2016 - 2020STRATEGY

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Our investments focus on human centered conservation eff orts in the spectacular but vulnerable biodiversity hotspots

1. SUCCULENT KAROO BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT 2. CAPE FLORISTIC KINGDOM 3. MAPUTALAND-PONDOLAND-ALBANY BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT

<$3 p/daypoor +

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of the worlds plant species

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OUR APPROACH201- 2020

we promote prosperity

H20 Insecuredemand

outstrips supply

> EXPORTS

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

50 MILLIONPOPULATION

50 MILLION50 MILLIONagriculture minerals tourism

With a rapidly growing economy and one of the largest gaps between the wealthiest and the poorest citizens, South Africa provides a unique set of opportunities to demonstrate the importance of nature’s role in sustainable development.

The pursuit of a green economy in South Africa is part of a global revolution to ensure that sustainable resource use supports the country’s political, social, and economic development.

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SARAH FRAZEE, CEO

H20 Insecure

OUR APPROACH

$704 BILLIONFRONT PAGE: PHOTO’S BY © T MILDENHALL | ICONS BY THE NOUN PROJECT

Conservation South Africa (CSA) is an independent affi liate of Conservation International, legally registered as a Section 21 Not-for-profi t company in South Africa. As an affi liate, CSA subscribes to the aspirational vision and mission, strategic framework, and operational requirements of Conservation International, but is enabled to adapt language and specifi c policies and goals to the unique context of South Africa.

To promote and support conservation, restoration, and sustainable land use in South Africa’s biodiversity hotspots as an essential element of sustainable food production, building resilience to the impacts of climate change, and promoting regional economic development that values nature.

OUR vision

OUR structure

OUR mission

Conservation South Africa imagines a healthy prosperous country, where South Africa’s biodiversity hotspots are restored and maintained to provide water, food and climate change resilience for sustainable economic development and the long-term benefi t of people and nature.

OUR work• We promote and support the conservation of healthy ecosystems

for people in Namaqualand, Mzimvubu, and Kruger to Canyon Biosphere landscape;

• We enable and amplify our impact through policy interventions and by documenting and sharing our lessons and approaches.

• Support landscape restoration and transitions to sustainable agriculture;

• Promote understanding and action that builds resilience to climate change through conservation of healthy ecosystems; and

• Unleash the value of nature for economic development, by promoting green business at a range of scales.

• Conduct and publish scientifi c research;• Engage farmers, communities, and local governments;• Employ and supervise restoration teams;• Participate in national and international policy development

processes;• Develop and support implementation of industry standards and,• Generate and disseminate targeted communications.

PHOTO BY © T MILDENHALL

OUR actions

OUR activities

PEOPLE NEED NATURE TO THRIVE2016 - 2020

In May 2012, ten African leaders gathered together in Botswana at the urging of Botswana President Ian Khama to develop an agenda that will pave the way for a new approach to economic growth – one that will include the true value of nature into national accounting, decision-making, and development. Conservation International, present at this historic event, is now the offi cial Secretariat (since December 2014) of the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa.

This landmark agreement emerged from visionary African leaders that seek long-term prosperity for their nations. It incorporates economic and social development to foster sustainable prosperity through integrating the total value of nature into corporate and policy decision-making. Specifi cally, countries committed to: incorporate the value of natural capital into decision making; transition agriculture, fi sheries, mining and oil and gas to more sustainable production practices; and generate data, build capacity and support policy networks for new models of development.

The Gaborone Declaration – which more eff ectively balances the needs for nature, sustainability, and economic growth than other similar agreements – provides the unique underlying organizing framework for Conservation International’s work in Africa, providing greater leverage to our work as we demonstrate and scale up successful programs in key geographies and sectors.

_The governments of Botswana, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda who are signatories to the Gaborone Declaration on Sustainability in Africa (GDSA), have committed to the following:

Action Statement 1: Integrating the value of natural capital into national accounting and corporate planning and reporting processes, policies, and programs, in agreed eff orts.

Action Statement 2: Building social capital and reducing poverty by transitioning agriculture, extractive industries, fi sheries and other natural capital uses to practices that promote sustainable employment, food security, sustainable energy and the protection of natural capital through protected areas and other mechanisms.

Action Statement 3: Building knowledge, data, capacity and policy networks to promote leadership and new model in the fi eld of sustainable development and to increase momentum for positive change.

In 2016-2020, Conservation South Africa will align our eff orts with the opportunities provided by the Gaborone Declaration and share our on-the-ground pilots as models that can inspire change in other signatory countries and beyond.

GABARONE DECLARATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN AFRICA

+_The governments of Botswana, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda who are signatories to the Gaborone _The governments of Botswana, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda who are signatories to the Gaborone

CONSERVATION SOUTH AFRICA

GABARONE DECLARATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN AFRICA

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OUR nicheConservation South Africa’s niche is to be the intermediary between Conservation International’s global networks, experience and initiatives, and a targeted programme of national and landscape level interventions that promote a holistic Green Economy in South Africa.

Drawing on international networks Conservation South Africa is able to broker deals; facilitate the development and adoption of best practices for industry; and act as a liaison between grassroots project, national government programmes and the private sector.

Conservation South Africa’s global networks with Conservation International have placed it at the forefront on community based adaptation and sustainable commodity policy development and demonstration projects – giving Conservation South Africa a distinct niche amongst other conservation NGO’s in South Africa.

OUR rights based approach

Conservation South Africa respects human rights. Within the scope of all our work, we:

1. Respect human rights: Conservation South Africa respects internationally proclaimed human rights[1] and takes no action that contributes to the infringement of human rights;

2. Promote human rights and human well-being within conservation programs: Conservation South Africa supports and promotes the protection and realization of human rights within conservation programmes, while also respecting the cultural values of local populations and the sovereignty of States within which we work;

3. Protect the vulnerable: Conservation South Africa protects the peoples who are most vulnerable to infringements of their rights and the ecosystems that sustain them;

4. Encourage good governance: Conservation South Africa supports the improvement of governance systems, including elements such as legal, policy and institutional frameworks, and procedures for equitable participation, confl ict resolution and accountability;

5. Work in partnership: Conservation South Africa seeks to incorporate the knowledge and contributions of partners to ensure that our Rights-based Approach results in lasting and fundamental improvements for nature and human well-being;

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OUR landscapes

Africa

Maputaland-Pondoland Albany Hotspot

Succulent Karoo Biodiversity Hotspot

Cape Floristic Kingdom

Landscape Demonstrations

Namakwa DistrictLandscape

the MzimvubuCatchment

Kruger To Canyon Biosphere Reserve

We focus our eff orts in two key demonstration landscapes (the Namakwa District Landscape and the Mzimvubu Catchment) and will expand into a third landscape using the lessons from our work to date (Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Reserve) over the next fi ve years.

South Africa

PHOTO BY © R MAST, T MILDENHALL

Namakwa District Landscape: The Namakwa District falls within the Succulent Karoo Biodiversity Hotspot, an arid region with the highest succulent plant diversity in the world, and with an average annual rainfall of less than 300 mm. Forty percent of the plant species in the District occur nowhere else on earth, and communal or commercial livestock farming is practiced throughout the region. The Namakwa District landscape includes over a million hectares of semi-arid rangeland that is under pressure from a variety of human activities, in particular mining, unsustainable agricultural practices, overgrazing, and climate change.

The Mzimvubu Catchment: The Mzimvubu catchment and river system lies along the northern boundary of the Eastern Cape. It extends from the rugged Lesotho escarpment to the northern Wild Coast adjacent to the Indian Ocean and receives an average rainfall of 1000-1700mm a year. The watershed landscape covers more

than 2 million hectares and is comprised of almost 70% communal land. The Mzimvubu River System has been prioritized nationally as being one of the few

remaining “near-natural rivers” but is classifi ed as vulnerable as a result of rapid rates of degradation in the watershed. In addition to the freshwater system, the adjacent matrix of grassland, forest, thicket, and dune vegetation are some of the most biodiverse in the world, representing some of the key diversity of the third hotspot in South Africa, the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Biodiversity Hotspot.

Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Reserve: The Kruger to Canyon Biosphere, located on the western border of Kruger National Park, consists of 1 million hectares of both protected areas and agricultural lands across three major biomes: savannah woodlands, and Afromontane forests and grasslands. The region is arguably one of the most bio-diverse areas for large mammal species within southern Africa, with high nutritional grasslands supporting large populations of ungulates and associated predators. The area is a high priority for black rhino conservation and has the last remaining viable population of African Wild Dog in South Africa. In fact, impressively, the Biosphere boasts 55 percent of the total terrestrial biodiversity of the country in only 1.5 percent of the country’s land area.

Conservation South Africa supports economic development that values nature. We work at the level of scientifi cally defi ned landscapes in South Africa’s biodiversity hotspots in order to promote food and water security, responsible environmental practice, job creation, and greater social equity. Our focus is on mainstreaming South Africa’s biodiversity conservation priorities into production practices; regional green economic development processes; and climate change response strategies. All of our landscape level work supports

the integrity of landscapes and the communities that depend on them. Our policy work draws on science and lessons learned from these areas.

Long-term GoalsFundamentally, our strategy is based on three long-term goals set out in CSA’s 20 year strategy in the year 2000. These goals promote and demonstrate how healthy ecosystems directly support economic development. These goals continue to be as relevant today as they were then and provide the beacon for our work.

OUR STRATEGY

depend on them. Our

STRATEGY By 2020, sustainable farming practices that contribute to food security and support successful land reform are adopted by government and agricultural industry bodies and farmers are implementing good practice on 20% of the land within the SA Hotspots.

By 2020, government and donors have integrated ecological approaches into their strategies for responding to climate change, and CSA has supported the maintenance and restoration of ecosystem services, particularly water catchments, through the empowerment of private and communal land stewards in three landscapes (>300,000 ha each).

By 2020, the SA government and private sector are pursuing economic development that values and maintains natural capital and that CSA-supported initiatives in the SA Hotspots are creating important demonstrations and learnings for greening economic development at a range of scales.5

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SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREBy 2020, sustainable farming practices that contribute to food security and support successful land reform are adopted by government and agricultural industry bodies and farmers are implementing good practice on 20% of the land within the SA Hotspots.

In South Africa, intensifi ed agriculture has led to extensive habitat loss and degradation throughout the country’s farming regions. South African farmers - subsistence, small-scale and commercial - are all reliant on healthy ecosystems for food production and economic security. Healthy water quality and quantity, condition of grazing land, soil stability, and functioning ecosystem services are all essential for long term economic viability of farming practices.

More than 70% of the South African Hotspots are utilized for livestock production, and therefore, red meat production is the strategic focus of the Conservation South Africa agriculture engagements. Through adapting existing government programmes and supporting the re-establishment of traditional community livestock grazing practices, Conservation South Africa is changing minds about how best to approach large scale restoration challenges, reduce livestock-wildlife confl ict and disease transmission and optimize socio-economic benefi ts in red meat production through our Meat Naturally Initiative.

The Meat Naturally Initiative aims to lead a revolution in the red meat commodity supply chain in a way that improves land use practices, livelihoods, and climate resilience. We work to develop responsible sourcing policies, consumer awareness and demand, development of alternative markets, sound scientifi c research to support best practice recommendations, enabling government policies, and the capacity to promote sustainable agricultural practices. Working across this entire spectrum, CSA ultimately aims to build a value-chain system that includes nature at every turn.

The overarching objectives of CSA’s Sustainable Agriculture work are twofold:1. To enable implementation of sustainable

agricultural practices through targeted government and industry engagement, communication, policy and training.

2. To support implementation of sustainable agricultural practices in South Africa’s biodiversity hotspots through provision of scientifi c input, strategic guidance, training, monitoring, networking and market linkages at the landscape level.

OUR OBJECTIVES

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SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURESUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE2016 - 2020

> OUR impact

Restoration and improved land use on >200,000 ha of high biodiversity rangelands through scientifi cally-informed restoration and rangeland management planning, monitoring, and research in Namakwa, uMzimvubu Landscape, and the Kruger National Park buff er zone.

A leading sustainable commodity engagement for the red meat sector involving industry bodies, national gov’t and at least two major retailers (Woolworth’s & Massmart). At least 10 SMME/Savings Groups/Cooperatives/Farmers Associations representing >30% of the total farming population in CSA’s 3 landscapes are linked into these engagements as demonstrations.

Design and implementation of academic curriculums, ecoranger and village level training programmes, and nationally registered red meat standards/protocols that amplify the impact of our sustainable agriculture engagements beyond our direct project/landscape impacts.

Establishment, maintenance, and strengthening of sustainable agriculture networks in Biodiversity Hotspots, South Africa and with global bodies (e.g. Global Roundtable on Sustainable Beef) through engagement and at least 3 targeted communications and synthesis/lessons learned reports.

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Between 2016-2020, CSA will deliver the following strategic outcomes:

CLIMATE RESILIENCEBy 2020, government and donors have integrated ecological approaches into their strategies for responding to climate change, and CSA has supported the maintenance and restoration of ecosystem services, particularly water catchments and habitat linkages for optimal fl ora and fauna persistence, through the empowerment of private and communal land stewards in three mega-corridors(more than 300,000 ha)

Climate change is a reality and is already threatening food and water security, poverty alleviation and sustainable socioeconomic development. Climate change however also provides for opportunities in economic development, job creation and poverty alleviation if managed eff ectively and if there is suffi cient adaptive capacity in all sectors, institutions and communities as well as sustainable resource use.

Conservation South Africa promotes an ecosystem-based approach to climate change adaptation, working with decision-makers as part of national climate planning; incorporating assessment and reduction of risk from climate change into our conservation eff orts; and using our landscape level programs to demonstrate how ecosystem-based adaptation can make communities more resilient to climate change.

Our adaptation work follows a model that begins with a vulnerability assessment to convene experts from the scientifi c, conservation and development communities to determine the likely impacts of climate change and identify high-priority actions for protecting natural systems and vulnerable communities within targeted landscapes. Resulting recommendations are then translated into actions to be taken by CSA and our partners and incorporated into local and national governments’ climate policies and adaptation plans.

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The overarching objectives of CSA’s Climate Resilience work are twofold:1. To enable implementation of climate

resilient conservation and development through targeted government and industry engagement, funding linkages, policy development and training at the district, national, and global level.

2. To support implementation of climate adaptation strategies through provision of scientifi c input, strategic guidance, training, monitoring, networking and funding linkages at the landscape level.

OUR OBJECTIVES

CLIMATE RESILIENCECLIMATE RESILIENCECLIMATE RESILIENCE2016 - 2020

> OUR impact

Political support for ecosystem-based adaptation including sustainable/climate smart agriculture has increased and principles of and lessons from CSA landscapes are refl ected in the South African National Adaptation Plan, as well as national UNFCCC and CBD submissions and inputs.

Alignment in South African Treasury and Departments of Environment, Water and Agriculture around adaptation, disaster management and conservation stewardship programmes enables improved access to fi nance for ecosystem-based adaptation in CSA landscapes and beyond.

Local integrated development plans include green economy strategies and climate adaptation plans in the district governments of the Namakwa, the Mzimvubu, and Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Landscape and local offi cials governing these areas are making development decisions utilizing the best available environment and climate vulnerability assessments.

More than 100,000 households in the Namakwa, the Mzimvubu, and Kruger to Canyon Landscapes are more resilient to the impacts of climate change as a result of ecosystem-based adaptation demonstrations that are enabled by district adaptation planning processes, the Adaptation Fund Small Grants Facility, and informed by lessons from the UNFCCC process.

Key principles, lessons and outcomes from CSA landscape and national policy engagements are infl uencing African and global good practice as a result of representations and communications materials distributed through appropriate networking platforms for Africa (e.g. Gaborone Declaration) and globally (e.g. UNFCCC and Global Adaptation Networks).

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Between 2016-2020, CSA will deliver the following strategic outcomes:

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REGIONAL GREENECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTBy 2020, the SA government and private sector are pursuing economic development that values and maintains natural capital and that CSA-supported initiatives in the SA hotspots are creating important demonstrations and learnings for greening economic development at a range of scales.

The national approach to green economic development has also sought to restore and At its broadest defi nition, a green economy is economic activity that is environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. Within South Africa, the term green economy is utilised interchangeably with terms like “low-carbon economy”, “green development”, and “nature-based economy”. The national approach to green economic development has also sought to restore and conserve “ecological infrastructure” that provides crucial services for the economy (e.g. soil, watersheds, biodiversity for pollination and ecotourism) while also simultaneously seeking to address poverty and unemployment challenges through community share-holding and large-scale job creation programmes for ecological restoration (Working for Water, Working on Fire, Working for Wetlands1 , etc.)

Conservation South Africa has embraced this national holistic approach to socially responsible green economic development. We support a spectrum of economic activities that promote integrated land-use management, a decreased dependency on non-renewable resources, and support employment innovations that lead to the maintenance and restoration of natural capital (rangelands, freshwater, fl ora and fauna, and the services they provide). Our engagements with national government and private sector aim to shift planning and investments towards activities that will restore or maintain healthy ecosystems as a basis for sustainable development.

1 Three government programs creating jobs that undertake ecological restoration in South Africa.

The overarching objectives of CSA’s Regional Green Economic Development work are threefold: 1. To promote integration of environmental concerns

into national accounting approaches, key economic development plans (e.g. the National Development Plan) and job creation programmes through targeted government and industry engagement, research, communication, policy and training.

2. To support implementation of environmental compliance in the private sector (consumer goods and mining) through provision of scientifi c input, strategic guidance, training, monitoring, networking and linkages to demonstration opportunities in Conservation South Africa landscapes.

3. To share the South African experience, including initiatives beyond Conservation South Africa engagements, with the broader African community through the Gaborone Initiative.

The overarching objectives of CSA’s Regional Green The overarching objectives of CSA’s Regional Green Economic Development work are threefold:

To promote integration of environmental concerns into national accounting approaches, key economic into national accounting approaches, key economic development plans (e.g. the National Development Plan) and job creation programmes through targeted Plan) and job creation programmes through targeted government and industry engagement, research, government and industry engagement, research, communication, policy and training.To support implementation of environmental To support implementation of environmental compliance in the private sector (consumer goods and mining) through provision of scientifi c input, strategic guidance, training, monitoring, networking strategic guidance, training, monitoring, networking and linkages to demonstration opportunities in and linkages to demonstration opportunities in Conservation South Africa landscapes.

OUR OBJECTIVES

PHOTO BY © T MILDENHALL

> OUR impact

South Africa continues to be an active signatory to the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainable Development, promoting its pillars of valuing nature in national accounts, ensuring sustainable production, and improving knowledge networks that support development planning.

The South African government and private sector are supporting ecological restoration and conservation in landscapes through ecosystem investments, market incentives, job creation and skills development, particularly within hotspots and areas of greatest vulnerability.

New models for engagement of industry bodies and government are developed and tested for improving environmental compliance of corporates in South Africa’s Biodiversity Hotspots (includes mining, CGCSA and any other industry body).

Measurable positive impacts are achieved by companies receiving Conservation South Africa technical support for meeting national standards: particularly, consumer good companies, mining companies, renewable energy companies, and SMMEs.

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Between 2016-2020, CSA will deliver the following strategic outcomes:

REGIONAL GREEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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Our work to promote sustainable agriculture, climate resilience and green economic development is brought together in three scientifically prioritised landscapes. It is in these demonstration landscapes that we better understand the linkages and holistic approaches required for healthy ecosystems to play their role in South Africa’s Green Economy Strategy (Vision 2030), particularly food and water security, job creation and greater social equity. We share our landscape integration experience with Conservation International’s (CI) global network of landscapes in order to amplify the impact of our learning.

Between 2016-2020, CSA’s landscape work will achieve the following strategic outcomes that reflect an integration of the thematic objec-tives and outcomes described:

> OUR landscape demonstrations

• Demonstrate a measureable improved production methods and ecological benefits on our targeted rangelands: 100 000 ha of high biodiversity shrublands in Namaqualand; 112, 000 ha of high biodiversity rangelands in the upper and middle catchment zones of the Mzimvubu; 54,000 ha in high diversity savannah in the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere.

• More than 420 ecoranger jobs are created by CSA to catalyse the implementation of planned grazing for rangeland restoration and conservation across the three landscapes.

• More than 30% of the farming populations and agricultural coops/SMMEs in the three landscapes are flourishing as a result of climate adaptation or sustainable red meat commodity development support from CSA.

• Planning tools, localized industry standards, and better practice are informed by CSA-led research.

• Local government integrated development plans (IDPs) include green economy strategies and climate adaptation plans that integrate EbA and the integrity of identified critical Ecological Infrastructure.

• More than 90% of relevant district government officials have improved understanding and ability to consider climate adaptation and support adaptation project implementation.

• Meaningful contributions to regional governance structures for environmental management in the three landscapes are documented and shared with broader populations in these areas: N Cape Stewardship Forum and Namakwa Biodiversity Advisory Group; Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership Programme and Alfred Nzo District Climate Change Committee; Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Forum.

• A range of models for climate resilience/sustainable agriculture landscape management that support livelihood improvements are shared through a variety of media platforms.

PHOTO BY © WC CULLINAN

JOIN US

We all need nature for every breath, every bite of food and every drop of water.

And because we are inextricably linked with our natural world, the future of nature

is the future of people. This simple, yet profound truth underpins everything we

do at Conservation South Africa.

We invite you to learn more about our work and how you can become part of the

solution. Visit us at southafrica.conservation.org and take action to protect the planet

that provides for us. Every gift counts.

To make a donation, contact us at:

CONSERVATION SOUTHAFRICADevelopment Department

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens,99 Rhodes Drive, Newlands, 7708

Cape Town, South Africa

+27 21 799 8655

Follow us on; Twitter: @C0nservationSA | Facebook: Conservation South Africa

PHOTO BY © B DRUMMOND