Latest news with #EWT
The Citizen
14-06-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
Rare Blyde River Canyon gecko rediscovered after 33 years
Two Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) researchers have rediscovered a gecko species in the Blyde River Canyon that had not been seen for over 33 years. According to EWT communication manager Elenor Momberg, flat geckos (Afroedura) are known for their micro-endemism. 'This means that they occur only in one single, or a few localities.' Letaba Herald reports that the Blyde River flat gecko (Afroedura rondavelica) is known from only a single nearly inaccessible inselberg in the Blyde River Canyon. This species was first discovered by Dr Niels Jacobsen in December 1991, when he collected two males. The species was only formally described in 2014, and the two specimens collected by Jacobsen remained the only known representatives of this species for more than 33 years,' she says. She says that over the years, some debate has emerged regarding the taxonomic status of these specimens, with some experts surmising that they are merely juveniles of another species that occurs nearby. 'Because the species had not been recorded for more than 10 years, it was classified as a 'lost' species by re:Wild. The general lack of information regarding the species, taxonomic uncertainty surrounding it, and the possibility that it may have gone extinct, resulted in this species being listed as data-deficient in the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species assessment.' She says in April this year, two EWT researchers, Dr Darren Pietersen and John Davies, visited the area to determine whether the gecko still inhabited the same inselberg. Following a process of about two years to secure the required permits to visit the difficult-to-reach site in the Blyde River Canyon, the researchers were able to access it by helicopter. They confirmed not only that the species had survived, but also the morphological and therefore taxonomic distinctness of the species. She says the ecological and population data that they collected will allow this species' conservation status to be re-evaluated, moving it out of the data-deficient category. 'Tissue samples were collected to facilitate an in-depth genetic investigation as to the taxonomic placement of this species within the genus, and to confirm its status as a distinct species. What makes this rediscovery particularly significant is the fact that this gecko has not been seen since it was first discovered in 1991, and until recently, Jacobsen was the only person to ever see this species alive,' she says. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
12-06-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Drylands under siege as farming communities fight to protect what cannot be replaced
Farmers from the West Coast and Northern Cape speak out about a surge in prospecting and mining applications they believe are threatening their land, water, and way of life. Daily Maverick looks into mining expansion in the region and its impact. While mining drives the Northern Cape's GDP, it often leaves lasting environmental damage. The harsh sun of Namaqualand was beating down on Christiaan Pool, the seventh generation of his family to farm Biesjesfontein in Namaqualand, located close to the town of Rietpoort and the bigger town of Bitterfontein, as he spoke to Daily Maverick. 'You'll never get rich farming in Namaqualand. The land will look after you if you look after it. That is the bottom line and how we farm… This is the only way of living that I know,' said Pool. Pool farms mainly with sheep and some wheat, which is subject to how much rain they get and how early in winter it rains. 'When the rain comes we determine whether we will sow the wheat or not,' he said. Pool, like other farmers in Namaqualand, is trying to adapt to newer and more sustainable types of farming. But their efforts, including transitioning their lands into protected environments and private nature reserves are being stymied by an onslaught of prospecting and mining applications. This is on top of renewable energy developments, the illegal harvesting of drylands species, climate change and the arid region already being water scarce. Pool was one of several farmers Daily Maverick interviewed while in the Drylands last week with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to view projects and the work of its Drylands Conservation Programme. Prospecting and mining applications in the Drylands In speaking to these farmers about the work they were doing to rehabilitate their land from the impacts of various factors mentioned above, a crucial matter that came up was a surge they were seeing in prospecting and mining applications that they believe are threatening their land, water, and way of life. They also mentioned the conduct of mining companies during their application processes. Mari Rossouw is from the Katdooringvlei sheep farm along the West Coast, on the border between the Western and Northern Cape, where they farm with Dorpers, White Dorpers and plant winter crops for grazing. A few years ago, Katdoringvlei was targeted in a prospecting application. The applicant was mainly seeking kaolin (a clay mineral used for ceramics, light diffusing material, and more), and planned to drill the entire farm in a one-kilometre grid pattern. 'All our neighbours have been, or are currently being, affected by prospecting applications. The applicants are applying for an alarmingly long list of minerals and rare earths — diamonds, copper, manganese, various ores, and heavy minerals,' said Rossouw. She said they all understood that mining was needed for development and provided much-needed employment, but questioned that if all those prospecting around their farm were to be granted mining rights, 'it would completely cripple the environment'. 'There are few prospecting applicants in our region who follow the right path. They blatantly ignore legislative regulations regarding how to follow the process, and most of the time do not contact the landowners about their applications,' said Rossouw. Currently, Rossouw said, approximately 77,500 hectares right around Katdoringvlei farm were affected by prospecting. 'There are landowners who did not even know about these applications until now,' said Rossouw as she referenced the prospecting applications on a map. JP le Roux, a biodiversity officer at the Northern Cape's Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, has been working within the Biodiversity Stewardship Unit on formal declaration of stewardship sites. Le Roux said the whole Northern Cape was seen almost as the mining capital of South Africa because everything came from there, so the province was rife with mining applications on top of renewable energy applications. 'There's thousands and thousands of applications,' said Le Roux. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy was contacted for comment on the issues raised in this article, but no response has been received yet. Pool said there had been mining on his property, and that as landowners they try to make agreements with mining companies but 'we are really trying to just keep them off the land'. Pool said they could not deny the right to mine on their properties as only the top part of the soil was under their ownership and all the mineral resources beneath belonged to the state, meaning it could allocate it to whoever qualified for it. But he said they were trying not to have mining on their land because 'it's destroying everything'. These farmers had had land destroyed by mining 50 to 100 years ago, and were still unable to rehabilitate it. Pool said that to rehabilitate the land took more than a lifetime. Pool said their experience as far as mining companies was concerned was that there was not one that did proper land rehabilitation. Opaque ownership and communication barriers A major issue the farmers have is that when companies approach them as landowners, they often get sent technical and legal documents in English, not in their home language of Afrikaans, which often means that they have to hire lawyers to assist and do negotiations on their behalf, or struggle through technical and convoluted English documents. These applications often list uranium, copper, rare earths, iron, and more for mining and prospecting. There are only a few minerals these companies don't list in their applications. In discussing the issues, the Namaqualand farmers found there is often one person listed as an owner for dozens of mining companies. This person is always elusive and difficult to get a hold of. For example, there was one person based in Sandton who was discussed, who is the head of 127 companies, but the farmers know nothing about this person and there is nothing available on them. The area also has poor cellphone reception and sporadic network coverage, which together with the long distances the farmers have to drive to town and the cost of data, made it almost impossible for their entire community to get the prospecting documents. 'One prospecting applicant even told me I could drive to Cape Town and they would explain to me what was in the document, they were not planning to hold a public meeting,' said Rossouw. Once an area had been cleared of all vegetation, it took a lifetime to get it back to where it was. If you could get it back. 'They want to drill 51 boreholes on my property and that needs about 48km of road from one borehole to the other. So if you take it, it's a 48km and about 2.5m wide road, and you multiply that — it's quite a huge area and that's only the road. That's not the area they're destroying while drilling,' said Pool. The farmers all believe that South Africa has good environmental laws to deal with these issues, but the implementation and accountability from mining companies and other stakeholders was not always there. Pool said there was a huge difference between the law and agreements, versus what was happening on the ground. 'If you draw riches from a piece of land, you should at least try to make it (the land) as it was… I'm not against mining, you need (it for) development and jobs… But I think you should limit that to existing mines, we have more than enough existing mines where destruction has already taken place,' said Pool. Rossouw said that landowners did not always have an opportunity to provide constructive comments regarding prospecting applications. This, she said, was because they usually did not hear from an applicant again after the application had been submitted — except when it was approved. 'We are also not sure that our comments and objections that have been submitted have been taken into account,' she said. Another topic that came up among the farmers was that applicants used specialists for biodiversity reports from other regions of the country who were unfamiliar with the succulent Karoo. These specialists, Rossouw said, mainly used desktop studies, some of which were old and not appreciative of the real biodiversity in these regions. It always feels like the prospecting applicants do not value our way of life. As if we are backward and should be only too happy that they come to our rescue with the mines — along with files full of empty promises of tarred roads, shopping malls and even street lights. In a poor community, these promises are shameful. Rossouw said that mining in Namaqualand did not offer as many job opportunities as the applicants claimed, as they usually mentioned the need for skilled labor and this region had a high unemployment rate in the unskilled segment. 'I would like to see applicants first comply with the regulations on how to proceed before applying for a prospecting application. I would like to see all landowners treated with respect and fully informed of what is planned. I would like landowners to receive documents on time, in a language they are comfortable with and to be kept informed at all times about where they are in the process of the application,' said Rossouw. Fight against illegal mining and biodiversity threats Braam and Therese Nieuwoudt are the landowners of Strandontein 559 farm, also known as Waterval farm, in Namaqualand in the Northern Cape, and farm mainly with sheep but also have registered camping sites on the seaside. Nieuwoudt said their whole farm, 12,259 hectares, was declared a protected environment earlier this year through work between landowners, the Northern Cape's Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, WWF South Africa and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Strandfontein falls on the coastline to the south of the Namaqua National Park, with critical intact coastal ecosystems under severe threat of mining, as described by WWF, the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. They have combined ecotourism, small stock farming and conservation but the threat mining poses to this land continues with illegal mining found on the land. Nieuwoudt said they were contacted by the department about three years ago, and this was how their protected environment journey started with many rare and endangered species found on the farm in need of protection, like the golden mole. 'It's clear skies, you hear nature. It's a pristine coastline… You can see how other mines disrupt everything but there's nothing like that on this farm. We must protect it,' said Nieuwoudt, describing the land. On their land, Nieuwoudt said they had a lot of mining applications, like a current one by Richwill Diamonds. The Department of Mineral Resources has ordered Richwill Diamonds to reopen their prospecting application on this site for public comment, to prospect for diamonds on the coast of the Strandontein farm and a neighbouring farm, Tities Baai 560, in the Northern Cape. This was after alleged flaws in their public comment process. This is the same company the Nieuwoudts filed a case of trespassing against in late 2024 for allegedly prospecting for diamonds on their property without their consent. 'In October 2024 we found Richwill Diamonds on one of our camping sites busy prospecting… We confronted them and saw we couldn't get anywhere with the conversation, so I made a case of illegal trespassing. We are still waiting for the court case,' Nieuwoudt said. Richwill Diamonds couldn't secure the whole property initially, so it went for the coastal section of the property, on which experts and the landowners say there still remains so much biodiversity value and that 'there's just no way we can allow it. So we're going to fight tooth and nail to try to secure that site.' At the Strandfontein farm, Le Roux said they found that this was one of the last areas of the Northern Cape coastline they could secure. Initially when they did their homework on the biodiversity value on the site and if there were any mining applications or prospecting taking place, they found no mining applications, mining rights or anything. But then as soon as they started working on securing the site, Le Roux said 'there was mining application after mining application'. These then get appealed and they go away, but then they come back. Around Strandfontein alone, Le roux said: 'We've had applications on the neighbours' and on this side of the coastline, further up and down the coastline, behind the property… In the last three years, it's just boomed.' Impact on water 'Our biggest concern is water. We and the surrounding area have no natural sources of fresh water, except for rainwater and ground dams that fill during the winter months. All boreholes are brackish. This is our only source of water for livestock during dry periods,' said Rossouw. In all likelihood, she said that mining would negatively affect their underground water sources, which would be 'catastrophic' for them. Loss of habitat is another concern of the farmers. 'Because we farm in a semi-arid area and use extensive farming methods, we need every available hectare to survive,' said Rossouw. Namaqualand is a massive expanse with many prospecting applications at the moment, with everyone trying to secure mineral rights in every tiny corner they can. Experts, landowners and NGOs involved in this area say they are not against mining and understand it is critical for development and growth, but are hoping to conserve just tiny the sections that are critical. Zanné Brink, the programme manager of the EWT's Drylands Conservation Project, said mining had its place but some areas, like coastal dune veld, should be off limits because the ecosystems were irreplaceable once destroyed. 'The coasts are pretty much all mining areas already. And it's being degraded on a daily basis, even coming inland as well,' she said. This, Brink said, threatened interconnected natural systems, including vital groundwater resources which were increasingly being affected by these applications. Both communities and ecosystems were interdependent, and losing any part could have cascading negative effects, said Brink. Once these habitats were lost, they could not be restored. DM
The Citizen
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
Rare Blyde River gecko rediscovered after 33 years
LIMPOPO – Two Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) researchers have rediscovered a gecko species in the Blyde River Canyon that had not been seen for over 33 years. According to EWT communication manager Elenor Momberg, flat geckos (Afroedura) are known for their micro-endemism. 'This means that they occur only in one single, or a few localities.' The Blyde River flat gecko (Afroedura rondavelica) is known from only a single nearly inaccessible inselberg in the Blyde River Canyon. This species was first discovered by Dr Niels Jacobsen in December 1991, when he collected two males. The species was only formally described in 2014, and the two specimens collected by Jacobsen remained the only known representatives of this species for more than 33 years,' she said. She said that over the years, some debate has emerged regarding the taxonomic status of these specimens, with some experts surmising that they are merely juveniles of another species that occurs nearby. 'Because the species had not been recorded for more than 10 years, it was classified as a 'lost' species by re:Wild. The general lack of information regarding the species, taxonomic uncertainty surrounding it, and the possibility that it may have gone extinct, resulted in this species being listed as data-deficient in the latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment.' She said in April this year, two EWT researchers, Dr Darren Pietersen and John Davies, visited the area to determine whether the gecko still inhabited the same inselberg. Following a process of about two years to secure the required permits to visit the difficult-to-reach site in the Blyde River Canyon, the researchers were able to access it by helicopter. They confirmed not only that the species had survived, but also the morphological and therefore taxonomic distinctness of the species. She said the ecological and population data that they collected will allow this species' conservation status to be re-evaluated, moving it out of the data-deficient category. 'Tissue samples were collected to facilitate an in-depth genetic investigation as to the taxonomic placement of this species within the genus, and to confirm its status as a distinct species. What makes this rediscovery particularly significant is the fact that this gecko has not been seen since it was first discovered in 1991, and until recently, Jacobsen was the only person to ever see this species alive,' she said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
11-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Maverick
SA's resilient dryland species – from tortoises to toktokkies
With its intricate, patterned shell, the near-threatened Karoo tent tortoise is a unique and hard-to-find resident of South Africa's drylands. This is just one dryland species that conservation organisations, local communities and farmers are working to protect. South Africa's drylands, including the Karoo region, are often perceived as desolate and barren. But beneath the surface, there are vibrant tapestries of life, with an array of rare and endangered species – along with some common species, equally stunning to witness in person. From the critically endangered riverine rabbit to golden moles and the Karoo dwarf tortoise, their survival is a testament to their resilience close to the ground of South Africa's arid zones, where they face a number of threats. These arid zones, encompassing regions like the Succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo, are globally recognised biodiversity hotspots, with a diversity of plant and animal life found nowhere else on Earth. Some of the drylands, like the Succulent Karoo, are home to more than 6,350 vascular plant species, with a remarkable 2,440 (or 40%) of these found nowhere else on Earth, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). This botanical diversity, coupled with varied habitats, also supports an array of vertebrates. The Succulent Karoo hosts 75 mammal species, 225 bird species and 90 reptile species. The Endangered Wildlife Trust also records that while the Nama Karoo presents slightly less diversity, it still contributes significantly, with more than 2,000 plant species, nearly 800 (18%) of which are endemic. But this unique natural heritage faces escalating threats. Habitat loss and fragmentation, driven by unsustainable agricultural practices, urban development and mining are relentlessly encroaching upon these delicate environments. The illegal wildlife trade also poses a danger to species such as the critically endangered speckled dwarf tortoise and the near-threatened tent tortoise, with their unique characteristics making them highly sought after. Plant poaching is another threat, with species such as the olifantsvoet and the critically endangered stone buttons falling victim to illegal collection for horticultural and medicinal purposes. All of this, coupled with climate change, which is altering weather patterns and increasing the frequency of extreme events, is further stressing already vulnerable populations. But with dedicated research, community engagement and direct conservation interventions, the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Drylands Conservation Programme, with local communities and farmers, are working tirelessly to mitigate these threats. Their efforts extend beyond protecting individual species to preserving the ecological processes that sustain these vital, yet often overlooked, dryland ecosystems. DM
Daily Maverick
10-06-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
How South Africa's Drylands are being transformed through community-led conservation
Daily Maverick travelled with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to see how changing land management practices is supporting habitat restoration in areas impacted by threats such as mining, farming, renewable energy projects and climate change through its Drylands Conservation Programme. A quiet revolution is unfolding as landowners, conservationists and policymakers collaborate to restore ecologically fragile farmlands while maintaining agricultural livelihoods in the arid expanses of South Africa's Drylands, from the West Coast to the Northern Cape where water scarcity, heatwaves and occasional floods occur, Farmer Mari Rossouw's Katdooringvlei family sheep farm is located along the northern part of the Western Cape coastline where they do small-scale cropping, mainly for feed during summer. Their northern farm boundary also forms the provincial border between the Western and Northern Cape. 'I grew up along the West Coast with my father working in the mining industry. Mining was a part of my everyday life. It was only as I got older that I began to realise the impact mining had on my environment,' she said. The mining companies of the past are long gone, but Rossouw said their footprint is still everywhere and it was the 'unprecedented wave' of new prospecting applications currently plaguing the West Coast that compelled her to get involved in the conservation of the coastline and surrounding inland areas. Katdooringvlei recently received approval from CapeNature to proceed with a conservation process, and if successful, will be registered as a private nature reserve. But Rossouw said the application was merely an extension of their already established conservation practices. 'As custodians of this land we have an intergenerational obligation towards future generations to leave them with some, if not all, environment that is pristine and untouched. The proposed nature reserve is an investment not only for ourselves, but for future generations to still enjoy,' she said. Farmers are probably the best custodians for biodiversity stewardship and securing sites because they've been managing their farms. This all forms part of the voluntary National Biodiversity Stewardship Programme and other contractual tools to legally secure private land and conserve dryland habitats and species under threat. The West Coast and the Northern Cape, South Africa's largest and most sparsely populated province, contains globally significant biodiversity, including 40% of the Succulent Karoo biome, a Unesco-recognised hotspot. But, this fragile environment faces mounting pressures from mining, renewable energy projects, climate change and historical overgrazing. The Biodiversity Stewardship Unit in the Northern Cape, a small team of four specialists, together with conservation NGOs like the EWT, are working to secure and protect critical habitats through voluntary agreements with private landowners. Biodiversity stewardship JP Le Roux, a biodiversity officer in the Northern Cape's Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform (DAERL), has been working within the Biodiversity Stewardship Unit on the formal declaration of stewardship sites. Most of the stewardship sites in the Northern Cape are private landowners getting into biodiversity stewardship, formally declaring their properties as either protected environments or nature reserves. 'Farmers are probably the best custodians for biodiversity stewardship and securing sites because they've been managing their farms. If they don't manage it correctly, then they kind of shoot themselves in the foot,' Le Roux said. The unit found that some of the areas with the most pristine vegetation and wildlife are on privately owned farms that are still being farmed. If you look at the Northern Cape coastline, it's trashed. There's this bottom section that's natural, but already historically was heavily mined. But when it comes to biodiversity stewardship, Le Roux said they don't always have the incentive for biodiversity, so they rely on farmers and people who want to declare and have a conservation-oriented mind frame. And while this remains difficult as the Northern Cape is rife with mining applications and renewable energy applications (solar or wind), Le Roux said there are landowners who see the value and bigger picture. He said that mining and renewables on these properties offer a short-term gain for the landowners, but eventually operations would stop and what's left of that property would not be viable for any rehabilitation or restoration. 'If you look at the Northern Cape coastline, it's trashed. There's this bottom section that's natural, but already historically was heavily mined… If you look at places like Alexander Bay and further up… you don't even see an ant walking around anymore. There's just nothing left. And that's what's going to happen to this whole coastline if we don't secure it,' Le Roux said. South African legislation provides for various tiers of formal environmental protection. National parks and nature reserves are afforded the highest level of protection and are governed by stringent laws. Below these are protected environments, which are areas recognised for their significant conservation and ecological importance, reflecting the country's biological diversity. Protected areas can be divided into zones to support different land uses, and management plans are created to integrate conservation goals with sustainable land management practices effectively. This is how it's being done at Papkuilsfontein farm in the Northern Cape, where controlled livestock grazing forms part of a scientifically informed management plan to restore degraded Succulent Karoo vegetation. Turning farming land into protected environments At Papkuilsfontein, in the Northern Cape, landowners are blending conservation with agriculture through the Drylands Conservation Programme, having had the farm declared a protected environment in February 2025. Nieuwoudtville, where the farm is located, falls within the Bokkeveld Plateau, a region known as 'the bulb capital of the world' because it has the world's highest diversity of indigenous bulbous plants. Since 2009, the provincial Biodiversity Stewardship Unit had been trying to get landowners on this plateau to go into the stewardship process to protect the area, but a lot of farmers were petrified of signing a document with government in the first place and also potentially losing revenue from their farming style. Then the EWT got involved, along with DAERL, to look at alternatives and come up with a strategy to increase tourism on the properties, ultimately to diversify income streams. Zanné Brink, the programme manager of the EWT's Drylands Conservation Project, said: 'This was to say, if you go with protected environment, you can still carry on with your farming practices; there might be some changes that need to take place, but then we can boost your products [tourism] from the property. Then landowners started participating in the process.' The process at Papkuilsfontein took nearly five years from initial assessments to final declaration. When they first started doing biodiversity surveys they found more than 150 species. Now, Brink said, more than 2,500 species have been identified on the farm, just by doing biodiversity surveys. Jaco and Alrie van Wyk are the sixth-generation owners of Papkuilsfontein. Jaco's father, Willem, began the process of transitioning into a protected environment before he handed over to Jaco who explained to Daily Maverick what that transition entailed and how they have adjusted their farming practices over the years to suit this. '[Now] you are much more aware… You don't plant on the edge of the river bank anymore… You make [more] drains for water. The way that we farm now is not making a lot of money… But I think my kids are going to have something to work with. 'It's not sustainable to farm a lot of sheep… [So] we have less sheep per hectare. We put lamb camps up for two months because it has a greater impact on the sheep you have on the field. You still have them on the farm, but it is on the side of the yellow line,' Van Wyk said. The farm's main produce is mostly meat with wool and a little rooibos tea. Now it has the added value of being a protected environment with adventure tourism in nature, including hiking and biking trails around the canyon on the property and its 100m waterfall, as well as birdlife, fauna and San rock art. Papkuilsfontein is also now home to the first via ferrata (protected rock-climbing route) in the Northern Cape at the Papkuilsfontein's canyon. As Willem began the journey towards declaring the property a protected area, he made the family and workers aware that the way they had been doing things was unsustainable. 'The way that we farm now is not making a lot of money. You are not going to have a big land cruiser in the house at the beach and something like that. But I think my kids are going to have something to work with… There will be natural veld and animals left. Like the dwarf tortoise that we have here,' Jaco said. At the moment the biggest threat to the land, Jaco said, is drought, since they are in a water-scarce region. But even with this, he said there were ways of farming and managing the veld that could reduce the impact of drought on their land from climate constraints. Blending conservation with agriculture Rossouw was teary eyed as she described the land of Katdooringvlei. 'It's peaceful, it's quiet… The evenings are gold and the mornings are… I cannot describe how much I love this land and region… There are a lot of challenges to farm here, but this is home,' she said. Specific changes made at Katdooringvlei through this process include taking some of the commercial fields located near sensitive areas out of production, and Rossouw said they plan to rehabilitate these fields to the best of their ability. 'It was a complex conversation when we embarked on the conservation initiative. Taking the commercial fields out of production had an impact on the availability of stubble grazing during the summer months. This, in turn, affected the ewes that were meant to mate on those stubble fields,' she said. The damage caused by mining is visible all around our farm. The thought that everything precious our farm represents… might also look like that in a decade or two was unbearable. Rossouw said the livestock numbers they can maintain within the proposed reserve did not differ much from what they were already farming with. Feed costs are likely to increase, but Katdooringvlei has moved away from traditional ploughing methods to no-till farming, which Rossouw said has had a positive effect on their diesel expenses. But, she could only truthfully say how this affected them a year or two into the process. 'Although we have always been conservation-minded, the increase in prospecting applications, on our land and the surrounding areas, pushed us to take action. 'Our land has been in our family for generations, and we were not willing to lose it to mining. The damage caused by mining is visible all around our farm, and the mere thought that everything precious our farm represents, and what might be lost forever – our family, our traditions, our memories, every little tortoise, every eagle, every flower – might also look like that in a decade or two was unbearable. This is what compelled Rossouw and her family to take decisive action and pursue the protected environment declaration for their land. Le Roux said successful restoration requires long-term commitment. 'Properties mismanaged 50 years ago still show those scars today.' But when they were able to protect functioning ecosystems, they became markers for surviving climate shifts. DM
