Members of the Mabandla Comunity Trust.

Limited community participation in biodiversity stewardship projects aimed at conserving sites and biodiversity of national and international importance is a cause for concern in South Africa. This is the case in Umgano, an area located on the interface of two internationally-recognised ecosystems known for unique species richness and endemism, the Drakensberg-Alpine and Pondoland-Maputaland Biodiversity Hotspots. High altitude forests and grasslands present in the area provide habitats for a range of endemic and threatened bird species.

Typical landscape in Umgano showing the evergreen indigenous forests and the montane grasslands in relation to human settlements

The area is part of a chain of mountain habitats that play an important role as viable corridors for wildlife owing to their proximity to protected areas. The principal ecosystem services provided include the provision of water, grazing, timber, medicinal plants and materials for craft making. Unfortunately, previous initiatives meant to highlight the inter-linkages between biodiversity conservation and local people’s livelihoods have not yielded the anticipated increased community buy-in. This project therefore seeks to address these challenges by engaging the main custodians of natural resources namely the local traditional leadership, members of the Mabandla Community Trust and ordinary community members to generate greater stakeholder interest in this integrated conservation and development initiative.

The project will involve institutional capacity building, environmental awareness and participatory resource monitoring. It will facilitate dialogue among community members and conservation officers and enable primary resource users to play an active role in environmental awareness and biodiversity monitoring. It is envisaged that protracted education and awareness activities will lead to action on the ground by the community to conserve endemic species’ habitats, a reduction in the persecution of animal species and increased appreciation of the importance of biodiversity conservation in securing livelihoods. Local stakeholder’s perceptions and suggestions on conservation and development will be prioritised to cultivate a spirit of community ownership of the project.

Simplified biodiversity monitoring using locally-developed indicators will enable resource users to understand the nature and magnitude of the impact of their activities on the environment. Participatory monitoring will provide a platform for an analysis of threats to endemic and threatened species and will also be used as a tool to generate the communities’ interest in resource monitoring. Community visioning techniques will be used to develop a comprehensive community action plan incorporating a monitoring plan and work plan for the next three years. The project will help publicise community-driven biodiversity stewardship in South Africa and act as a pilot for the benefit of other communities.