A total of 15,000 hectares of Eastern Cape community land has been marked for biodiversity conservation, but critics are worried that the province is already struggling to protect and manage 15 existing provincial reserves.
The new land being declared a protected area is linked to the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road project.
In her policy and budget speech tabled in the legislature last week, economic development, environmental affairs and tourism (Dedeat) MEC Nonkqubela Pieters said the East Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) was leading the process in which eight community resolutions had been obtained to support declaring portions of their land as part of the N2 Biodiversity Offset Programme on the Wild Coast.
Furthermore, the intention to declare community land in Matatiele and Mount Fletcher was under way, with more than 60,000ha of land under six chiefs having been obtained through community resolutions as part of protecting water resources in the upper Umzimvubu catchment.
“Over the next five years, ECPTA plans to declare 55,000ha as part of increasing the protected areas estate through the Eastern Cape Biodiversity Stewardship Programme,” Pieters said.
“ECPTA also successfully manages the 15 provincial nature reserves and continues to leverage additional resources to supplement its operational budget.”
She said the Wildlife Conservation bond project had met its rhino population growth rate for the third year.
Thirty black rhinos were also successfully translocated to four new custodianship sites as part of the province’s commitment to expanding black rhino range.
ECPTA had been allocated R7m to enhance security of the provincial parks.
“The N2 Biodiversity Offset Programme, implemented by ECPTA as [state road-building agency] Sanral’s agent, has contributed 15,000ha of biodiversity conservation land estate and in the process created 400 jobs in the past year through projects focused on wetland rehabilitation, erosion control and alien vegetation clearing,” Pieters said.
However, Green Ripple spokesperson Kevin Harris said they were concerned about a lack of biodiversity conservation management in some of the present 15 provincial reserves, and now an additional 55,000ha would have to be managed.
The group warned of alien infestations, poaching, vagrancy, land occupation and dumping in these areas.
“The human resource component to implement current biodiversity management plans is also lacking, as is competency.”
Pieters also announced that the province had achieved its Ramsar designated site at Mkambati. Ramsar is an international treaty and framework for conserving globally recognised wetlands.
This was expected to create sustainable job opportunities for the surrounding communities and attract ecotourists, researchers and conservation-focused investors, “stimulating demand for local tourism and hospitality services such as guided tours”.
A land settlement agreement had led to the Mkambati Nature Reserve land being restored to the Mkambati community.
The reserve is co-managed by the Mkambati Land Trust and ECPTA through a co-management agreement, with co-management committee meetings around reserve operational activities and plans to be held every quarter.
Pieters said Dedeat was issuing permits for harvesting of indigenous plants to the chiefs in participating areas, which formed part of the National Biodiversity Strategy on Bioprospecting.
Species that were harvested — such as Aloe ferox, “Ikhala”, aloe vera, perlagonium sidoides, “vendle” and honey bush tea — were marketed in the mainstream including via pharmaceuticals and contributed towards the provincial economy.
Communities were signing benefit sharing agreements with bio-prospectors through the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment.
Dedeat continued to issue hunting permits for the wildlife industry.
The province was the second-largest preferred hunting destination, with hunting a key economic driver in conservation management, drawing international clients to the province which contributed directly to tourism.
The Eastern Cape offered hunters a unique species, the Cape Buffalo, she said.
Daily Dispatch
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