Birds of the Magaliesberg 2023

money is raised to purchase land. and in so doing secures its preservation for future generations. South Africa however, is unique in that it recognizes that the conservancy movement is just as applicable in the urban and industrial context as it is in the ‘wilds’. As time goes by Conservancies are being seen more and more as the cornerstone of protecting our rural and urban environment and have been the key building blocks in many cases of the Biospheres throughout the country, forming a large part of the buffer zones of these reserves. An example is the newly established Magaliesberg Biosphere where the core zone is surrounded by six established registered conservancies plus an eco-estate and bird sanctuary conservancy with two more covering a vast area in the process of registering. Today there are still a number of areas where groups call themselves conservancies but are not registered. So the question arises “why register a conservancy ?” Firstly, the conservancy name and logo is a recognized movement which espouses certain norms and standards of operation.The logo is a registered trademark.As with any affiliation, be it a sports club or a professional institute, membership allows certain privileges which are not open to nonmembers. In so doing, associations can aid and be represented by registered members as well as distance themselves from committees or individuals which have the potential to bring all other members into disrepute. In so doing the conservancy movement is able to function in a democratic manner for the benefit of all its members. Established conservancies should address the following: • Conservation of all the natural features that will ensure an ecology including people activities on a sustainable basis for the future wellbeing of all. inhabitants. • Social needs to maintain harmony and prevent overuse of the natural resources by people without basic means for a decent living. • Economic development that will grow peace and prosperity for all to ensure effective commitment to the conservation and social considerations. Challenges facing Biospheres are mirrored in the conservancies and include: • Large scale poverty, population growth and health problems, which put great pressure on the environment; youth unemployment which in many instances results in some turning to crime, including some of the activities outlined below. Many areas, especially where mine closures have taken place, have seen the rapid growth of informal settlements with little or no services and in many instances in or adjoining sensitive areas. • Conflict between humans and wildlife, which includes the dramatic rise in poaching mainly • through the setting of snares, which decimate the wildlife in a region, and the illegal and unsustainable harvesting of wood which is no longer just for subsistence use but for commercial sale. • Too frequent burning of large tracts of land for grazing purposes beyond what the natural cycles can tolerate, thus impacting heavily on fauna and flora in the area. Fire damage to mountain wetlands can result in poor water retention and in time the demise of river catchments. • Bush meat trade is also a growing practice where there is clear evidence that the unsustainable scale of the poaching is no longer for family survival but commercial financial gain.

• Security issues within the conservancies, especially for tourism related activities like hiking trails. Several hikers have been attacked in recent years in areas of the Magaliesberg. • The degradation and erosion of land, often resulting from many years of poor farming practices, is a major inhibitor to the rehabilitation of some areas, resulting in high cost rehabilitation having to be carried out before progress can be made. • With rising populations and the demand for land as well as farming expanding into natural forest remnants, large areas are being impacted on. i.e., farming for biofuel production resulting in major biodiversity loss. • Alien invasive species, especially plants, are having a major impact in most areas, putting enormous pressure on resources to combat them, along with the loss of ecosystems services through biodiversity loss to the aliens. • Degradation and depletion of natural resources, especially water, often highly polluted by surrounding cities from both industrial and sewage effluent. This is on the increase as the management of for example sewage farms, is non-existent or highly compromised. An example of this is Hartbeespoort Dam. • Mining (legal and illegal) being a direct threat to the core areas. The possibility of mining permitted. in highly sensitive areas through lack of expertise, and accountability in governing structures. Many of these mines in the early years were abandoned with no government actions being taken to force the owners to rehabilitate the areas resulting in the major scars in the landscape. A good example is the abandoned granite mines around Brits. • Improper waste disposal and management, where illegal dumping often takes place in these natural areas that are not monitored all the time. Actions by conservancies to tag offenders and get them back to remove such illegal waste dumping, is having a positive effect in some areas. • Lack of proper institutions, accountability, transparency, weak governance, lack of legal basis and legitimacy. • Environmental Impact Assessment regulations especially 24G, which in many instances is still being used as a loophole by unscrupulous developers. A concern is the ongoing push by Government to fast track the EIA process for “development” at all costs, and not allowing time for the real long term impacts to be assessed especially where specialist studies have to be carried out. Comments like, a rare or endangered species can be dug out or relocated, belong to a previous millennium. Conservancies are encouraged to form partnerships with other organisations like EWT, Birdlife SA, Rotary clubs and WESSA. A number of conservancies have strengthened this relationship by becoming affiliated to WESSA. In fact NACSSA has been a WESSA affiliate for a number of years.The Department of Environmental Affairs is currently looking at ways to strengthen the role of conservancies, in the greater conservation mix in this country, as they look at conservation expansion strategies going forward. The future of Conservation is in our hands and time has run out as urban sprawl engulfs those last green spaces and natural corridors. So let’s join hands and create that world worthy of our children. FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION Amer, W, Ashong, S. & Tjomoko D (2015). Management Manual for UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Africa.German Commission for UNESCO, Germany This article includes information from Trafford Petterson (Vice Chairman NACSSA). www.nacssa.co.za

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