2021 is a couple from Koppies in the Free State, Dawie and Natasha Smalberger, who have not only reported their Sungazer sightings regularly but even put up their own camera trap to keep a watchful eye on the Sungazers on their farm! There is no doubt that they deserve to be awarded a custodian board for this type of involvement, and the EWT appreciates their efforts to conserve Sungazers.
As part of conservation efforts on privately-owned farms, the EWT would like encourage farmers to further protect their farms using another form of a conservation agreement known as the ‘Biodiversity Stewardship’ approach. Not every farm can be declared a nature reserve if a landowner would like these reptiles to be protected. Therefore, conservation on privately-owned land is made possible with the use of this strategy. An example of an agreement like this is a protected environment where livestock farming and even crop farming can operate as it currently is. However, intact vegetation such as grasslands will remain intact from not further extending any cultivated fields. These farmers will in most cases also adhere to a management plan that has been compiled to further improve the habitat on the farm.
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Protecting our rich culture and biodiversity for future generations
Jenny Botha, EWT People in Conservation Programme Manager, jennyb@ewt.org.za
Although the leaves of the Pepper-bark Tree (Warburgia salutaris) are reportedly used in curries and to flavour other foods in Kenya, the species is more commonly known for its healing properties throughout its range in East and southern Africa. This attractive evergreen tree grows in diverse habitats, including forest, kloofs, thickets, and open woodlands. Historically, it was distributed from north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland to Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Zimbabwe, extending into Mozambique and Malawi. Today though, the Pepper-bark is classified as Endangered on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, and many of its habitats are degraded and fragmented through human activities and the impacts of alien plants.
In 2020, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), with the support of the Fondation Franklinia, initiated a strategic conservation project in Limpopo to safeguard the Pepper-bark for future generations. To achieve this, we need to protect and improve the management of existing Pepper-bark Tree habitats and ensure that people who have historically depended on this tree for medicine, and continue to do so, have legal access to it.
To secure habitat for the Pepper-bark and other plant and animal species of high conservation value, the EWT has been collaborating with the Limpopo Department of Development and Tourism (LEDET) and private landowners in Limpopo to increase formal protection of these sites. It is also important to manage these habitats effectively. Over the past two years, we cleared alien vegetation from 25 hectares of Pepper-bark habitat.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to meet with over 100 traditional healers, community leaders, and other community members from 25 villages or towns to discuss mutual challenges arising through the loss of the Pepper-bark through overharvesting. Traditional healers, leaders, and community members welcomed donations of Pepper-bark saplings that will enable them to harvest directly from their gardens in future. Thanks to a year of high rainfall, the trees are growing well and will provide the traditional healers with a vital source of bark, roots, and root-bark in upcoming years. The traditional healers can also use the tree’s leaves now that scientists have verified that they contain the same phytochemical constituents as the bark and roots. This has the potential to substantially reduce the impacts of harvesting from the wild, as it is far easier to harvest sustainably if the leaves can be used instead of bark or roots.
We would like to thank SAPPI, the Agricultural Resource Council, and SANParks for the donation of 2,000 trees to this project and look forward to continuing this exciting journey with the many traditional healers, communities, and other conservation partners who are participating in this initiative.
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