Conservationists Celebrate Decade of Success in Expanding Succulent Karoo Protected Areas

Photo Credit: World Wide Fund for Nature

Over the past 10 years, the Northern Cape Land Project has enabled the declaration of five new nature reserves and one new protected environment with several more in the pipeline.

Northern Cape, South Africa (14 August 2024) – Conservationists recently gathered in the heart of Namaqualand to celebrate a decade of remarkable progress in expanding protected areas within the Succulent Karoo biome of the Northern Cape.

The culmination of the Northern Cape Land Project, a joint initiative by the Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) and WWF South Africa, supported by the Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Trust (LHSKT), this milestone event marked the successful creation of five new nature reserves and one protected environment.

The celebration took place in Kamieskroon, the gateway to the world-renowned Namaqua National Park, known for its breathtaking floral splendour.

The conservation work is being done primarily through stewardship agreements with landowners who retain ownership of their land but commit to managing it in conservation-compatible ways while continuing to derive economic benefit from it.

Those in attendance unanimously agreed that Mr. Leslie Hill would have been immensely proud of the project’s accomplishments. His passion for succulents and generous philanthropic spirit gave birth to the LHSKT, which has been instrumental in this conservation success.

Katherine Forsythe, WWF project manager with the LHSKT, said a key benefit of the project has been the support WFA has provided to DAERL and SANParks in fine-tuning and streamlining processes and mechanisms for protected area expansion.

“The work WFA has done in the Northern Cape has helped unlock doors and paved the way for biodiversity stewardship nationally. Also significant are the lasting relationships of trust that have been built between all parties in critical biodiversity areas.”

Francois van der Merwe, chair of the LHSKT, noted that the threats to the Succulent Karoo were both real and considerable. He highlighted climate change which could see rainfall in the region decrease by some 40%, along with plant poaching and mining. This made the efforts to secure ecological corridors increasingly urgent.

Ben-Jon Dreyer, project manager with WFA, said:

“Working on this project has been an eye-opener. There are so many landowners in the Succulent Karoo who realise the biodiversity significance of the land that has been entrusted to them and who strive to be the best possible stewards of it. It truly was a privilege to visit these stunningly beautiful and biodiverse landscapes, which will forever be etched in my memory.”

Matthew Norval, WFA’s Chief Operations Officer of Conservation, said that without the funding from Leslie Hill and the leadership of WWF South Africa, the opportunity to conserve these areas would have been lost.

“I think there really has been a change in conservation which encompasses the appreciation of the natural environment, heritage and a realisation that we are doing this for our children and our children’s children,” he said.

While the Wilderness Foundation Africa shifts its focus to new initiatives, including the expansion of the Augrabies National Park, the LHSKT remains committed to building upon these achievements. This includes exploring ways to enhance the lives of local communities and supporting landowners in their ongoing conservation efforts.