Month: March 2021

It is well known that indigenous forests play a major role in mitigating climate change as they sequester greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. The Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project was born in a bid to offset a portion of the Greenhouse gases emitted during the 2010 FIFA World Cup ^TM event hosted by the City of Durban.  In recognition of the carbon sequestration potential of the project, in 2014 the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project attained a Gold Standard Afforestation/ Reforestation validation from the Community, Climate, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) for its outstanding benefits to climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, and socio-economic upliftment of local communities. The CCBA Standard provides a means of auditing the socio-economic and biodiversity aspects of terrestrial based climate change mitigation activities.

The Buffelsdraai anticipated that carbon sequestration of aboveground woody carbon would be achieved through the mass scale planting of fast-growing indigenous trees. Initial project designs showed that 42 214,0 tCO_2e of aboveground woody carbon would to be sequestered over the 20-year lifespan of the Buffelsdraai project.  By 2020, it is anticipated that 55,69 percent or 23 507,1 tCO_2e of the total carbon pool would already be sequestered by the onsite planting activities.

When initially estimated a linear rate of carbon sequestration potential was employed, but in reality, the carbon sequestration rate does not occur at a constant over a 20-year period and thus field measurements and monitoring is required for validation purposes.  Due to the rigorous fieldwork associated with the carbon stock assessments, a local SMME, Philile Dladla, was appointed by Wildlands Conservation Trust, the project implementing partner to provide ongoing field research support to the project. An initial forest carbon inventory monitoring training was conducted by the Cirrus Group on site. To maintain the Gold Standard accreditation from the CCBA, carbon stock measurements, must also be routinely measured every 5-years.

In summary Philile Dladla is responsible for capturing aboveground forest inventory measurements on site that includes plot number, tree diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height, tree species identification, slope and aspect which are systematically captured for twenty random plots within the thirty management blocks on site. In addition to the aboveground forest inventory monitoring measurements Philile Dladla also undertakes field measurements of Woody Invasive Alien Plant Species, collects data on the bird inventory for site amongst various others. Once the data collection process is completed for the aboveground forest inventory measurements, allometric equations will be used to estimate biomass from individual tree diameters and be used to calculate the total biomass for each plot and management block which will then be used for estimating the carbon sequestered at the end of 2020. Once analysed the aboveground woody carbon data will also be used to provide more accurate estimates of the amount of carbon sequestered by the project over its 20-year lifespan. The data will also be used to provide specific information on the variability of biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration potential of individual tree species and habitats occurring on site. This is especially since the DBH and height of trees collected will show different size classes due to the annual planting regime that occurred early in the project.

WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST and Somkhanda Community Game Reserve are proud to collaborate with the Ranger Legacy Project – ‘The Soul of a Ranger’, an initiative by the Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA), to raise the profile of Africa’s rangers and showcase their critical and diverse roles and share their stories as the guardians of wild Africa, using iconic images taken by Peter Chadwick, an internationally acclaimed and renowned conservation photographer.

Established in 1970, the GRAA is the oldest, largest and most representative ranger association in Africa with a vision to equip African rangers with the necessary capability and support to ensure protection, conservation, and where possible, restoration of Africa’s biodiversity and the continued existence of its wilderness, protected and natural areas for the benefit of present and future generations. It is due to this like-minded vision that Somkhanda has collaborated with the GRAA on this unique initiative.

The objectives of this conservation photography project are to raise the profile of Africa’s rangers, highlight the challenges rangers face, and ultimately increase ranger support by influencing policy and raising funds to benefit them. While the roles of the rangers have been typically portrayed as just wildlife and terrestrial guardianship, it is important to note that these roles stretch far beyond this and include firefighting, alien plant removal, biological monitoring, community engagement, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and emergency response to mention but a few.

Peter Chadwick, an experienced ranger himself with over 30 years in terrestrial and marine environments in over 21 countries, has vast strategic and operational conservation experience and was the obvious choice to lead the image collection. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and issues faced by African rangers. Peter recently visited Somkhanda Game Reserve, as part of this initiative, to capture the rangers of this community owned reserve.

“Rangers are the guardians of wild Africa and its precious natural resources. It is about time that rangers are recognised for their critical and diverse conservation work that benefits species, habitats, ecosystems and people,” comments Andrew Campbell, GRAA CEO.

To date, images captured by Peter Chadwick for use by the GRAA have been obtained on an ad-hoc basis and success was achieved in raising the profile of the ranger with some benefit reaching the Ranger Support Programme. To maximise the opportunity to raise both the profile of the ranger and improve ranger support, this project needs dedicated funding with dedicated time. We are therefore calling out to all potential funders and supporters to help us, together with GRAA, to raise more funds to capture and begin to change the narrative and image of the ranger. They are real people, they are the guardians of wild Africa, working against all odds in beautiful and remote wild places. Rangers work for nature in the frontlines of conservation, and they need our support.

The WILDTRUST is proud to announce the opening of submissions for the Pierre Neethling Scholarship for PhD candidates in the environmental and conservation fields. Launched in 2016, the Pierre Neethling Scholarship aims to support PhD studies that will make catalytic contributions to our ability to develop and implement benchmark sustainability programmes. Mr Pierre Neethling was a highly respected Trustee and Chairman of the Trust, who dedicated his personal time and resources to promoting conservation as an empowerment tool and a driver of both the aesthetic and economic growth of South Africa.

This award is focused on building the capacity of aspiring South African environmentalists and conservationists across all conservation disciplines. The focus of the candidate’s proposal must be centred around Sustainable Resource Utilisation. All applications must reach the WILDTRUST no later than the 30^th of April 2021. Detailed proposals must be sent to Roeliek@wildtrust.co.za.

One of the first Pierre Neethling Scholarship programme recipients and recent PhD graduate, Amy Marshall Blair, completed her PhD degree in social ecology through Wits University.  In her thesis, Amy explored the inter-linkages between social and ecological systems, specifically the complex socio-ecological system of the marula bioeconomy catchment, within the lowveld area of South Africa. Amy is a geographer by training, passionate about the natural world and dedicated to making a difference through using systems thinking approaches to tackle complex problems.

“Completing a social ecology PhD has been a dream come true for me as it allowed me to combine my passions for communities and conservation, by studying the marula tree as part of a socio-ecological system. I am incredibly grateful to WILDTRUST for their belief in my project and for helping to sponsor my research through the Pierre Neethling Scholarship. Thanks to this funding, we were able to understand if marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) resource use and reliance within the Phalaborwa and Bushbuckridge communities of the lowveld region of South Africa is sustainable,” she commented. Her study surveyed over 5000 marula trees coupled with over 200 individual household interviews.

Roelie Kloppers, WILDTRUST CEO comments, “we are extremely grateful for the legacy left by Mr Neethling through this scholarship programme. We would also like to thank Dr George Hughes, patron of the Trust for his hard work and dedication in continuing to source contributions towards the Pierre Neethling Scholarship. I would encourage all prospective students interested in sustainable use of our natural resources to apply for this award.”

For more information on the WILDTRUST, visit www.wildtrust.co.za.

In November 2020, WILDTRUST submitted a formal Objection to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the South African Hake Trawl Fishery. MSC certification is an “eco-label” found on seafood packaging, supposedly confirming the products contained came from a sustainable fishery. In its Objection the WILDTRUST cited concerns about the fishery’s impact on imperilled sharks and rays (chondrichthyans), the lack of recognition of the extent and severity of the threat, and the insufficient measures in place to mitigate significant risk to these species.

“Sharks and rays are one of the most threatened taxa on the planet, with many South African species being IUCN red-listed. We are supportive of green-labelling initiatives like the MSC standards to help consumers make wise choices but are very concerned about the risk these trawl fisheries still pose to many of these endangered species,” said Dr Jean Harris of WILDTRUST. In fact, Prof Warwick Sauer wrote in his 2003 paper that demersal trawl fisheries (such as the South African Hake Trawl Fishery) are considered one of the biggest threats to deep-water sharks and rays in South Africa because they are caught as bycatch and suffer high mortality (approximately 1500 tonnes a year). This toll includes the critically endangered soupfin shark, the endemic (unique to our waters) and endangered twin-eye skate, endemic yellow-spot skate, various endemic catsharks, and significant numbers of skates we know very little about.

Of the 13 objection points submitted, 11 were ruled valid by the Independent Adjudicator, and the engagement process to resolve the dispute began between the MSC Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), Lloyds Register, the South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA) and the WILDTRUST. General flaws in the MSC process quickly became apparent during these discussions, at least from the standpoint of threatened sharks and rays, i.e. how the MSC Standard deals with species threatened by the fishery. The problem is that the MSC criteria used for recognising Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species for consideration are such that, except for the soupfin shark, all the impacted threatened shark and ray species mentioned above “were completely missed” during the assessment. The “invisible” species include all endemic species within the trawled areas, and species not already protected in our legislation, regardless of their IUCN red-listing as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. Added to this flaw, even though the soup-fin shark was a flagged species, this did not help get it protected because the ETP scoring rules disqualified it from further consideration. Unfortunately, this issue could not be addressed as part of the Objection process, and WILDTRUST intends to take this short-coming up directly with MSC to ensure that species in trouble are not ignored in future. Meanwhile, sadly, consumers cannot feel reassured that they are not actively contributing to the demise of some of our most endangered sharks and rays when they buy MSC eco-certified South African hake.

 

Other aspects of the engagement between the CAB, SADSTIA and the WILDTRUST proved more hopeful for the future of sharks and rays. In MSC language, how the South African Hake Trawl Fishery carries out its business is stipulated in their Client Action Plan (CAP) which is developed in response to recommendations and milestones set out by the CAB (within the constraints explained above). The WILDTRUST believed it would not be appropriate to award the Fishery an MSC certification unless tighter and more effective measures could be implemented to limit its impact on sharks and rays. Key concerns in this regard were the lack of consideration of the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Sharks, generic reporting on bycatch, inadequate observer coverage on vessels and insufficient reporting of landings, and the specific problem of over-exploitation of soup-fin sharks. The WILDTRUST was particularly concerned about the significant negative impact the fishery is having on the recovery of the soupfin, as they are predicted to become commercially extinct before 2055 at the current catch rates across fisheries.

Within the confines of the current MSC Standard and processes, a few things in favour of shark and ray conservation were achieved, such as getting revised recommendations into the assessment report and adjustments to the Client Action Plan. The South African Hake Trawl fishery agreed to make clearer, relevant linkages between the CAP and the Shark NPOA, and committed to more comprehensive and detailed information gathering to improve understanding of the non-target catch (and discarded) composition, specifically for sharks and rays. The parties agreed that there was a real need for better liaison between entities and that the fishery and WILDTRUST would both put forward a recommendation to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) for a Task Team focused specifically on chondrichthyan bycatch (retained and discarded), consisting of experts from the industry, government scientists (DEFF), scientists outside of government, and NGO’s involved in shark research and conservation. Further, new links between the fishing industry and the WILDTRUST were forged to work for shared goals of sustainable utilisation and for better outcomes for the imperilled sharks and rays in South Africa.

“Unfortunately, although the South African Hake Trawl Fishery did make an effort to address our concerns and was re-certified on the 12^th of February, endangered species remain at risk from the fishery and there is work to be done to fix this,” said Harris. “We believe the biggest problem lies with the MSC criteria for ETP species and scoring rules, and we will now proceed to engage with the MSC Standard review process, as its current version allows threatened shark and ray species, like the critically endangered soupfin shark, to fall through the net.”

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South Africa can provide sanctuary for sharks and rays and you can help, visit www.sharkattackcampaign.co.za and follow us @sharkattackcampaign on Facebook & Instagram and @SharkAttackSA on Twitter.