KNYSNA NEWS - Public-private partnerships in the form of collaboration between landowners, the Western Heads-Goukamma Conservancy (WHGC), the Table Mountain Fund (TMF), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), SANParks, CapeNature, the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association, and the Knysna Municipality are facilitating the protection of the last remaining remnant of the Critically Endangered Knysna Sand Fynbos (KSF), in the WHGC of Knysna for future generations.
The WHGC was registered with CapeNature in October 2004 and extends from the western bank of the Knysna Estuary to the eastern bank of the Goukamma Estuary, and from the beach (high water mark) inland to the N2 national highway.
KSF once occupied some 15 000ha along the Garden Route coast, extending from Wilderness, north of the lakes system, to include patches around the Knysna Estuary, and the Robberg peninsula near Plettenberg Bay.
However today, much of KSF has been transformed, with losses incurred by conversion to agriculture, commercial timber plantations, and to development.
Only 1 500ha (10%) remains today, globally, the majority of which occurs in the WHGC.
Hydrological functioning
The WHGC, due to its relative rural state, is further important for maintaining the hydrological functioning and health of the Knysna Estuary in the face of increasing pollution impacts from the estuary’s developed northern suburbs, as well as for maintaining nature-based tourism and landscape character assets on which the town and people of Knysna depend.
Despite its high conservation and tourism value, the WHGC is under immense threat from inappropriate development, habitat fragmentation, loss of landscape functionality, biodiversity loss, uncontrolled fires, and from alien plant species invasion, exacerbated by climate change.
The KSF was severely impacted by the Knysna fires of 2017 and is therefore at risk and more sensitive to any further disturbances.
Restoration interventions critical
Protection and restoration interventions are critical, to ensure the future of this important area, and for climate change adaptation and resilience.
Recognising these threats and the great need for conservation of the area, catalytic project funding was secured by the WHGC from the TMF, with the primary project aims being to:
- Create awareness and encourage landowners to commit their properties to conservation stewardship either as SANParks Contract National Parks (CNPs) or as CapeNature Contract Nature Reserves (CNRs).
- Eradicate invasive alien plants, which destroy the natural flora of the KSF, and which pose a high fire risk to the area.
Under CNP conservation stewardship agreements landowners retain property ownership, however the property is co-managed by the landowner and by SANParks for conservation.
Celebrate
Landowners may benefit from financial incentives for their conservation commitments.
Some 182ha of land are under active negotiations for CNP stewardship agreements between SANParks and private landowners in the WHGC.
These properties will be declared part of the Garden Route National Park.
Other landowners have entered into CapeNature’s CNR stewardship agreements.
Further recognising the high conservation value of the area, WWF South Africa have purchased several properties, whereby some 130ha have been placed into CNP conservation stewardship with SANParks.
Stakeholders recently gathered in Brenton-on-Sea, on one of the WWF newly acquired properties, to celebrate the conservation initiative and the exciting historic milestone, where a biodiversity treasure has been secured for perpetuity.
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