Moving towards larger areas

Nature is critical for our survival. Terms such as biodiversity and ecosystem services have become more familiar phrases but are often viewed or understood as individual components because this is how humans learn best.  We break down difficult to understand concepts, learn about the components separately, and think we understand the system, but often do not grasp the full complexity.

Luckily science and research are progressing, and we are learning more about the intricacies and complexities of nature.  Because nature is not just a collection of species, genes, or habitats or even relationships between species, it is a vast, interconnected and complex system of life and it this complexity and interconnectedness of the system which makes it important for us to survive and thrive.

However, we have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg in terms of our knowledge of this critical life giving system.  We have then spent the last couple of hundred years unsustainably exploiting nature to grow our economies and wealth to the extent of creating unprecedented global biodiversity loss and collapsing local habitats, often to the detriment of local subsistence communities, who have few alternatives for food or livelihoods.

Of the nine planetary boundaries biodiversity loss is one of the most advanced, even though climate change receives more media attention.  This is why countries around the world have signed the agreement at COP15 in December 2022, to protect 30% of land and water by 2030, to ensure nature and biodiversity can continue to provide essential ecosystem services to people.

But it is not just about lowering extinction rates of species, it is about providing space where nature is the priority and can stay interconnected and be a fully functioning system.  If we can’t make this happen biodiversity loss will continue and eventually the system will collapse and once the system starts collapsing in one area there will be a domino effect across the planet.  Nature is not just interconnected at the local level but also at the global level; oceanic currents and ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest, for example, create and influence weather patterns both locally and around the world.

Today only 15% of land, 15% of freshwater and 7% of oceans are protected globally.  South Africa is below the global average where only 9,27% of its land is protected. A further 20,7% is needed in the next 7 years to be able to meet this international target.

South Africa is a species and habitat rich country, and many people rely directly on nature for their livelihood, income and wellbeing.  Making sure nature is protected, restored and the importance recognised is critical to South Africa’s future.

Here in the Waterberg, we are incredibly fortunate that our story of conservation and the rewilding and restoration process to bring back biodiversity started decades ago and now the Waterberg is a place of immense conservation and biodiversity value that can contribute to the 30 x 30 deal for nature.

The Waterberg (both the plateau area and the larger district) represent a significant area of the conservation estate of South Africa.  The plateau, which almost in its entirety, is made up of game farms and reserves and is approximately 2 million ha in size, while the larger district is almost 4.5 million ha.  The Waterberg bioregional plan indicates that at least 80% of the area, is in a natural state which would qualify as conservation estate, although much of it lacks formal protection.

Land under conservation comes in different categories; largely to do with the aspect of level of protection. These include state-owned (SANParks and LEDET) reserves, LEDET registered Private Nature Reserves, large conservation properties (not protected) >8000ha, medium properties (game farms <8000ha and >3000ha) and the many small game farms about 1000ha in size.  There is also a biosphere Reserve which is classified as an Other Effective area-based Conservation Measure (OECMs).