Passing the Baton West Coast Landowner Surv rvey WCBCI Milestone - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Passing the Baton West Coast Landowner Surv rvey WCBCI Milestone - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Passing the Baton West Coast Landowner Surv rvey WCBCI Milestone Event 28 th November 2014 We have a dream Leaving the City of Cape Town, as you pass the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, you are welcomed through branded signage onto the West

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Passing the Baton West Coast Landowner Surv rvey

WCBCI Milestone Event 28th November 2014

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We have a dream…

  • Leaving the City of Cape Town, as you pass the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, you are welcomed

through branded signage onto the West Coast Way (R27)

  • You are about to enter the largest integrated protected area on the doorstep of a metropole – a

mega game reserve, a tourist mecca

  • You are struck by:
  • The perimeter fence straddling both sides of the R27 protecting visible numbers of diverse game species
  • Evidence of culverts under the R27 facilitating game movement & hiking & biking trails
  • Beautiful conferencing & resort facilities at Ganzekraal and Silverstroom
  • Wide variety of accommodation options ito location & target market
  • Signage to public coastal access points
  • Increased tourism product density
  • Signage that you’ve entered an Important Birding Area
  • Route markers to both products & all towns in the region
  • Growth in tourism, service & residential infrastructure in towns such as Yzerfontein, Mamre, Atlantis & Darling
  • Opportunities for unique experiences such as visits to Dassen Island & ship wreck diving
  • The numerous options for West Coast cuisine, wine & olive tasting
  • The low levels of poverty & unemployment in the Corridor owing to large numbers of Green Jobs

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Dream Origins

  • Some West Coast Corridor Landowners have shared this dream for an

extended protected area since the formation of the WCNP & declaration of the Langebaan Lagoon as a RAMSAR site

  • 2004/5 Cape nature-led initiative
  • Establishment of the DCCP
  • 2011 CWCBR, SANParks & DBSA landowner workshop
  • 2013 successful Green Fund application by SANParks to: pursue the idea of an

extended PA; implement DEA’s Buffer Zone Policy; & demonstrate conservation’s contribution to rural economic development

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Dream Location

WCBC defined as geographic area from WCNP to BCA in the south & eastwards to Darling Heuwels

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Vegetation Type Eco Status (CN 2014) Saldanha Flats Strandveld Endangered Hopefield Sand Fynbos Vulnerable Langebaan Dune Strandveld Least Concern Atlantis Sand fynbos Critically Endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos Critically Endangered Cape Flats Dune Srandveld Endangered West Coast Biodiversity Corridor

  • Located in the Cape Floristic region – last intact extensive

lowland habitat

  • Birding paradise – 2 IBAs
  • Significant Climate Change Adaptation Corridor
  • Part of SA’s Protected Areas Expansion Strategy
  • Core of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve
  • Hosts critical ecological services e.g Aquifers, wetlands
  • Hosts the Langebaan Lagoon (RAMSAR Site) and a Marine

Protected Area

  • Includes WCNP & its Buffer Zone
  • Significant paleontological & heritage assets

Why the Dream

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Catching a Wake Up

Saldanha IDZ Expanding Metropole

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Competing Dreams

  • Koeberg expansion in the south
  • Doubling of the R27 highway
  • Earth gas pipe landing site
  • Major infrastructure investment – rail and sea
  • Wind energy investments
  • E.g. Mamre – Laaste Stuiwer
  • Rheboksfontein Wind Farm ( east side of R 27) – 43 turbines planned for

Rheboksfontein, Doornfontein, Platteklip, Nieuwe Plaats, Groot Berg, Slang Kop

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Believing in the Dream: the WCBCI

  • WCBCI focused on demonstrating that conservation can be a lead

sector for rural economic development

  • Vision developed at a stakeholder workshop in August 2013 was:

for the WCBC to be a vibrant region where appreciation of its rich biodiversity, cultural heritage and partnerships deliver sustainable jobs, skills and opportunities

  • Key projects identified included
  • Investigation into an expanded and integrated PA
  • Spatial planning alignment with municipalities

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Testing Support for the Dream

  • Need strongly identified to engage landowners individually
  • November 2013 WCBC PSC approved the conducting of a Landowner Survey to assess:
  • Level of buy-in for the idea of investigating an extended & integrated PA in the Corridor
  • Biodiversity & heritage value & level of formal protection
  • Economic and social profile & future plans
  • Survey roll-out include the training of 6 SANParks & CWCBR interns and 2 WCNP

environmental monitors to participate in conducting the Survey

  • Training undertaken April 14 – 15 & May 5th
  • Piloted survey with 3 landowners
  • Survey roll-out in week of 12th – 16th May 2014
  • Additional complementary research undertaken:
  • Mapping Exercise; Legal Review & Historical/Paleontological Heritage Review
  • Private & public landowner feedback sessions held on the 30th June 2014 & 4th August

2014 to test credibility of the findings & receive additional inputs

  • Draft report circulated to all landowners for comment prior to finalisation

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Survey Team

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Surveyed Farms

  • The properties that were included in the Survey included:
  • Koeberg, Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, Groot Springfontein, Silverstroom

Strand, Buffelsrivier, Bok Baai, Mamre CPA, Ganzekraal Resort, Ganzekraal Farm, Coastal State Land, Rondeberg Flats (West), Ronderberg Towers (East), Laaste Stuiwer, Grotto Bay, Jakkalsfontein, Rheboksfontein, Doornfontein, Tygerfontein, Koffiefontein, !Khwa Ttu, Yzerfontein Farm (south), Uitkoms, Weskus Padstal, Portion 5 of 552, El Be Farm, Jacobuskraal Smallholdings, De La Rey, Yzerfontein Farm (north), Kerriefontein, Suurfontein, Blombos, Salt Pan, Rooipan, Sixteen Mile Beach, Dassen Island, Buffelsfontein, Groote Post, Pampoenvlei, Burgherspost and Cloof.

  • Interviews conducted with DoPW, DEA, DRD&LR, PDHS, Cape Nature,

SANParks

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Some Key Survey Findings

  • State-land
  • Consolidation of State-owned land in Southern portion of Corridor – pending transfer

to Cape nature

  • High levels of private landowner concerns re current weak management of state-
  • wned land
  • Perceived as increasing threats of alien invasive species, poaching, land invasions, fire, crime,

vandalism of heritage assets

  • Mamre community (CPA) major landowner
  • Weak management of coastal public property
  • Lack of public coastal access
  • Potential of Dassen Island & Ganzekraal Resort as regional tourism assets unrealised
  • Some public nature reserves are formally declared, others in process

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Some Key Survey Findings

  • Private-sector-landowners
  • Different interests & development rights
  • Private Nature Reserves not all legally compliant
  • Whilst most of the land on the east of the R27 is zoned agriculture much is

used de facto for conservation owing to climatic & soil conditions

  • Main current activities taking place are: birding, livestock, restaurants,

accommodation, hiking, game viewing, crop farming, game farming

  • Priority concerns are: fire, poaching, alien invasion, service delivery (e.g.

waste management), crime, return on investment, delays in development approvals

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Perceived Economic Benefits of the Dream

  • Game introduction & animal

migration

  • Culverts under R 27
  • Game fencing
  • Allocation of hunting rights
  • Extended birding paradise
  • Improved Corridor management &

services

  • Fire protection
  • Invasive species management
  • Heritage restoration & mgt
  • Poaching control
  • Integrated waste management
  • Security
  • Road & property maintenance
  • Shared worker transport
  • Integrated development planning
  • Tourism node identification
  • Eco tourism infrastructure investment
  • New product development
  • Tourism product linkages and joint

marketing

  • Opening up of southern WCNP gate
  • Fast-tracking development rights
  • Increased sustainability of the

Corridor

  • Formal protection of biodiversity &

heritage

  • Increased job opportunities
  • Conservation management, invasive

species management & beneficiation, fire management, hospitality, domestic work, security, coast-care, & maintenance

  • Tax Incentives

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Support for an Integrated, Extended PA

82% of Landowners Express an Interest in pursuing the idea

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Emerging Recommendations

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Recommendations

  • 1. Sufficient landowner interest to further investigate & negotiate the

dream

  • 2. GEF 5 is the vehicle to take forward the recommendations
  • 3. Landowners be approached individually & in spatial clusters
  • 4. Support fast-tracking of requested state-land portions in the DCCP

to Cape Nature

  • 5. Urgently resolve issues of custodianship & management of

Ganzekraal Resort

  • 6. Resolve legal compliance issues of private nature reserves
  • 7. WCBC to be a pilot of DEA’s public coastal access project
  • 8. Controlled opening up of Dassen Island to Tourism

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Recommendations

9. Relevant planning authorities to align spatial plans

  • 10. Identify & develop economic catalysts
  • 11. Engage all spheres of government re recommendations
  • 12. Landowners & product owners to collaborate re marketing of region’s

biodiversity & heritage

  • 13. Complete a full legal review of status of land portions; identify appropriate

protected areas & management models & identify legal rights & obligations of all parties

  • 14. Consider development & utilisation of WCBC as a replicable model within

Buffer Zone and Pas throughout SA

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THANK YOU

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