Participants drew inspiration and energy from the idyllic Tsitsikamma coastline to brainstorm on organizational focus, project planning, (PRESENCE) network enabling and personal and collective learning.

The Living Lands team successfully formulated its organizational vision on the first evening. In line  with its long-time guiding philosophy of adding mutually beneficial value to the existing landscape, the Living Lands team agreed on:

‘Collaborations working on living landscapes’.

The team feels this vision captures the essence of what Living Lands is all about. One of the recurring hurdles that the organisation has faced in its short history is to help  partners understand that Living Lands is primarily there to provide added-value partnerships and synergy to the landscape – both the physical and institutional. And this desire to assist is not always for our own benefit and therefore sometimes misunderstood as having ulterior motives!

This vision ‘Collaborations working on living landscapes’  laid the foundations for the Living Lands team to roll-out a revised mission statement which will be communicated with key partners and  published on this website soon. Furthermore, Living Lands was able to re-define its core organisational focus areas based on current activities, programmes and future ambitions.

The weekend also made time for staff to connect on a personal level with a range of fun activities as well as allowing individuals to develop their own desire and ambitions statements for the remainder of 2010 and 2011.

“Living Lands is a young organization and in the last year we have grown substantially from two-three people to ten people ((7 fulltime and 3 part-time).” said director Dieter Van den Broeck. “So a few focused days like this is crucial for our personal outlook and organizational development. In busy times, we need to prioritize our options according to what best aligns with our vision, mission and personal ambitions.”

The weekend certainly achieved this and reenergized the Living Lands team as they together look forward to finishing 2010 on a high.

http://www.earthcollective.net/livinglands/

The weekend was also an ideal chance for students based at the PRESENCE Learning Village (Kouga Dam) to get to know each other better as well as learn more about the Baviaanskloof landscape from the local experts who joined the weekend and took guided the group on guided walks in the surrounding area.

Other participants on the weekend also generously shared their time and insights for research being carried out through the eyes4earth initiative. The aim was to better understand volunteers motivations for joining the weekend as well learning about their experiences and attachment to the Baviaanskloof. Interviewees also share their views for on how we can improve education and awareness toward (the impacts of) alien invasive species. More results from the interviews and questionnaires will be published in coming weeks on eyes4earth.org

I am a South African, who has left the hustle and bustle of the big city (Pretoria/Joburg) and ventured down south to the beautiful and remote Baviaanskloof.

I completed my honours degree in BSc (Hons) Applied Science:  Environmental Technology at the end of last year (2009) after completing my BSc Geology in 2008 at the University of Pretoria, and had since been looking for an opportunity where I would able to use the knowledge I had gained through studying and practically apply it and gain further knowledge and, importantly, experience through practical application. Consequently I came across Living Lands and believed that this would be the opportunity of a life time!

I am extremely passionate about the environment and have a hunger to learn and gain experience, so as to further better the relationship between man and the environment and the impact that they have on each other. My focus for the time that I will be spending in the PRESENCE Learning Village, will mainly be the restoration of alluvial fans, although there are many other interesting and inspiring projects which I will be able to explore.

I believe in the ideals and vision of Living Lands and am very excited to be working for an organisation with such exceptional and ground breaking projects.

The article (in Afrikaans) reports on the implementation measures needed to restore the river and tributary streams in the Baviaans catchment. Such options are being discussed between various experts (science, managers, land owners) within the PRESENCE network.

Land owners involved appear to recognize the importance of restoring the catchment. They are willing to work together with other stakeholders in finding alternative income sources and promoting land use changes. These efforts are aimed at supporting water security as well as saving and restoring biodiversity.

Living Lands is coordinating ‘PRESENCE in the Baviaanskloof – Integrated Catchment Restoration Programme’. This multi-stakeholder initiative has largely been made possible through the generous support of the Dutch Ministry for Agriculture, Nature & Food Quality’s (LNV) Water for Food & Ecosystems Programme. Key contributors are the South African Department of Water Affairs (Working for Water); Gamtoos Irrigation Board, Eastern Cape Parks, Wageningen University (SELS) and Rhodes University.

For more information, contact: marijn@earthcollective.net

The two fieldtrips were successful. The knowledge, gathered during the two fieldtrips, was needed to support the ongoing implementation of the ‘Water for Food and Ecosystems Programme’ in the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve. This forms part of the PRESENCE networks’ participatory and integrated catchment restoration programme in the area. Representatives from the following PRESENCE partners joined the fieldtrips:  Eastern Cape Parks (ECP); Gamtoos Irrigation Board (GIB); Rhodes University (RU); the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI); local land-owners and Living Lands.

The initial field trip during the first week of July was organized to obtain scientific-based information about the scale of degradation of the catchment system and what is actually needed to restore it. During the two-day outing, participants such as RU Professors Kate Rowntree and Fred Ellery engaged with the farmers whose land is under consideration for the alluvial fan* restoration. During the two days, a number of alluvial fans* were visited and the key questions discussed. Piet Kruger, a local land-owner supporting restoration remarked: “The restoration of alluvial fans on my land is the best present I can receive”.

The following field trip during the second week of July provided information about actual the measures which could or should be implemented. For example, should a water blocking structure be placed to restore the hydrological system of the alluvial fan* and what kind of structure should that be? Implementers from SANBI and GIB were present, along with an Eastern Cape Parks representative and an implementer of the environmental impact assessment. Also participating in the field trip was Tim Jan Huldman, an international water management student doing his internship with Living Lands fieldtrips. Tim reflected afterwards, “I am really impressed by the knowledge and collaboration of the PRESENCE partners, together they gained the core data that is needed.”

Contact marijn@earthcollective.net for further information.

*Alluvial fans are, like their name suggests, fan-like deposits of soil, gravel, silt or rocks which form at the exit of narrow gorges/canyons/’kloofs’ when fast running water slows and spreads out over a floodplain.

The Dutch embassy is supporting three initiatives in South Africa by offsetting C02 emissions generated by their nation’s participation in the 2010 World Cup. This move by The Netherlands is in response to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the South African Department of Environment (DEA)’s call for all participating World Cup nations to reduce and compensate their CO2 emissions.

UNEP has made the carbon calculations for the Dutch team’s participation in the First Round (Group Stage). The DEA offers all World Cup participants the opportunity to offset their CO2 emissions with selected projects. A number of Dutch-linked projects feature prominently in this selection. The Embassy of The Netherlands believes that this illustrates the nation’s contribution to a greener society in South Africa through innovative, energy efficient and sustainable solutions.

UNEP and the DEA have selected two Dutch projects in South Africa to meet the challenge of offsetting the Dutch football teams CO2 footprint. These are: Soil & More International which converts urban green waste into environmentally friendly compost; and Dutch company Lemnis which replaces existing inefficient lighting with energy-efficient and durable LED lamps. This project aims at large scale energy efficient lighting in homes, streets, public buildings, hotels, etc.

The Embassy of The Netherlands will be further greening by planting enough ‘spekboom’ trees to fill a World Cup football field. This will be done in the Baviaanskloof through Living Lands’ recently launched Elemental Equity fund.  The charitable fund substitutes poverty for employment, saves soil erosion, and scores goals for biodiversity and landscapes.  And when it comes to netting CO2,  ‘spekboom’ is a star player.

Living Lands – through its Elemental Equity fund – is delighted to be associated with the Embassy of The Netherlands’ ambitions to green their ‘Oranje’ football teams’ road to World Cup glory.

“When the Dutch win the World Cup we look forward to welcoming them to the Baviaanskloof to take a break and help plant their own ‘spekkies’ [spekboom]” hopes Marijn Zwinkels, Elemental Equity coordinator. “Actually, I’m more than happy to drive the team back down here with us after the final…”

Article based on: Original Press Release (in Dutch)

In this 4-page issue:
-  Hitting targets & scoring goals: How can Team Biodiversity create more chances?
-  Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve celebrates the International Day of Biodiversity
-  PRESENCE Network Updates
-  9 Questions in 99 Seconds with Yvon, Martijn & Heleen
-  eyes4earth: sharing meaningful nature experiences
-  Revealing Research: Blue Whales change frequency
-  Healthy Parks, Healthy People: a movement begins…
-  Fotos from the Field
-  Poetry Piece
-  Quotes of the Quarter
-  News in a Nutshell
-  Agenda & Activities

At Delos III, the presentation will focus on three different sacred sites in Mayo territories that come under different governance arrangements and land tenures which leads to a variety of conservation opportunities to be explored.  Delos III focuses on conserving the integrity of sacred natural sites in technologically developed countries’ and will be helt from the 1st till the 3rd of June in Inari Finland.

The following objectives have been agreed for this third Delos working meeting:

• Respecting sacred natural sites related to indigenous and minority faiths in technologically developed countries (based on the Sámi people in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia).
• Guidance for sustainable management of mainstream holy / sacred lands.

Pronatura and CVNI’s joint presentation aims to contribute to discussion on the two objectives above. Sacred sites in Mexico have known long periods of syncretism and  Pronatura’s experience with the methodology it has developed will be key for delivering advice on developing further guidance on this matter.  The Delos Initiative on ‘sacred natural sites in technologically developed countries’ was launched in 2004, in the framework of the Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN/WCPA. The Initiative is co-ordinated jointly by Thymio Papayannis (Med-INA) and Josep-Maria Mallarach (Silene). Two other Delos workshops have been organised up to now. Delos1 in Montserrat (Catalonia), Spain on 23-26 November 2006 and Delos2 in Ouranoupolis (Mt Athos), Greece on 24-28 November 2007. Their proceedings were published in 2007 and 2009.

Article Source: CVNI Website

The conference was held on 22 May, the International Day of Biodiversity within the International Year of Biodiversity 2010, and was attended by about 60 participants including landowners, officials from national and provincial departments, NGO members, economists, scientists and students. Addressing the conference, CEO of Eastern Cape Parks, Nokulunga Maswana, said that the Baviaanskloof was “blessed to have such a large pristine wilderness area – one of few in the world.”

Launching the new Eastern Cape Parks Biodiversity Stewardship Programme, Maswana said that the farming community were key partners in conserving biodiversity and ensuring effective catchment management, which would have the downstream effect of making more clean water available for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

Biodiversity stewardship was a major theme of the conference, with Tracey Potts of Eastern Cape Parks and Willeen Olivier of DEA addressing participants on the options available to landowners. The conference also heard about progress made on payment for ecosystem services – finding creative ways to generate financial returns for biodiversity management practices, such as replanting spekboom, that have water and carbon benefits.

In addition to the conference, 130 schoolchildren took part in educational activities at Terra Pi around the themes of Air, Water, Fire and Earth. Participants stayed in tipi tents, and family members attended parallel workshops on pottery, permaculture and plant propagation.

For more information, contact Tracey Potts on tracey.steyn@ecparks.co.za

Source: C.A.P.E Action

Wageningen (NL): Artistic results of “What did nature do for you today?” in South Africa are on show for the coming two weeks in the Forum Building at Wageningen University. In this fantastic initiative aimed at celebrating next week’s International Day of Biodiversity, former PRESENCE student Lucie Chuchmakova is presenting the results of her thesis which asked children of the Baviaanskloof about their relationship with nature…

During the exposition, Lucie will display the colourful drawings made by school children from the Baviaanskloof. These drawings formed part of the responses obtained by her research which focused on the children’s perceptions of – and interactions with – ecosystem services and biodiversity.  The results of Lucie’s thesis research are being used by Living Lands, PRESENCE partners and the eyes4earth initiative to help guide the design of future environmental education programmes as part of a broader strategy to help reconnect youth to nature and further support restoration efforts in the area.

Lucie’s initiative needs to be congratulated as an excellent outreach effort for communicating scientific understanding of ecosystem services into the public domain in a simple and attractive way.

Lucie’s thesis research and internship was supervised through Wageningen University’s Environmental Systems Analysis Group and hosted by the PRESENCE  network and Living Lands in South Africa. Her reserach was co-funded by the Anne van den Ban Fund.