African Wildlife and Environment Issue 66

CONSERVATION

CONSERVATION

Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Google Earth platforms and other phone Apps. 8. Street theatre awareness-raising and situated dialogue are further innovations in this work. Drama productions, created and managed by youth, open up dialogue and encourage people to speak about things that are going on in the community. Drama can be a useful tool to start awareness-raising about environmental issues and to enhance the dialogues at the various community meeting places or forums. Drama is also proving to be a helpful methodology for developing possibilities for more sustainable living. The notion of ‘Green Jobs for Blue Rivers’ is thus developing as an emerging response to the challenges of unemployment, poor service delivery and resource wastage in South Africa. The initiative is building on existing experiences and research and is can be applied across South Africa. In providing an enhanced ability to live more sustainably, the initiative helps us work towards the National Development Plan as well as the Sustainable Development Goals . “By 2030, South Africa’s transition to an environmentally sustainable, climate change resilient, low-carbon economy and just society will be well under way. South Africa must also realise its full potential of its natural resources” (SA’s National Development Plan) The Impendle World Environment Day “WESSA kicked the snake in the hole that is environmental sustainability. And the snake has come out fighting with us for nature and sustainability”. INduna Doris Molefe is a traditional leader who has lived in the Impendle region of KwaZulu-Natal her whole life. Impendle includes a number of major wetlands that feed water into the uMngeni river system. The uMngeni river in turn supplies virtually all the fresh water needs of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Some years ago iNduna Molefe, together with iNkosi Nozipho Molefe, and iNduna Mbelu, attended an Ecological Infrastructure and Sustainability Leadership Seminar with Lemson Betha and Tembeka Dambuza. Induna Molefe feels her relationship with WESSA has helped open her eyes and support her and her community to connect with nature and learn to support the natural resource base of the area. From the small beginnings of just a few people, the Impendle environmental activities have grown to a large-scale movement. Indeed, on 7 June 2017, largely thanks to iNduna Molefe’s enthusiasm, over 300 people gathered to celebrate a day of ‘Connecting People to Nature’. AmaKhosi, iziNduna, Councilors, Government Officials (including Impendle Municipality, CoGTA, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and

Environmental Affairs) and community members all gathered to discuss and address water and ecological infrastructure issues. Meat and food was provided for all by a local iNduna, and community members did the cooking and serving of the feast. In Impendle World Environment Day 2017 was celebrated as a “This social movement has sustainability and the environment as its ethos. Even the community driven donga rehabilitation work is operating at a local homestead level. One day we will all be proud of the Impendle catchment and how it supports natural resources and becomes the well cared for water factory of Durban and Pietermaritzburg” Acknowledgements Considerable support has been forthcoming for the developing sustainability movement in the uMngeni catchment. In particular the programme is supported by WESSA, DUCT, WWF, The Maas Massen Fund, EDTEA, CoGTA, the various local municipalities and other government department as well as the district municipality and many public spirited community members. Transport is supported by the Ford Wildlife Foundation as well as iNduna Molefe and the Iziminza Traditional Council. Further reading and information • Dambuza, T. and Taylor, J. (2015) African Citizens Monitor River Health: the Stream Assessment Scoring System. USA National Water Monitoring News acwi.gov/monitoring Sprint 2015 • Kolbe, A.C. (2014) Citizen Science & water quality in the Umgeni Catchment area, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa . Unpublished Masters Thesis, Queens University, Ontario. • Ward, M. (2016) Review of the Enviro-Champs in mPophomeni. DUCT, Pietermaritzburg. ‘Shisa Nyama’ on a grand scale! As Tembeka Dambuza notes:

Mpophomeni Youth Productions

participating community members. All records are carefully kept and over 3 000 households were visited and engaged with during the six month period from 1 November to 31 April 2017. 3. Citizen science tools (developed by a WESSA/ GroundTruth/WRC research project) are also being used tohelpbuildunderstanding and tohelp communities appreciate the levels of resource use and wastage and how to manage them better. Popular tools include miniSASS (www.minisass. org) as well as a clarity tube (that measures turbidity) and a velocity plank for measuring river and stream flow. A riverine vegetation guide is a further useful tool supporting understanding and action taking at a local level. 4. Financial management and reconciliation is crucial in projects such as this. Here DUCT plays a lead role in the project and careful financial management ensures that no funds are wasted and that should sponsors assist the project they know where their funds are going. 5. Communicationand liaisonwith themunicipalities is a further crucial component of community

mobilization for the environment. The project works hard to develop good relationships with all stakeholders, including local authorities, business and water service providers. 6. Leadership Seminars for influential stake-holders help the project engage with traditional leaders, Councilors and other people in authority, including municipal officials. The Leadership Seminars ensure that all are aware of, engaged with, and can shape and be informed about the project. Tembeka Dambuza and Lemson Betha have been particularly active in supporting the Leadership Seminar concept and are also working with various other stakeholders and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA). 7. A ‘socio-technical highway’ is a further exciting work in progress. Using social media, such as ‘What’s App Groups’, linked to geographical location systems, communication amongst young people working for the common good in townships is achieving a great deal. This needs to be strengthened and integrated with

Dr Jim Taylor Director: Environmental Education WESSA jt@wessa.co.za Tembeka Dambuza Senior Manager: Ecological Infrastructure & Sustainability tembeka.dambuza@wessa.co.za

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