A time to P(r)ay for Ecosystem Services?
Kouga Dam (SA): It has been two years since significant rainfall has fallen in parts of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. What was being called a ‘water crisis’ is now looming as a ‘disaster’. Farmers in the usually abundant Gamtoos Valley ‘fruitbowl’ are sitting with empty fields and lack of work for labourers. Port Elizabeth residents are experiencing severe water restrictions, increased taxes and are calling for new water sources to be found. And with the region soon expecting thousands of incoming foreign visitors to celebrate this winter’s football World Cup, many in the area believe that it is seriously time to start praying…
Living Lands expands
Kouga Dam (SA): Living Lands is delighted to be able to welcome three more colleagues to the PRESENCE Learning Village. Bart van Eck, Noël Isaacs and Silvia Weel joined the team last week and will be involved in various activities which strengthen Living Lands’ aim of supporting local capacity building for landscape restoration.
A familiar face becomes a new colleague
Kouga Dam (SA) – Living Lands is delighted to be able to welcome Odilirwe Selomane (‘Odi’) as a new colleague to the PRESENCE Learning Village. Odi’s role will focus on the design of economic and policy research strategies for the future implementation of regional landscape conservation and restoration incentive schemes (also known as ‘payments for ecosystem/landscape services’ or ‘stewardship agreements’).
Not that we’re counting…
Global: In the four’s years since its inception, the EarthCollective network has attracted remarkable cultural diversity. Through its various initiatives , EarthCollective has engaged with team members, students, interns and volunteers from the following countries: Australia; Bangladesh; Belgium ; Brazil ; Canada; Colombia; Costa Rica; Czech Republic ; England; France; Germany ; Guatemala; Italy; Mexico; Netherlands ; Nigeria; Pakistan; Portugal; Slovakia; Spain; South Africa and the United States.
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A Little About Us
EarthCollective acts as a catalyst in enabling and facilitating initiatives which revitalise the links between nature and human well-being. The network integrates knowledge and experience from science, business and broader society to seed fresh ideas, grow new partnerships and harvest collective synergies for achieving real social and ecological sustainability. Through new ways of thinking, learning and knowing we aim to empower members and partners to act upon their ambitions for co-creating an inspired future.
EarthCollective members formed ’Living Lands’ in South Africa and are actively involved in building local capacity and assisting this foundation with a range of communication, research and education activities.
EarthCollective is simply about getting positive ideas happening.
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