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By restoring the integrity of riverine corridors, Karoo communities of plants, people (urban
and rural) and animals can be buffered against the impacts of climate change, particularly
critical given the arid nature of the region. Through a) intensive soil and water
conservation techniques; b) re –establishing vegetation; and c) partnering with farmers
to improve sustainable management of riparian systems, the activity aims to restore cover,
biodiversity, productivity and carbon cycles in these zones. By providing employment
opportunities and skills development, the activity is harnessing the constructive role
ecosystem restoration can play in enhancing not only system resilience, but also human
livelihoods and dignity.
The Indigenous Karoo Plant Nursery, established in cooperation with the Ubuntu Municipality,
as the first phase of this activity, now has the capacity to produce in excess of 3000
seedlings from a range of indigenous Karoo riparian species per year. Propagation techniques
have been refined and methodologies have been shared through knowledge exchanges with the
Agricultural and Conservation Government Departments as well as with civil society.
Active climate change intervention in the form of restoration technologies (soil conservation
techniques, seeding and planting of indigenous riparian plants) in riparian areas undergoing
restoration include:
-Extensive micro-catchment (pit) excavations to slow runoff and retain moisture;
-Soil stabilization through erosion controls;
-Re-planting of degraded denuded areas with nursery-propagated plant species;
-Seeding of degraded areas to encourage vegetation recover;
-Exclusion of livestock to allow for recovery;
-Maintenance of restoration areas (primarily erosion controls);
-Monitoring of restoration success;
-Adaptive management techniques as determined by weather and monitoring results.
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Two communities are engaged in the activity: The Karoo farming community, on whose land
restoration activities take place; and the impoverished urban community in Loxton, for whom
employment is created during restoration work and at the Nursery.
The farming community was engaged through the Biodiversity Stewardship process; a mechanism
that supports the wise use and management of natural resources and biodiversity, and the
ecosystem services they provide, through voluntary legal agreements between private/communal
landowners/users and provincial conservation authorities. As such pro-active measures are
taken within the agricultural sector, which is both a contributor to, and vulnerable to
climate change, to boost climate change resilience. The EWT-RRP was instrumental in
establishing four Riverine Rabbit Conservancies in the Karoo, in partnership with provincial
authorities.
As restoration is a labor -intensive process requiring skills development, the project
contributes to providing socio-economic opportunities for the impoverished communities of the
towns of the Karoo. In-service training is provided to develop the relevant skills at the EWT
-RRP’s Indigenous Karoo Plant Nursery, as well as in the field at restoration sites,
thereby creating employment and skills development in impoverished urban communities with
otherwise limited employment opportunities.
Women are trained in indigenous Karoo plant propagation, including aspects such as plant
identification, seed collection, and transplanting methodologies. These are all part of the
specific skill set required for the successful functioning of the Nursery (mostly
transferable to general plant nurseries).
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The activity has the potential to develop a cost-effective model to do ecosystem-level
restoration using the same methodology, but at a broader scale and with benefits clearly
demonstrated.
The proposed up scaling and consolidation of the current project will facilitate:
-Ecosystem based adaptation in the Karoo;
-Improved integrated water resources management, which is critical in terms of climate change
for South Africa;
-Restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems resilience;
-Potential for biodiversity offsets which will facilitate more sustainable and
biodiversity-friendly development nationally;
-Potential for Payment for Ecological Services system in the long term;
-Improved sustainable practices in the agricultural sectors;
-Improving livelihoods of the relevant communities;
-Development of a better understanding and pro-active buy-in by selected stakeholders
(public and private) of the strategic importance of ecosystem-based adaptation for
sustainable development and of its practical implementation in a cost-effective manner.
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