EWT Drylands Conservation team participates in 2024 Fynbos Forum

By Dr Samantha Mynhardt and Insauf De Vries

Renier Basson speaking about insects and fynbos conservation

Members of the EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme (DCP) participated in this year’s Fynbos Forum in Stellenbosch earlier this month, sharing information about efforts to conserve golden moles and insects, and the partnership with communities to promote tourism in areas rich with Fynbos.

The forum, first held in 2020, is an affiliation of natural scientists, researchers, planners, managers, landowners and stakeholders that meet annually to discuss the collaborative production of knowledge that underpins regional conservation efforts in the Fynbos biome in South Africa. As a transdisciplinary regional learning network, the forum supports discussions on management issues and research results, and formulates priorities for future research and conservation management actions required to ensure the conservation and sustainability of Fynbos ecosystems.

Notable keynote speakers included Dr. Jasper Slingsby from the University of Cape Town, who spoke about BioSCape – The Biodiversity Survey of the Cape, and Rupert Barnard and Michelle de Bruyn from non-profit, Wild Restoration. They spoke about the collaborative action network for invasive clearing groups in the Greater Cape Floristic Region and the power of partnerships in conservation.

From the EWT’s DCP team, Dr Samantha Mynhardt presented a talk on golden moles entitled “Conserving the Golden Moles of the South African West Coast”. Golden moles are subterranean mammals that are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, many with restricted ranges due to poor dispersal ability. These moles are highly vulnerable to population fragmentation and isolation and continue to face ongoing threats, such as habitat transformation, mining, and agriculture. Of the 21 species, ten are listed as either Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. A total of 6 occur in the Drylands of South Africa, some of which overlap with the Fynbos biome. Dr Mynhardt spoke about how the EWT has been working towards the conservation of the De Winton’s- (Cryptochloris wintoni) and Van Zyl’s- (Cryptochloris zyli) Golden Moles, by developing methods to track them down in the wild, better understand their distribution, and protect their habitat. Including how, after trialing various detection methods such as thermal imaging drones, scent detection dogs and environmental DNA (eDNA), we were able to rediscover the De Winton’s golden mole in 2023 – a species that had been lost to science for over 80 years. We are using eDNA to map golden mole species distributions; an approach that has the potential to revolutionise the field of conservation science.

Alrie van Wyk presenting about the Papkuilsfontein initiatives

Dr Samantha Mynhardt speaks about the conservation of golden moles on South Africa’s West Coast

Team member Renier Basson presented a talk on the endemic and Endangered insects of the Fynbos highlighting unique species that are adapted to the Fynbos biome, and species that are of conservation concern. The aim of his talk was to inform the audience about the elusive biology of endemic insects , the ecological role they play, their threat status, and why they are threatened. There are approximately 9,000 Fynbos species and roughly 70% of those are endemic. Discussing threatened taxonomic groups such as Restio Grasshoppers (Betiscoides spp.), butterflies in the genera Chrysoritis, Thestor, Orachrysops and Trida, and Cape Stag Beetles (Colophon spp.), he mentioned that the biology of many of these threatened groups remain unknown, which makes decision-making in terms of conservation very challenging.

Alrie van Wyk, one of the DCP stewardship landowners, spoke about the EWT’s Via Ferrata initiative at Papkuilsfontein Guest Farm in a talk entitled “Experiencing Fynbos on the Edge”. The Via Ferrata roughly translates to iron trail – in reference to an iron cable installed along the cliffs of the Oorlogskloof Gorge at the farm. Situated on the Bokkeveld Plateau, near Nieuwoudtville, the farm contains unique Fynbos and Succulent biomes, which are both biodiversity hotspots, as well as the Nama Karoo Biome. The convergence of the various biomes results in exceptionally high biodiversity. Nieuwoudtville is known as the bulb capital of the world and is thus a popular tourist destination during the flower season. But, this season is short and, in some years, less financially beneficial due to poor flower displays. To make tourism an inclusive and sustainable future economic contributor in support of sustainable land management, partners are working together to reimagine this approach. As such the EWT-DCP team introduced the van Wyks to adventure tourism as a means to provide a much-needed opportunity to develop a sustainable income stream based on an immersive and uniquely tailored experience. This includes a Via Ferrata – a safe, guided rock-climbing experience within the Papkuilsfontein protected environment that showcases the unique Fynbos biodiversity found on the edges of the Oorlogskloof Gorge. Alrie’s presentation highlighted how this project became a pathway to community upliftment, contributed to resilience of the landscape, and allowed for financial returns to flow back into the conservation of the biodiversity on the farm. Her talk won the prize for the Best Presentation. We are extremely proud of her!

Overall, the Fynbos Forum presented a great opportunity for our team to connect with one another, and to network with the broader Western Cape conservation community. We walked away with renewed enthusiasm to contribute to future research and conservation management actions required to ensure the conservation and sustainability of Fynbos ecosystems.

The EWT projects and attendance of the event were made possible by Table Mountain Fund and Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.

Field work for the Wildlife and Energy Programme

One of the field officers of the Endangered Wildlife Trusts’ Wildlife and Energy Programme, Ronelle Visagie, travels a lot through the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and the western and southern Free State to investigate powerline incidents.

Ronelle recently travelled to a powerline 100 km southwest of Kakamas for an investigation, and also surveyed seven powerlines in the Eastern Cape and one in the southern Free State. Driving around our beautiful country does have its advantages and grants us as EWTers an opportunity to visit and experience different parts of our beautiful country.

This month we share with you a few photographs of Ronelle’s recent journey to investigate powerlines.

Kakamas is in Namaqualand, a desolate part of the Northern Cape. Despite being situated on the banks of the Orange River, this area is typically very dry. Most people only ever pass this area en route to Namibia or the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Believe it or not, there are White-Backed vultures in Namaqualand. This picture of three vultures sitting on an electricity pylon was taken 100 km southwest of Kakamas.

Ronelle also passed two Cape Griffon Vulture roosting sites on her journey through the Eastern Cape and Free State. The one is near Zastron in the Free State. The other was seen between Burgersdorp and Jamestown.

The plants in this region are something special, especially because most are unique to this part of our coutry. Even though winter was approaching, some of the veld plants in this dry habitat were flowering making this visit colourful.

Because it was late in autumn, the Eastern Cape and Free State were beautiful. All the trees were showing off their autumn leaves, and the Orange Charmer shrubs (Pyracantha coccinia or Fire Thorn) were covered in berries. Unfortunately, the Orange Charmers are an exotic species.

A picture can tell a thousand words. Even though it was not very hot, this picture shows the importance of one tree. A flock of sheep gathered under it in the midday Sun for some shade

Namaqualand is well known for its Quiver Trees, which had started their annual bloom. Seeing these critically endangered giant trees flowering is a special experience, especially because they are one of South Africa’s most spectacular and rare aloe species.

The Orange Charmers were spread out in the Free State and Eastern Cape.

South Africa’s national bird, the Blue Crane, is the world’s most range-restricted crane. Although Ronelle did not see many Blue or Grey Crowned Cranes during her survey of the powerlines, she did come across this flock of more than 330 Blue Cranes on agricultural land near Venterstad in the Eastern Cape on her trip home.

The drier western part of the Northern Cape is also very well known for its characteristic Sociable Weaver nests. Social Weavers typically build their nests in Camel Thorn trees, but also have a preference for bare manmade structures, such as telephone and electric poles. These huge nests of straw and grass can be seen for miles and are often home to colonies of more than 100 birds.

Travelling through the Eastern Cape you are able to view beautiful mountains and rock formations.

World Environment Day 2024

World Environment Day 2024: Restoring Land and Securing Our Future

World Environment Day 2024 marks a pivotal moment to reflect on the urgent need for ecosystem restoration. On 5 June, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) joined millions worldwide in raising awareness about land rehabilitation, desertification prevention, and drought resilience.

This year’s theme, “Our Land. Our Future,” highlights the critical role of conservation. Moreover, it aligns with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s #GenerationRestoration movement, which seeks to reverse environmental damage by 2030.

The Global Crisis of Land Degradation

Recent findings from the United Nations’ Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists reveal alarming statistics—nearly 50% of the world’s rangelands face degradation due to overuse, climate change, and biodiversity loss. In South Africa, afforestation, mining, and land conversion contribute significantly to this crisis.

The EWT has taken proactive steps, establishing over 100,000 hectares of protected areas and clearing invasive species to restore vital water catchment zones. These efforts improve ecosystem services, particularly in climate-sensitive regions. However, a nationwide shift in natural resource management is essential to meet Sustainable Development Goals on land degradation neutrality.

The Human and Economic Impact of Environmental Decline

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), over two billion hectares of land—more than 20% of the Earth’s surface—are degraded. This affects 3.2 billion people, disproportionately harming Indigenous communities, small-scale farmers, and rural populations. Droughts alone impact 55 million people annually, threatening food security and livelihoods.

If left unchecked, land degradation could reduce global food productivity by 12%, driving food prices up by 30% by 2040. Africa holds significant restoration potential, with over 720 million hectares that could be rehabilitated. The Pan-African Ecosystem Restoration Action Agenda aims to restore 200 million hectares by 2030.

World Environment Day 2024

Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future

The EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme addresses climate change and unsustainable land use in southern Africa. By promoting eco-tourism and supporting local enterprises, the initiative fosters economic resilience while preserving ecosystems.

Governments and financial institutions must also play a role. Redirecting agricultural subsidies towards regenerative farming and small-scale producers can enhance food security without compromising ecosystems. UNEP estimates that investments in nature-based solutions must double to $542 billion by 2030 to meet global climate and biodiversity targets.

The Path Forward: Policy and Collaboration

With the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) approaching in October 2024, nations must reaffirm their commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Adequate funding, particularly for developing nations, is critical to implementing National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

In South Africa, collaboration between government, businesses, and communities is vital. The EWT’s carbon trading agreements in the Free State grasslands demonstrate how sustainable practices can generate revenue while protecting biodiversity.

A Call to Action for World Environment Day 2024

World Environment Day 2024 reminds us that healthy land is as vital as clean air and water. By restoring degraded ecosystems, we safeguard food security, biodiversity, and human well-being. Every stakeholder—from policymakers to private citizens—must contribute to this collective mission.

The time to act is now. Together, we can secure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Going, going… Gone… EWT working to reverse habitat loss in South Africa’s drylands

By Zanne Brink, Drylands Conservation Programme Manager

“The eye of the beholder” has always been an interesting emotional sense that has dictated a person’s view or outlook on the Dry Lands of South Africa, and further afield. Those individuals drawn to vast open spaces with its unique endemic biodiversity and specialist species, versus those individuals who dread the “nothingness”.

For the most part, “arid”, or “dry” areas are characterised by limited natural water resources and, to the layman, large open areas with plants growing relatively low to the ground, and very little cellphone reception. These arid areas receive on average between 50 to 300 mm of rain per annum, making the arid regions very sensitive to climate variability with big impacts on endemic plants and animals adapted to this environment. Survival is dependant on evading drought or harsh periods through migration or endurance in the form of soil, water and vegetation management. No matter how you look at it, the arid areas are exposed to extreme weather and climatic occurrences, such as droughts and heatwaves. This results in these landscapes being vulnerable to rapid and devastating environmental change and land degradation.

The vast open landscapes of southern Namibia, the Western and the Northern Cape Provinces of South Africa are home to three significant arid biomes: the Namib Desert, Nama Karoo, and the Succulent Karoo. Despite the harsh conditions experienced in these biomes, it is a fact that not only species, but biodiversity, and dare I say communities living in these biomes, are highly adapted and diverse.

In arid environments, mobility is the most important adaptation to extreme conditions. Animals and people can move from one area to another when plants do not spread fast enough. Increasing temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are altering ecosystems and placing additional stress on already vulnerable ecosystems and communities. Temperatures in southern Africa are expected to rise at a rate 1.5 to 2 times that of the rest of the world, exacerbating the possibility of biodiversity loss and climate change challenges for communities. Arid areas are also known as the most sparsely populated areas of South Africa, and in recent years these communities have been shrinking due to socio-economic drivers.

Ongoing research allows us to understand these changes brought on by both short-term droughts and climate-induced shifts. This is very important, as natural and social responses to an ever-increasing changing environment due to increased frequencies in drought occurrences is vital. South Africa’s meat and wool ‘breadbasket’ depends on changes implemented at a farm level and through legislation, to include a different style of farming to adapt to less water and increased temperatures over extended periods.

But, it must also be understood that arid regions have a slow response rate, with long-term monitoring over several years needed to understand impacts on fauna, flora, avians and invertebrates. Even with stringent monitoring, it does not provide answers to feed into the need for livelihood protection for communities and biodiversity. With growing economic needs, the search for renewable energies have started focussing on areas seen as low productivity areas, and slowly started desertification through development-related damage in a sensitive landscape.

Traditionally, small livestock farming was the most widespread economic opportunity in the arid areas. However, rampant overgrazing in some areas has caused severe land degradation, leading to a compromise in the ecological resilience of the areas. Poor rural communities in these areas have a particularly high dependency on well-functioning ecosystems, and currently, their resilience to climate change impacts is very low. A recent surge in renewable energy production has fuelled development across much of the landscape, which, in most cases, has left a shameful legacy of environmental degradation in the form of vegetation clearing, water abstraction and pollution, soil compaction and road development, all in the name of growth.

There is an urgent need to manage the arid regions of South Africa more effectively, to benefit both the landscape and people living off it. This includes injecting much-needed support for ecologically based adaptation (EbA), sustainable land management (SLM) and climate-smart agricultural practices, while tackling the negative impacts of land degradation.

The EWT Drylands Conservation Programme is working with landowners to champion the conservation of this spectacular landscape. We collaborate with all stakeholders to promote alternative economies and sustainable agriculture over unsustainable developments, such as hydraulic fracturing and uranium mining. We focus on enhancing habitat protection and improvement, and driving innovative research, to better understand the unique species in the Karoo. This has allowed us to “rediscover” lost species such as De Winton’s Golden Mole (Cryptochloris wintoni).

Through our work, it allows us to collaborate with the communities within the landscape and to undertake activities that achieve specific conservation goals in each of these. By providing guidance in Sustainable Land Management (SLM), the EWT ensures that communities in landscapes benefit along with the ecosystems and wildlife that share these spaces through the responsible use of the available natural resources. The Karoo Forever website was developed for the Drylands of South Africa to provide a knowledge-sharing platform with downloadable resources focused on sustainable land management (Welcome to Karoo Forever).

It is not all doom and gloom, but a realistic look at our beloved fragile arid environments is crucial to allow for a united focus on how to balance nature and development. As financial constraints impede the application and implementation of ecological practices across this arid landscape, industry and conservation along with all communities and stakeholders need to find common ground to benefit man and environment.

The need, and the potential to do things better, must be emphasised. This can only be done through our own actions and allowing locally led research to show the way to sustainability, allowing nature to benefit, and does not limit people’s wellbeing. We, as a community, must make climate change and associated concerns a part of our day to day thinking and planning to build resilience in livelihoods and economies, to reduce our vulnerabilities, and the associated conflict.

Give our arid regions a chance and break the cycle of nature loss. We do have huge potential to enable nature and people to thrive together in a changing climate.

A quest for gold – the rediscovery of De Winton’s Golden Mole

by Samantha Mynhardt

On 29 November 2023, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and Re:wild announced the re-discovery of De Winton’s Golden Mole (Cryptochloris wintoni), and the story was received with great excitement all over the world as it steadily became one of the biggest conservation stories for 2023. This small mammal had eluded detection for over 80 years, was listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as “Critically Endangered; Possibly Extinct”, and on Re:wild’s list of Top 25 Most Wanted “Lost” Species, until its rediscovery last year. The research findings were published in Biodiversity and Conservation on 24 November 2023 and can be read here.

Golden moles are elusive little animals that spend nearly their entire lives underground, thus they are very seldom seen by humans. Some species will occasionally come to the surface to forage, typically only at night. In most cases, the only sign of golden mole activity or presence is a raised ridge on the surface of the ground, representing their shallow underground foraging tunnels. However, for the sand-dwelling species, such as De Winton’s golden mole, even these ridges are hard to spot, since the subsurface tunnels collapse in the soft sand.

De Winton’s golden mole has been severely impacted by mining activities and other threats on the South African west coast. We suspect that the population has experienced a substantial decline over the past century. The species was last detected at the type locality (the origin of the specimen from which the species was described), Port Nolloth, in 1937, and since then has eluded scientists, likely due to difficulties in locating and trapping these animals and/or the presence of the similar-looking and more abundant Grant’s golden mole, Eremitalpa granti.

As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pretoria at the time, working alongside Profs. Nigel Bennet and Paulette Bloomer on small mammal genetics research, I had been looking into alternative non-invasive means of studying golden moles, having faced the immense challenge of finding them in the wild, and trapping them to collect genetic samples. The Drylands Conservation Program (DCP) of the EWT received funding from Re:wild to go in search of De Winton’s Golden Mole, and invited me to join them on their quest, despite the views of many, including experts, that the species was extinct.

In 2020 we conducted a pilot study at Lambert’s Bay, the type locality of the sister species, van Zyl’s golden mole, Cryptochloris zyli (also Endangered), to trial some novel approaches for detecting golden moles, including thermal imaging drones, a scent-detection dog, and environmental DNA (eDNA). The pilot study was very successful. The thermal imaging showed some promise in facilitating our search for golden mole presence, although this was perhaps overshadowed by our scent-detection dog’s remarkable ability to sniff out the moles, and the unmatched power of eDNA technology to identify the species present, once the burrows had been located.

In July of the following year, we began our expedition along the west coast to Port Nolloth. We surveyed multiple sites along a 300km stretch of coastline, from the Groen River mouth northwards to Alexander Bay. Our team of five, including myself, Cobus Theron, JP le Roux, Esther Matthew and her trained scent-detection border collie, Jessie, conducted surveys on foot for a week, exploring, on average, 18km of dune habitat per day. Jessie had obviously never encountered a De Winton’s golden mole before, and therefore she was not trained on the scent of this species. However, she had been trained on the scent of the two more common species in the area, Grant’s- and Cape golden mole. She therefore assisted us in finding golden mole tracks, and we knew she would indicate to us if she found the more common species. When she didn’t indicate, we had a good idea that we had found something “new”.

We collected over 100 soil samples on the expedition. Wherever we found signs of golden mole activity, we collected small soil samples from the inner linings of their subsurface tunnels. Animals shed their DNA into their environment, typically in the form of skin cells, hair, and excretions and secretions. This is known as environmental DNA (eDNA) and is present at a molecular level and therefore completely invisible. We were essentially collecting eDNA samples from the soil in the underground burrows. This eDNA would later be extracted in the lab, and a particular fragment of DNA, called a DNA barcode, would enable us to identify the species.

We found evidence of De Winton’s golden mole, not only at Port Nolloth, but at multiple additional sites, indicating that the species may be more widespread than previously thought. Golden mole activity was particularly abundant on the beach at McDougal’s Bay, Port Nolloth, indicating that there is likely a healthy population persisting there. Unfortunately, we are not able to estimate the population size at this stage, however future research should aim to do so.

While we aim to conduct further surveys for this Critically Endangered species to better understand its distribution, it is important that we protect the populations we do know of. We are therefore working towards improved habitat protection and management for the population at McDougal’s Bay, as well as nearby sites where the species has been detected, and to identify additional suitable sites for protection.