GUIDELINE

design - negotiate - implement

CONSERVATIONAGREEMENTS
On Communal Lands
in South Africa

TABLE OF CONTENTS
03
04
07

Foreword
Our Context- Conservation Agreements Nationally + Globally- Commonage Land In South Africa

Our Target Areas- Leliefontein + Steinkopf Commonage

farming in a varied climate, farming challenges

12
14

Chosing A Stewardship Model- Considerations For Getting Started

Step 1 - Feasibility Assessments- Profile Of The Target Area

identify biodiversity attributes, identify land-users, understanding land use, understanding the social andeconomic landscape, understanding institutional arrangements, understanding the stakeholder landscapemanaging expectations

18

Step 2 - Engagement- First Engagement Workshop With Target Audience
Principles of engagement, asking the right questions

20

Step 3 - Design + Negotiation- Information Gathering Workshop + Negotiations Workshop
facilitation tool, asking the right questions, drawing up the draft conservation agreement

38

Step 4 - Implementation- Kickstart Actions With An Implementation Workshop
support meetings

42

Step 5 - Monitoring + Evaluation

50

Step 6 - Sustainability

socio-economic survey, compliance monitoring, three tier monitoring, lessons learned, staffing support

build trust, expand your impact, tips for implementers

FOREWORD
Conserving globally significant biodiversity in a developing country
context presents challenges and opportunities. Land stewardship andland management of South Africa’s natural resources and ecosystemservices are in the hands of both government and the land users. This
presents an opportunity for improved livelihoods, job creation andconservation of biodiversity through partnerships.
The role of government is to create an enabling policy environment,
to capacitate land users and promote a wise-use approach to natural
resource management. NGO’s like Conservation South Africa havemade huge strides by working in partnership with land users andland owners to incentivise biodiversity conservation and improved
land management while at the same time improving the livelihoods ofparticipants. Because a large portion of South Africa’s land is under
private ownership, biodiversity stewardship, an approach to conserving
biodiversity on private land through voluntary agreements, has been afocal point of the country’s approach to biodiversity conservation.
CSA’s Conservation Agreements now form part of the 2018 National
Biodiversity Stewardship Guideline, a best practice approach on
working with land users to implement the principles of biodiversity
stewardship with land users and land owns. This guideline is an
important tool to support the implementation of Conservation
Agreements and biodiversity stewardship in South Africa.
Natasha Wilson
Advisor: Biodiversity Stewardship (Biodiversity and Land Use Project)South African National Biodiversity Institute

OUR
CONTEXT

There are places on Earth that areboth biologically rich — and deeply
threatened. For our own sake, wemust work to protect them.

Conservation South Africa works in areas that have been
identified as important for biodiversity and ecosystemservices yet are vulnerable to climate change anddegradation from unsustainable land use practices.

The Succulent Karoo Biodiversity
Hotspot is one of 36 regions where
success in conserving species
can have an enormous impact insecuring our global biodiversity.

CSA works in areas that have been identified asimportant for biodiversity and ecosystem services, yet
are vulnerable to climate change and degradation fromunsustainable land use practices. Choosing where to workin Namaqualand was based on the following factors; 1)
the best available science, 2) where investments would
achieve the greatest environmental and social impacts
at the lowest possible cost and 3) where there was thegreatest need for our assistance.

The area’s primary land use is livestock production,practiced on commercial and communal farmlands. The
communal areas account for more than 25% of the regionand support 45% of its population. Without recourse to
the natural resources such as water and grazing the main
livelihood of farming would collapse. With few agencies
working in this region it was therefore critical that CSA finda way for farmers to continue with their livelihoods while
helping to protect and improve the regions biodiversity.

In 2001 the Succulent Karoo was declared a Biodiversity
Hotspot and in 2003 the South African government
declared the Namaqua National Park (NNP) a protected
area. The Park is approximately 495 km north of Cape
Town. It has an area of 145,892.35 ha located within thesemi-desert Succulent Karoo biome. 26% of plants locatedin the Park are found here and nowhere else on earth,with 17% listed as Red data species (IUCN, the World
Conservation Union 1994).

Given this context CSA initiated, planned, negotiated andimplemented a Conservation Agreement programmein the Leliefontein Commonage in 2008, and in 2016
expanded the programme to include the Steinkopf
Commonage. The Steinkopf Commonage was added
because it was a high biodiversity area with an importantwater catchment that was extremely vulnerable to climatechange. These sites were further prioritized due to theirpotential as a buffer zone that, if managed correctly, could
provide additional protection to the adjacent Namakwa
National Park and Richtersveld National Park.

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

PAGE 

After 11 years based in the region CSA, through theConservation Agreement approach, has protected88,289.39ha and improved rangeland management on afurther 151 320ha, an area 164%
greater than the NNP protected area we set out to support.
In addition, 800 hectares of wetlands have been restored
and maintained and 80% of land users across five villages
have signed agreements to protect their land. Thanks to thevariety of incentives provided in exchange for community
conservation actions, livestock productivity has improvedin a variety of ways. Through the introduction of climate
resilient livestock breeds, lambs are reaching market readyweight three months earlier than “old” breeds, thus saving aminimum of 180 000 grazing days annually

Through the capacity building programs offered by CSA,
farmers are better skilled and are less reliant on state andexternal services in their farming operations. Throughthis programme farmers have been trained to do basic
veterinary checks on their animals, can grade livestock, areable to do market selection and grazing management aswell as monitor the condition of their veld and livestock.
Lastly, CSA has helped farmers establish their own local
governance structures such as farmers associations and cooperatives to continue with this good work into the future.
Under this model, land ownership was not affected, andmultiple land uses continued whilst combining biodiversity
protection and sustainable production

Farmers have learned and adopted better livestock
management practices such as regular vaccinations against
diseases, switching to climate resilient breeds, keeping
livestock out of wetlands during the rainy season and anincreased willingness to practice seasonal grazing.

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DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

Gertruida Cloete - Livestock farmer in Leliefontein - Photo by © Charlie Shoemaker

BIODIVERSITY
HOTSPOTS

Conservation Agreements
Nationally + Globally
In South Africa’s National Biodiversity Stewardship Guidelines (2018), Conservation
Agreements fall under Biodiversity Stewardship Category 2: Conservation
Area. According to the National Biodiversity Stewardship Guidelines (2018), “A
conservation area is an area of land or sea that is not formally protected in terms of
National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act; But has the following
characteristics1:• It is a geographically defined area with biodiversity value;• It is governed, and thereby is under the authority of a specific entity or 			
individual;• It is managed for its biodiversity values, either directly or as part of a broader		landscape management system;• A formal agreement provides the foundation of an intention to conserve thearea over the long-term. It is therefore recognised that there is a lower level of
security associated with conservation areas and therefore are considered tohave a reduced form of protection than protected areas. Conservation areas
contribute towards the broader conservation estate but not the protected area
estate.”Conservation Agreements also directly contribute to national objectives identified
South Africa’s Draft National Adaptation Strategy, namely, to build climate resilienceand adaptive capacity to respond to climate change and vulnerability2.
All around the world, from forest to mangroves to rangelands to deserts, there areplaces where rich biodiversity thrives on the land of local communities. Identifying
this, the Conservation Stewards Programme has led the design, negotiation andimplementation of Conservation Agreements with communities and indigenous
peoples in over 14 countries globally, resulting in the protection of over 1 million
hectares of critical biodiversity habitat. They are a powerful tool for conservationand sustainable use in landscapes where communities are the owners and local
stewards of their land.
SANBI. 2018. Biodiversity Stewardship Guideline. A guideline produced for the Department ofEnvironmental Affairs. Developed by Wilson, N., Kershaw, P., Marnewick, D. and Purnell, A.
1

2

Department of Environmental Affairs. 2019. Draft National Adaptation Strategy. Government Gazette number 42446.

Photo by © Nico SmitOUR Leliefontein + Steinkopf
TARGET AREAS Commonage
Commonage

COMMONAGE LANDIN SOUTH AFRICA

Farmland that is
owned by a local
municipality is known
as Commonage land.
It is land that should
be made available tothe local community
for farming purposes
but is managed by themunicipality.

Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

Farmland that is owned by a local
municipality is known as Commonage
land. It is land that should be madeavailable to the local community forfarming purposes but is managed by
the municipality.

a community act independently or
selfishly misuse the shared land.
This has often this has led to overuse
and the degradation of the lands
for the benefit of a few and at theexpense of many.

Some 17,2 million hectares of landin South Africa is classified ascommonages (DAFF 2011).
Of these 14,5 million hectares areclassified as agricultural land. Thisvaries from 36% in KwaZulu Natal
to 0.05% of land in the Northern
Cape. In addition to this, there
exists some 1.28 million hectaresof communal lands in the Northernand Western Cape, the previous socalled Coloured Persons Communal“Reserves ”. In total, communal lands
comprises 18.4 million hectares of the
122 million hectares of South Africa’s
surface (15.14%).

Commonages present a uniquechallenge to good land management,
as the management entities often
lack either capacity, capital or agood management plan which would
ensure wise management of theresource. Decades of neglect tomaintain commonage infrastructure
has led to a situation where, even
if there were a good management
plan, it cannot be put into practice.
The heatmap on page 9 is an
example of overgrazing occurring
because ungrazed areas do nothave maintained water infrastructure.
This causes farmers to stay close toworking infrastructure and graze inthe same patterns until the rangelandis overgrazed.

This system has its challenges
especially where individuals within

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

Lenient or no enforcement of grazing
regulations, has exacerbated this.
In the Succulent Karoo Biodiversity
Hotspot, desertification fromovergrazing, as well as thedegradation of wetlands are thebiggest challenges for farmers
livelihoods and food and water
security. Inappropriate rangeland use
combined with the growing impactsof climate change make these areas
especially vulnerable to degradation.
As more areas desertify, species loss
will become an issue, so protecting
commonages is also an importantbiodiversity protection measure.

The Leliefontein Commonage is 192 000 ha area set aside under Act 9
as land for communal use by farmers. 12 villages are in and around thecommonage, which is bisected by the N7, main arterial road running on anorth-south axis between Namibia and Cape Town.

>3000

The Steinkopf commonage encompasses a total of 329 000 ha underAct 9 for communal use. The Leliefontein Commonage falls under the
Kamiesberg local Municipality and the Steinkopf Commonage falls under
Nama Khoi local Municipality, both of which form part of the Namakwa
District.

beneficiaries

They have a history of over 2000 years of livestock farming, mainly withgoats and sheep. Of the 16 villages in the Kamiesberg Municipal area, 12
falls within the Leliefontein Commonage and two villages fall within the
Steinkopf Commonage, namely Steinkopf and Bulletrap.

239,609 ha

The land for both commonages is held in trust by the Department of Rural
Development and Land Affairs, but it is managed by the Kamiesberg
Municipality and Nama Khoi Municipality respectively. The Leliefontein
Commonage western edge lies approximately 30 kilometres from the
Namaqua National Park, and thus serves to act as a buffer to the formallyprotected area.

rangeland protected

800 hawetlands conserved

Both commonages form part of the Succulent Karoo Biodiversity Hotspot
making them a local and global priority for biodiversity conservation.

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DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

Two millennia of livestock farming have ingrained the practice of farming into every aspect of the local
communities’ lives. Not only is it their primary source of income but it has shaped their culture and influences how
most of these Namaqualanders go about their day-to-day lives.
Farmers still follow a transhumance pattern, trekking their livestock between higher and lower ground during thewinter and summer months. In the winter rainfall area winter wheat and oats was planted following good rains andin the Kamiesberg Uplands, wetlands were sometimes used to establish vegetable gardens and/or fruit orchards.
Both of these practices have dwindled significantly due to a decrease in rainfall.
In the Kamiesberg Uplands pastoralists move their animals down the mountain from Leliefontein, to the vicinities
of Tweerivier and Nourivier, to escape the extreme cold during winter. Within the Steinkopf Commonage seasonalgrazing is still being implemented by farmers. Steinkopf farmers move their livestock to the Bushmanland insummer (predominately grasses). This ensures animals have a varied and healthy diet and can thrive during theicy winter months. Livestock is managed by herders, who take the animals out to graze during the day and returnthem to be kraaled at night at a stock post. Very few people have no livestock and numbers start as low as one unitof livestock per person and go up to one or two herds per person.

Farming Challenges
Ageing Infrastructure + inefficient Government Services
By 2008, 14 years after democratic elections, both commonages were already suffering from the deterioration of
infrastructure vital to farming, such as wind pumps, water troughs, water pipes, fencing and roads. Simultaneously,
supporting government services such as agricultural extension and state veterinarian services declined
significantly. This lack of services led to the mistrust of the municipality by the community.

Lack of Development
Rural villages of the commonage were largely by-passed by the technology of the time, such as internet and accessto modern tools, techniques and information. Living in an information vacuum, resulted in a farming community left
behind and unable to adapt their farming to the demands of the changing markets and climate.

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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Break Down of Local Governance Structures
Community structures such as commonage committees
were established to ensure involvement of local people inthe management of the commonage. Over the years most
dissolved and governance and communication with themunicipality became dysfunctional. In Steinkopf there remained
a commonage committee, with a few individuals trying tomaintain decision-making structures within the community.
Community cohesion and morale was low, and no development
or training initiatives were taking place to unite the community inthe management of the commonage.

Lack of Market Access

RESTORINGECOSYSTEMS
Restoration of degradedlands represents half ofnature’s potential to keep
global warming below 1.5
degrees Celsius and is the only
technology available to remove
carbon from the atmosphere atscale.

For market access, most farmers had little option but to sell
to a small pool of livestock speculators at low prices and on
non-negotiable terms. This resulted in low to zero profit making
that contributed to and continued a cycle of overstocking andovergrazing to make up the shortfall to cover the essentials
on which to live. This, during a changing climate that brought
frequent and long droughts, led to the steady deterioration ofgrazing lands and wetlands.

Migrations of Youth to Cities
Poverty is rife in the area and unemployment figures are high(30%). Results of Socio-Economic Surveys conducted by CSA
indicated that the main income of Conservation Agreement
farmers in the target areas were government grants, mainly
old age pension and child grants. Most younger people weremoving to larger cities or to the mines due to the inability to farm
profitably in the region.

PAGE 11HEAT MAP : Grazing intensity in the Kamiesberg Commonage.
Infrastructure in disrepair contributes to overgrazing.

DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

FARMING IN A
VARIED CLIMATECHOSING A
STEWARDSHIP MODEL
Considerations for getting started

In the South African context, stewardship refers to the national model piloted in 2003. Further models havesince been developed. They are as follows:
The national model follows a tiered approach of formal and legally binding stewardship agreements signed
predominantly with private landowners.
1)

A voluntary model that allows landowners to declare their property a private nature reserve. This allows
for the land use to be registered against the title deed as conservation for a period of 30 - 99 years, or into
perpetuity, a protected environment.

2) A biodiversity management agreement (5 – 10 years, and the only tier which is governed by the Biodiversity
Act)3) A biodiversity agreement (5 -10 years)
4) A biodiversity partnership agreement.
The first four are all contract agreements, whilst the last is an informal agreement.
More information on these models can be found at SANBI.
All the Commonages in the target areas (Leliefontein and Steinkopf) are state land, owned by the Departmentof Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and managed by the local government. The farmers
themselves are land-users and are, by law, required to register as livestock farmers with the municipality, andto pay grazing fees for livestock kept on the land. It could be argued that a national model of stewardshipagreement could be signed with the landowner, managed by the commonage management entity andimplemented by the farmers themselves. However, due to capacity constraints both with the department andthe local authority, CSA chose to follow the Conservation Stewards Programme (CSP) model. During this time
no examples of stewardship had been tested on communal land in this region and thus we decided to adopt
Conservation Internationals CSP Model that had been tested in similar environments across the globe.

Conservation Agreement management and implementation is a hands-on, lengthy process, where theimplementing agent (IA) should be visible and trusted within the community. It requires an agility and adaptive
capacity which state entities have not acquired yet. An entity seeking to implement this model should not be
constrained by lengthy decision making and procurement processes. Implementing Agents (IA’s) must have thecapacity to work with local government and with land users while ideally basing themselves within or near thearea they plan to work in.
As the Conservation Agreement model agreement is not bound by legislation, and is a voluntary agreement
between consenting partners, there is room for adjustment. As experience is gained in the implementation of
the CSP Conservation Agreement, both parties can, and should, co-operatively revise the agreement, based on
lessons learned from implementation. This informal model of stewardship allows for tailormade agreements suited
to the people and the land in any given area, which increases cooperation and buy-in. CSA adapted the model toaccommodate South African cultural, legal, socio economic and environmental conditions.
To implement Conservation Agreements the following steps are recommended:

1 2 3 4 5 6

The CSP’s Conservation Agreement model offers direct incentives for conservation through a negotiatedbenefit package in return for conservation actions by communities. This approach helps conserve biodiversity
while improving the quality of life for local communities.

FEASIBILITYASSESSMENT

ENGAGEMENTDESIGN +NEGOTATION

IMPLEMENTATIONMONITORING +EVALUATIONSTEPSSUSTAINABILITY

Photo by © Charlie Shoemaker

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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PAGE 13DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTSTEWARDSHIP AS A TOOLTO ADDRESSCLIMATE CHANGE

1.8oC hotter (2040-2059)
3.9oC hotter (2081-2100)
less rainfall

improve soil
for Carbon storage

adapt
farming practices

rehabilitate
rangelands

maintain ecologicalinfrastructure

market accesshigher income

skills + education

jobs

Photo by © Charlie Shoemaker

STEP

1

FEASIBILITYASSESSMENT
Photo by © Lisa Boonzaaier

The CSP model and process of stewardship is simple and straightforward. The first step isto conduct a feasibility assessment, which leads to a decision to implement Conservation
Agreements in the area. This is a desktop exercise carried out by the Implementing Agent.
The following criteria should be tested to ground truth site selection:
i. The site offers a valuable and measurable conservation outcome,ii. There is a funder with a strong interest in supporting an initiative at the site,iii. There is a capable implementer ready to commit to engagement, agreement design and project implementation,
iv. There is a local resource user that can serve as a clear agreement counterpart,v. The actions needed to achieve the conservation outcome can be performed by the counterpart.
vi. The site offers attractive characteristics.
•
The site is likely to score high on all feasibility criteria;•
The potential agreement offers concrete contributions to human wellbeing;•
There are potential synergies with other organizations;•
The project offers a valuable learning experience regarding the potential of the model.

PROFILE OF THE TARGET AREA
It is worthwhile investing some time in building a profile of the target area. An outline of the following can be useful for
engaging the community and designing the agreement:
1. Identify biodiversity attributes
2. Identify land users
3. Understand land use
4. Understanding the social and economic landscape
5. Understanding institutional arrangements
6. Understanding the stakeholder landscape

1. Identify biodiversity attributes
Implementers should decide what they want to protect, and this will be based on scientific studies that have been
conducted in the area before. In CSA, studies from Desmet and Helme on the Kamiesberg vegetation, a study on
the insects by Jonathan Collville and information from Nancy Job’s study on the wetlands of the Kamiesberg wereused. The information on these clearly indicated the value of stewardship intervention in a high biodiversity area,
which is also a water catchment for the region.

2. Identify land-users
Land users live on and use the biodiversity of their area to generate livelihoods. Identifying the most prevalent land-use forms the common denominator that binds the community to be engaged. These individuals, and not the entire
population of the village or villages that will be worked in, will be the target audience.
They might be fishermen, farmers, medicinal plant harvesters or ecotourism practitioners, but they will be united by
the land use that most of them engage in for their livelihoods. The target audience is the one that has the greatest
impact on their resources and are referred to as bona fide land users.
It is necessary to involve as many bona-fide land-users as possible, since communal land use is typically unevenly
dispersed. Communal livestock farmers could own as little as one head of livestock or own multiple herds. Mostland-users own only a few head of livestock however together they impact the land similarly to one land-user with alarge herd of livestock.
The bona-fide land users will support and influence other large sections of the community. The Conservation
Agreements project will therefore reach well beyond those that engaged with directly. The primary stakeholders willbe the ambassadors and champions for stewardship.

3. Understanding land use
An important principle for successful engagement is one which is captured well in one of the CSA ‘s core principles– seek to understand before you seek to be understood. Once the most prevalent land-use has been determined itis necessary to understand the land-use itself, its opportunities and challenges. This is probably the most complex
issue that will have to be dealt with.
Land-use always has a history and a certain set of circumstances it is practiced in. An investment of time to grapple
with these matters and increase the understanding of them, will pay off handsomely and contribute to a stableengagement and implementation process. The greatest source of information to achieve this are the land users
themselves. Land users will have a deep and rich understanding of aspects that have influenced land use overtime.
A simple question can unlock a great deal of information i.e. “Tell me about your farming – what has happened in
the past and what is happening now?”
The information gleaned from the land users themselves should be supplemented by any other entities directly
involved. For instance, the management authority and any other big industries/entities operating in the area. Once
more information on the main land use is available, visit the sites and assess the issues yourself. Land users willappreciate being asked to show you around and more information always comes to light from such field visits.
Direct interactions with land users and their land will always be of utmost importance. Apart from increasing yourunderstanding of the land and the land users, this is also how to build relationships and trust.
These steps serve to ground truth the feasibility study, familiarizing the implementing agent first-hand with thebiodiversity, the land users and their land use practices and inform the Conservation Agreement design process.

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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STEP

1

4. Understanding the social and economic landscape
To augment the knowledge you received from land-users and for completing thefeasibility assessment, other sources will need to be assessed to increase yourunderstanding of the social and economic landscape. These could be from Statistics
South Africa, the commonage management entity, the Department of Social Services,or any other body that can provide information on the social and economic landscape.
This information will support the stewardship process.

5. Understanding institutional arrangements
As with the social and economic landscape, understanding the institutionalarrangements, will help you determine who to engage with. The farmers
themselves will be able to advise as to who manages the land andwhether there are already organized bodies representing farmers on thecommonage.

6. Understanding the stakeholder landscape
Should the feasibility study indicate positive conditions are present forsuccess then the next step will be to move forward with engaging andnegotiating a partnership and test the willingness of the community toparticipate in this model with the community mentioned in step 2.

FEASIBILITYASSESSMENT

Photo by © Lisa Boonzaaier

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

2

ENGAGEMENT
Photo by © Lisa Boonzaaier

PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGEMENT

Having finished all the baseline assessments and information gathering all the facts will
now be on hand to start to engage with the target audience. The understanding which has
been gained from step one will guide all the discussions and interactions moving into step
two of building trust and negotiating partnerships that are mutually beneficial to all.

There are several principles that strengthen the engagement process:
Be Transparent
Consistent transparency is of the utmost importance to keep stakeholders engaged. Provide information
and updates to stakeholders on budgets available for incentives, roles of stewardship implementation
staff and what happens to information gathered from target audiences. Be clear from the earliest stagesof engagement and stick to your undertakings throughout implementation. Find ways to regularly updatestakeholders either through meetings, newsletters, notices at public gathering places or local radio updates.

Due to the open aspect of commonages, as well as the multiple personalities that make up the target audience,
engagement of communal land user stakeholders has entered the sphere of the mythical with many potential
implementation agents. It is sometimes considered difficult, if not impossible, to implement a successful Conservation
Agreement programme with communal land users, especially one which relies on trust and goodwill and is not legallybinding. As with any myth, however, this could not be farther from the truth.

Manage Expectations
Make it abundantly clear can and cannot be done. Stakeholders’ needs will almost always be greater thanwhat can be provided. Never promise anything that can not be delivered. When undertaking to explore
some avenue for stakeholders make it clear that it does not mean you will deliver the desired incentive. It isbetter to undertake to investigate an opportunity on their behalf and providing feedback at a later date i.e.
accessing government programs that could support farmers.

Our top 7 MYTHBUSTERS are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

It is very hard to get agreement on any issue when dealing with a community – False;
Open access land makes it difficult to manage Conservation Agreement - False;
The many stakeholders within the stewardship community make it difficult to implement agreements – False;
Everyone in the community must be engaged – False;
Benefits will be too expensive – False;
Without being legally binding, there is too little security in the long term – False;
Stewards will only do it for their own benefit – False;

Uphold the Objective of the Project
Make your objective clear from the first engagement, i.e. restoration of rangelands and protection of
biodiversity. Never try to water down the objective to something you feel might be more acceptable to land
users. Rather show how working towards that objective could lead to improved livelihoods.
Ensure Equality
Internalization of the fact that the stakeholders are equal partners will help to avoid a top-down approach. It is
important that staff working with your stakeholders understand that you are not doing stakeholders a favour
but that stakeholders are critical partners without whom you would not have a project and will not achieve
your objectives.

FIRST ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP WITH TARGET AUDIENCE
To initiate discussions and negotiations with the target audience, a first engagement workshop with the target groupshould be held to share information on the following:
О
О
О
О
О

Adhere to the FPIC principles, of Free, Prior and Informed Consent throughout the engagement. Pay notice
to gender equality and encourage women, youth and other marginalized groupings in the community toparticipate and try to actively involve them.

Who you are and what you or your organization do;
The reasons why the area is important for conservation;
The model of stewardship;
The objectives of the project;
The budget and timeframe of the project.

Engagement is less about trying to convince land-users that conservation is important, and more about
convincing the target audience that the resources they use to sustain their livelihoods are important. Thisshould be followed by engagements that help them understand how to use and manage that resource
sustainably.
The land-users hold a deep cache of intimate information and knowledge of their resources. Engagement
is also about accessing that knowledge and finding examples of existing and past sustainable land-use
methods to which your organization can contribute and revive to achieve conservation actions. Most
individuals will adopt a practice faster if they feel they have contributed to the design of that practice either
from their own knowledge or experience – in other words, acknowledgement.

Below is some guidance on designing the right questions to prioritize joint actions in a future agreement. It is importantto allow time for questions and reflection to ensure the future stakeholders are clear on the nature and outcomes ofthe project. At the end of this workshop stakeholders will know and understand your intentions and are able to indicate
their willingness to engage with you further.
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DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

2

DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

3

DESIGN + NEGOTIATION
Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

Negotiations involve a process where the implementing agent and the steward’s bargain
for a set of conservation actions to be performed in return for a suite of incentives. These
incentives can be either monetary or in-kind actions that compensate stewards for theopportunity cost they incur from complying with the agreed upon conservation actions.
Follow up the first engagement workshop with an information gathering workshop. By this time, word would havespread about the initiative and its intentions, and the appropriate people will be waiting for this next phase. Do nottake this for granted though, and ensure that the invitations go out early and notices are posted in the most accessible
areas for the community to see (the local shop, the municipality, the clinic, the church, the library, a village hall and the
local school).

1.
2.
3.
4.

Identifying the objectives
Identifying the reasons for the land use
Identifying conservation actions
Identifying Conservation Agreement incentives

Asking the Right Questions:
Using the Participlan Method, design questions to be asked at the workshop.
Questions must be designed to elicit inputs which can be grouped andultimately, once prioritized according to do-ability, will form the conservation
actions. Determine the benefits as well as the penalties or credit system forcompliance of the conservation actions identified in the workshop.

What makes farming difficult?
This question will provide clusters of information on the difficulties ofthe land-use practice. This list of challenges generally results in theidentification of the root causes of environmental degradation in thearea. Follow this question up with a vote, asking land-users to votefor the most important challenges. Using the clusters that received
the highest votes, ask land-users to rank those in order in which they
can realistically be addressed.

Question 3: Identifying Conservation Actions

INFORMATION GATHERING WORKSHOPAt this workshop the following matters will need to be agreed to:

Question 2: Identifying the Reasons for the Land Use!

What could you do that would make farming better?
This question will provide inputs from which the conservation actions
will be drawn. It is important to ask land-users what they can do,
as it encourages ownership and a sense of responsibility, and it
encourages an attitude of ability to take control of their destiny.
Follow this question up with a vote, asking land-users to vote for themost important clusters.

Make sure youreiterate your objectives
and the approach you
are recommending toachieve them. Present
this before you move into
the facilitated part of theworkshop.

Question 4: Identifying Conservation Agreement Incentives
What support do you need to improve your farming?
This question will identify potential benefits to cover the opportunity
costs incurred by land-users. The question could also be framed to
ask land-users to list everything they need to support their farming,
assuming money was not a problem.

Question 1: Identifying the Objectives

At this point, revisit the actual budget available for the benefits.
Approximately estimate the costs of the clusters which received thehighest votes. Tally them and compare them to the budget available.
Usually it will be clear that the needs are much more than the money
available. Now let the land-users choose what they would takewhich would fit inside the budget.

What is good about farming?
This question will elicit inputs which identify peoples’ motives for farming, why
it is important to them and what positives exist that could be built on topromote sustainable practices.

The proceeds of this workshop will provide all the information forformulating the conservation actions and benefits and should be
used for a second information gathering workshop that provides aframework for a draft Conservation Agreement.

For example: - if the target land-user group is livestock farmers, the following
questions should be asked:

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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Photo by ©CSA/M Gardiner
IMAGE: Participlan Sheet - cluster the issues and use dots to voteon the most important issues stakeholders want to focus on.

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Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

The conservation actions and activities identified at this workshop will then be drafted and presented at a follow
up Negotiations Workshop. During this workshop it may be possible to go a step further and agree on penalties or
credits for compliance or the implementation agent can develop these alone. A few things to be considered whilst
drafting the workshop programme and facilitated questions include;ООООFewer conservation actions are less overwhelming – choose the ones with the most impact,
Stewards must fully understand WHY certain conservation actions are selected,
There is a limit of what people are willing and able to do,
A Conservation Agreement implementation agent will always have a finite budget and will therefore only be able
to provide certain benefits,О Often, the implementing agent might not have enough budget for incentives to cover the opportunity cost – thisshould not be a serious hurdle, as shall be seen in the next step,О Should funding stop and/or the implementing agent withdraw, stewards must understand and be able to carry on
with these same conservation actions without the help of external parties.

A useful
facilitation tool
we recommend
for such aworkshop is
the Participlan
method. Moreinformation canbe found atwww.bpg.co.za/
participlan

FACILITATION TOOLCSA recommends the Participlan method because it allows for all participants to be heard
regardless of language, gender or cultural barriers that may exist between stakeholders
attending a meeting. The methodology ensures anonymity and allows for uninhibitedfeedback.
Using the Participlan method, scenarios are set and questions asked by the facilitator of theworkshop. Questions are designed prior to the workshop to ensure the desired outcome
achieved through the right questions. Responses are written on cards and the facilitatorcollects and arranges the responses with the help of participants. Where ideas are unclear
the participants will be guided by the facilitator to agree on their meaning.

Both parties enter voluntarily into a Conservation Agreement and neither should sign it unless they are happy with theterms of the agreement. It can take anything from a few weeks to a few months to arrive at this point. Time can besaved by conducting a negotiation workshop with a group of potential stewards. A negotiation workshop is, however,
not a replacement for time invested to understand and get to know the people that will be worked with and theenvironment they function in.

WORKSHOP ATTENDEESAGREE ON CONSERVATIONACTIONS + INCENTIVES
Participlan in Action - Photo by ©CSA/H Muller

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

Asking the Right Questions:

QUESTION 3: What makes farming difficult?

Undesirable land-use practices will always influence land-users’ wellbeing, either in the short or long term. By the timean IA has decided to engage in a priority area, degradation of land or water resources are usually already apparent.
Part of the information gathering process in step 2 is to understand the practices that are causing this degradation anddesign conservation actions that can rectify this situation. A series of well-crafted questions can help participants comeup with solutions that they feel are achievable.

This question identifies the PROBLEM
1) Overgrazing is everywhere - we must travel further to find fodder.
2) Infrastructure such as water points are broken - we must travel further to find water.
** To arrive at the solution, trust the process and ask question 4

QUESTION 4: What can YOU do to make it better?
This question identifies the solution that becomes CONSERVATION ACTIONSEXAMPLE 1:••••

We can grade our livestock and sell all non-productive animals to save grazing

Farmers overgrazing a land area are threatening the biodiversity of that area but it is also detrimental to theamount of grazing their livestock can access.
Livestock with less grazing available must stay on the veld longer before farmers can sell them or they will
not be in good condition and therefore will fetch a lower price.
Livestock may even succumb to disease as a result of too high a parasite load in the area where animals arealways grazing.
These factors will result in farmers losing livestock or getting lower prices for their livestock sold.

Troubleshooting

SOLUTIONCONSERVATION ACTION

Overgrazing of rangeland

Reduce or eliminate overgrazing

1) Withdraw animals for a certain amount of time to let rangeland rest
2) Adapt farming to reduce grazing pressure** Once again, good knowledge of the area and the farmers’ practices will come in handy here. Although it might be clear that overgrazing is causing
degradation of rangelands, the question must be asked because the reasons behind the action are often not a simple matter — See question 2.

QUESTION 2: Why are farmers overgrazing?
ACTIONS!

It is important
to ask the landusers what they
themselves cando. It shows that itis trusted that they
can help solve
their problems
and that they
have something
to contribute andtake responsibility.
These will be
your conservation
actions.

Once you have identified the Conservation Action in example 4 above, participants should be asked to vote on the mostimportant action that they think is a priority to address the problem of overgrazing. Some land-users will put up an ideathat will be unrealistic and others will not necessarily prioritize the action that is achievable and affordable. Sometimes
these ideas will receive the highest support because they have been the most popular solution traded between landusers for a long time. In this scenario it is easy to spot unrealistic solutions as they have certain characteristics.

QUESTION 1: What is causing biodiversity loss on your land?
PROBLEM!

It is important toremember the
KISS principle(keep it simple
stupid). If it
quacks like a duckand walks like a
duck — it is a duck.

1) Infrastructure such as water points are out of order. Farmers therefore graze around the areas that still have working water points
2) Certain areas have a higher predator population and farmers avoid these areas. Grazing concentrates around a few areas where livestock are lesslikely to be predated on
3) Farmers do not have reliable herders or cannot employ herders consistently and therefore cannot implement better grazing plans
4) Certain areas contain poisonous plant species
5) No grazing guidelines exists for their type of rangelands
6) Farmers follow traditions and graze certain areas that were traditionally considered to have better grazing, meanwhile depleting the source7) Livestock are unhealthy ,and parasite infested and therefore graze intensively to rectify their malnutrition
8) Livestock breeds used by farmers are not suitable to the area and their impact on grazing is too highWhen this happens, it is important to unpack the proposed alleviating actions and interrogate each one to enable landusers to think them through. This kind of probing will point out the practicality of unrealistic ideas and will often have thefollowing characteristics:
it has been tried several times, but did not work or did not happen (farmers applied for fodder several times, buteither did not receive it, or it wasn’t enough);
2. It cannot be sustained over the long term;
3. It does not require much contribution/effort from the land-users themselves (the easy way out)
1.

Using the above guidelines, you can ask the following:
QUESTION 5:
О Does the Department of Agriculture give fodder regularly?
О Have you often received fodder from them?
О Will the Departmet of Agriculture be able to provide enough fodder for the next year?
** This kind of probing will point out the practicality of unrealistic ideas** A stewardship coordinator must be able to think strategically and ask more questions if the answers do not immediately point to identifiable solutions.
It is equally important to get out in the field with the stakeholders and become familiar with the area and understand what the problems look like on thelandscape.
GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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3

DESIGN + NEGOTIATEAN AGREEMENTDESIGN + NEGOTIATION
Photo by © Charlie Shoekmaker

Another question which could be asked is:

QUESTION 6:
What do you need to improve this situation (Overgrazing)?
Instead of being concerned that land-users will identify
too much rather encourage them to list everything theymight need if money was not a problem. Land-users
can be depended on to give you an extravagant list! Of
course, the IA could never give the land-users everything
they want,\ but the question is useful. In the Kamiesberg
context, farmers could see how private farmers farm– private farmers have lots of equipment, good grazing
and working infrastructure. This is often what communal
farmers aspire to achieve but a lack of land ownershipand knowledge or finances to achieve this can often
create frustration.
Being able to say what they would want, without holding
back, serves to get it out there and, more importantly,
it gives the IA the bigger picture of needs of thecommunity. This list can be used to engage with partners,
such as government agencies It can also be used as afundraising guide for future negations or to help farmers
to develop their long-term business plans.
Most importantly, this list is useful for a prioritization
exercise. Taking the big list of wants and isolating a
few especially ambitious wishes, for instance, tractors,
fencing, etc. and comparing what they would cost to whatis available, is a good way to bring everyone back toreality.

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

Happily, once it is determined that certain needs areunaffordable within the available budget, land users willalmost by default move to the next available, affordable
needs. These things become the incentives in theagreement.

NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLEIF IT GETS THE JOB DONE!

The Conservation Agreement model allows for anythingwhich fits into the budget and which covers theopportunity cost to be an incentive.

One much loved story that is often repeated
when illustrating the Conservation Agreement
process is that of land users in China. The
land user group the CSP team were working
with indicated that they wanted body-building
equipment in return for their conservation
actions. They got the equipment and abided
by their commitments to conserve the Chinese
landscape. While it may seem like an odd
incentive request the cost of the equipment
matched what it would cost to do theconservation action that was required.

A series of questions must now be asked to ensure theconservation actions identified by the group is practicaland measurable. The following points can be used as a
guide through this part of the process:a) Unpack actions and incentives to be measurable 		and quantitative
In the information gathering workshop the question is
asked, how will the stewards implement the conservation
action? This will inform the implementer and steward of
the achievability of the action.
b) Clarify any obstacles or opportunities
A conservation action which land-users might be willingto implement but which is practically impossible willlead to a situation where the stewards will not be able
to comply. This is where troubleshooting conservation
actions and alignment of incentives to conservation
actions takes place.
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Participlan in Action - Photo by ©CSA

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3DESIGN + NEGOTIATION

Photo by © Tessa Mildenhallc) How will compliance be measured?
A conservation action must be accompanied by a verifiable
deliverable. For example, this could be that farmers dose their animals
against parasites four times a year. The organization will supply amonitoring and evaluation framework for completion by the IA. The
Implementing agency will go to the field to verify these results.
d) Align incentives with conservation actions (optional).
When drafting the conservation agreement, check through theselected conservation actions and make sure the actions proposed
will address the conservation needs.
For instance, will reducing livestock result in a decrease ofovergrazing?
This is where it is important to know the root causes of a deleterious
land-use practice.

•
•
•
•

Is it too many livestock that is causing the overgrazing?
Is it that farmers cannot move their livestock elsewhere because ofa lack of working water points for livestock?
Is it because they are farming with a breed that is harder on thegrazing?

Once again, time spent to understand the area and context of landuse, as well as any studies and the feasibility report, can all support
decision-making around this.
Once these issues have been addressed the workshop can be ended
with an agreement to hold one final negotiations meeting where adraft agreement will be presented for review and sign off.

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

The results of the workshop will be used to consolidate thedraft Conservation Agreement. This can be done individually orwith a team.

Drawing Up the Draft Conservation Agreement
EXAMPLE: compliance report

IMPLEMENTING AGENT
Provide Livestock Medicine Incentive
Stewardship
Signatory Organisation

Stewards

submit monthly
records of stewards toimplementing agent

submit monthly
livestock records toorganisation

receive livestock
medicine and distribute
according to credits
earneddose and inoculate
livestock and submit
records to organisation

Once the set of conservation actions, opportunity costand incentives are known the next phase is to design theagreement into which these must fit. Using Participlan ovals,
a flip chart or a data projector, put up ALL the proposed
conservation actions and incentives and then go ahead andevaluate their potential for practicality and measurability.

** CONSERVATION ACTIONS MUST:• Address the conservation needs i.e.

overgrazing, overharvesting, wetland
deterioration, etc.

• Be achievable, given the available resources(not just funding, also the resources landusers need to implement them)• Demonstrate how incentives might bealigned to ENABLE OR REINFORCE
conservation actions• Recommend which other stakeholders
should/could be involved to support theagreement• Match the incentives with the opportunity
costs (some exceptions will be discussed inthis chapter). Ensure land-users are clear on
how the conservation actions could achieve
the dual objectives of conserving biodiversity
and enhancing livelihoods ensure the action
can be measured by a compliance officer
and/or the stewardship coordinator.

provide implementing
agent with proof of
distribution

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PAGE 31DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTSTEP

DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

3DESIGN + NEGOTIATION
Photo by © Charlie Shoekmaker

When drafting a Conservation Agreement, it is essential to develop a corresponding
compliance process to ensure both parties are honouring their commitments in theConservation Agreement.

DESIGN A COMPLIANCE PROCESS
Finally, in designing the Conservation Agreement, either sanctions or a credit system must be included. Sanctions,or penalties, are essential to address non-compliance. If sanctions are used in an agreement, it affects what kindof incentives can be given. The incentives should then always be material, so that they can be reversed in case ofnon-compliance. Therefore, in the penalty’s scenario, training could not be an incentive, as once training has been
given, it cannot be taken back. It should be stipulated clearly in the agreement which, or how much of, an incentive(s)will be reclaimed by the IA in case of non-compliance. Similarly, clear steps should be outlined on whether sanctions
will happen immediately in case of non-compliance, or whether other steps, such as a warning, will be taken prior toreclaiming an incentive.
In Steinkopf sanctions/penalties were implemented. Compliance for each quarter would be calculated as a percentageof records required to be provided to IA, meetings attended, and ecological monitoring reports handed in. If thecompliance percentage was below 40% stewards received a warning; if in the second quarter the compliance was still
below 40%, stewards only received 50% of their incentives. Sanctions work best and are considered to be fairer by
farmers when they are implemented in a phased approach and where a warning for remediation is given before action
is taken by the IA. Any warning should be in the form of a written letter or notice.
An alternative to sanctions, or penalties, is a credit system. In this system, several credits can be decided upon, say
100, which translates to 100 percent of incentives. This number of credits can be broken down to match individual
incentives. If there are five conservation actions stewards must comply with, credits can be prorated according to theimportance of each action, for instance:

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

PAGE 32

The credit system has the benefit that theonus for earning credits is solely placed on the
stewards. They can earn the full complement of
incentives by complying with all conservation
actions. It excludes the scenario where
incentives are given, stewards do not comply,
and incentives must be taken back. With
the credit system the steward first complies,
compliance is verified by the IA and only
then does the steward receives the benefit.
Opportunity cost is thus covered for eachconservation action complied with.
This step keeps stewards accountable to theircommitments and it provides investors with theconfidence that contracts are being adhered to.

PAGE 33

CONSERVATION ACTION

CREDITS1)

Timeous submission of accurate livestock records monthly. 50
This includes:-livestock numbers-Livestock losses and reason for losses-Number of livestock sold
-Number of livestock treated for disease2)

Monthly payment of membership fees to signatoryorganization. (Monthly fees are R20)

20

3

Participating in the Livestock Improvement Scheme

30

TOTAL CREDITS EARNED100

DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTGUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICADESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

3

DESIGN + NEGOTIATION

Photo by © CSA/Halcyone Muller

HOSTING A NEGOTIATIONS WORKSHOP
The proceedings of the Information Gathering Workshop are used to populate a
Conservation Agreement, called a Draft Conservation Agreement. The next step would beto host a Negotiations Workshop where the draft agreement is reviewed and agreed uponwith the target group.
The stakeholders who attend this workshop will be the ones
who sign off on the final draft. Those who are interested inparticipating will have known to attend this meeting fromnext steps communicated at the end of all meetings.
If the credits method is not being used, a key principle of
the CSP model is that an incentive should be somethingthat can be taken away as a penalty if stewards do notcomply. Whilst these penalties are developed during adesktop exercise during the drafting phase it is important toachieve consensus on these at this negotiations workshop.
The negotiation workshop is held with all interested parties(all who can potentially be signed up as stewardshipfarmers). The results of a Negotiation Workshop are a
final set of conservation actions, opportunity costs toimplement those conservation actions and a matching set
of incentives, as well as sanctions or credits.
At this workshop the draft Conservation Agreement
must be presented to the community. Anything thatis unacceptable or impractical must be identified andthe necessary changes made to the agreement at thisworkshop.
GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

Negotiation is a critical component of implementing
stewardship in any given area. Openness, honesty,
perseverance, patience and flexibility is needed tosuccessfully conclude this phase. A solid relationship oftrust that has been built prior to this phase will result insmoother negotiation and a more effective conservationagreement, as well as a better chance of compliance.

EXAMPLE 1: NEGOTIATING INCENTIVES

Breed 50% ewes with new
breed of rams and treat
livestock for parasites.

OFFERED AS AN INCENTIVEINCENTIVE
New breed of rams provided
and supply of livestock
medicine for inoculations.

Example 1: Negotiating Incentives

PAGE 34

CONSERVATION ACTION

Healthy adapted animals
have less impact onrangelands.

NEW BREEDING RAMS

Once consensus has been reached the final Conservation
Agreement will be ready for signing.

In the CSA project, where the CSP model was employed,some adjustments were made with regards to incentives
and sanctions at this workshop. In the Kamiesberg, a moresuitable breed of animal was introduced, and a dosing andinoculation programme started. In a previous agreement,water hand pumps were an incentive, which enabled somestewards to move to areas that previously did not haveworking water infrastructure.

CONSERVATION OUTCOME

hardier breed
long legs, can walk further
less selective grazers
less susceptible to parasites
can tolerate warmer temperatures
reaches market weight earlier

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DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTSTEP

DESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

3DESIGN + NEGOTIATION
Photo by ©CSA/E Engelbrecht

Example 2: Negotiating Incentives

Managing Expectations
Honesty on budgets is essential. If an opportunity costhas been determined and an incentive agreed, and thebudget exists, then commit to it. If there is a budget
shortfall suggest alternatives. In CSA’s ten years ofstewardship in the Kamiesberg, budgets have often notbeen enough to cover the opportunity cost. Alternatives
were often suggested and discussed with stewards andalternatives were decided upon.

PROBLEM: OVERGRAZINGCONSERVATION ACTION: REDUCE STOCKING RATEINCENTIVE: MARKET ACCESS
KAMIESBERG EXAMPLE

IA negotiates withpartner abattoir to
buy livestock fromstewards twice ayear.

Abattoir supplies
transport to collect
livestock from theveld.

STEINKOPF EXAMPLE

IA holds livestock
auctions forparticipating
stewards.

Livestock sales
became aconservation
action and market
access became an
incentive.

Participlan in Action - Photo by ©CSA/H Muller

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PAGE 37DESIGN + NEGOTIATESTEPDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

3DESIGN + NEGOTIATIONZAR160,000
INCENTIVES3000

PEOPLEBENEFITTING

239,609 ha
RANGELANDSPROTECTED

100%

INCREASE IN LANDMANAGEMENT
AWARENESSGUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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Photo by © Lisa Boonzaaier

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICADESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

4

IMPLEMENTATION

Photo by © CSA/ H Muller

KICKSTART ACTION WITH AN IMPLEMENTATION WORKSHOP
Once all agreements have been signed implementation can commence.
To ensure all parties understand their commitments and that stewards
understand how and when to make the changes required of them, it is
helpful to have an implementation planning workshop.

Using Participlan, the stewards, can be asked a series ofquestions to help them think through the planning process
they will need to follow.

It is a good idea to have a celebratory ceremony of
the signing of the agreements as it marks the formal
commitment of all parties embarking on stewardship.
It also communicates to the signatories and the wider
community the start of implementation of the agreement.

1)

Implementation is certainly not leaving stewards to get
on with it. Each party has clear obligations in terms of theagreement, and this includes the implementing agent.
A Conservation Agreement is a collaborative effort andmutual communication, discussion, planning and adjusting
does not stop with the signing of the agreement. It willbe, and should be, ongoing throughout the lifetime of theagreement. Stewards should be active participants in thisprocess.

Some recommended questions are:compliance. They can then use this information to planfor themselves how each conservation action should beapproached and implemented.
The approach to implementation and mentoring should
be a holistic one. Focusing on multiple issues relating to aparticular land-use.

It is laborious to go through each one of the conservation
actions, so from the second question it might be best tochoose one or two conservation actions and focus on those.
The workshop is not necessarily meant to do the actual
planning, but to show stewards a method they learn andfollow in their own planning process. Working through theexercise once or twice familiarizes them with the method.

At the onset of implementation, an Implementation
Workshop can be held with stewards. The purpose ofthis workshop is twofold, 1) to ensure all stewards know
exactly what each conservation action is; and 2) to doa planning exercise with groups of stewards to simplify

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

What are the conservation actions in the agreement 		
you signed?
2) What do you already have in place to enable you to 		
implement these conservation actions?
3) What might make it difficult to implement these 		conservation actions?
4) Knowing what you have in place and what might 		make implementation difficult, how do you plan to use
this information to ensure successful implementation?

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4IMPLEMENTATION

Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

EXAMPLE:
IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING

Support Meetings
Support meetings serve as a platform for open
communication and allow for troubleshooting andadaptive planning where needed. Ideally, monthly support
meetings should be held with stewards, where bothparties provide feedback on various issues pertaining to
the agreement.
These include:О Planning for when conservation actions need to be 		
implemented,
О Putting in place infrastructure or agreements for 		
implementation to begin and progressО Updating of progress on implementation
О Discussing unexpected challenges
О Finding and discussing opportunities to augment 		resources or amplify activities through other existing 		
programs
О Carrying out compliance monitoring and providing 		
feedback
О Delivery of incentives

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

Land use of any kind does not always follow a predictable
path. For instance, the Conservation Agreement mightstate that farmers must use new rams on 50% of theirflocks but a drought might result in farmers not letting
their livestock breed at all. They would do this to prevent afood shortage for their animals during this time. Feedback
on progress, opportunities and challenges can be given
by both parties in support meetings. In short, support
meetings are what keeps the stewardship programme on
track.
If individual agreements were signed with land users,
support meetings could be held twice a month to ensure
a good start, for the first third of the total period of the
project. After that they could be held once a month. If
an umbrella agreement was signed with a land-user
representative organization, then meetings with the
management committee of the organization and meetings
with the stewards themselves could be alternated.

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No Working
Water
Infrastructure

No Commonage
Grazing Regulations

Insufficient
Biomass

CONSERVATION ACTION
NO COLLABORATION WITH
NEIGHBOURING FARMERSNO CAPACITYTO PLANNO HERD
MANAGEMENTKNOWLEDGE

ROTATIONALGRAZINGNo support from
commonage
management entity

As can be seen above, the conservation action ofrotational grazing requires a host of actions to take place.
It is not about the implementation agent taking on allthese challenges on their own but a collaborative effort
by land-users, the implementation agent and otherrole-players to achieve these conservation actions
successfully. Achieving each conservation action canoften be complex and costly and it is therefore importantto remember to limit and prioritise conservation actions.
PAGE 43UNHEALTHYLIVESTOCKNO ACCESSROADSNo Grazing Area
Management
Plan

Lack Of Continious
Herder Presence

Throughout the implementation phase of the stewardshipagreement there will be, and should be, discussions
and activities to put all of these into place. Rigidity andan inflexible approach are not hallmarks of this modelof stewardship. The implementation agent might wantto safeguard one species of plant growing in wetlands
and therefore want grazing pressure on the wetlands tobe reduced but it is not as simple as just formulating a
conservation action of rotational grazing and assumingthat will achieve the desired results.
DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTGUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICADESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

5

MONITORING + EVALUATION

Photo by © Green Renaissance

DESIGNING A MONITORING + EVALUATION PROCESS
To measure the impact and results of implementing
conservation actions, monitoring protocols must be developed.
This allows for innovation, creativity and collaboration.
In CSA’s Namaqua Conservation Agreement project, thefollowing monitoring protocols have been developed andimplemented:
Socio-Economic Survey
This survey measured the impact of stewardship on
stewards’ and their families’ social and economic status.

Photo lhs and rhs by © Lisa Boonzaaier

Compliance Monitoring
Measuring compliance with conservation actions,providing data on livestock numbers, sales, mortality
and health. This data informs the design of the benefit
packages.
Three Tier Monitoring
A simple monitoring protocol developed by CSA andthe Agricultural Research Council to enable stewards tomeasure grazing impact and livestock condition

Photo by © CSA/ H Muller

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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PAGE 45DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

5

MONITORING + EVALUATION
Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

In the Conservation Agreement model followed in the Kamiesberg and Steinkopf, theConservation Agreements are renewed each year. In some instances, no adjustments wererequired and in other areas some incentives were changed according to updated priorities
and needs. To determine whether the Conservation Agreement of the past year wasappropriate and successful and to make the necessary changes to the new agreement, aLessons Learned workshop is held.

LESSONS LEARNED WORKSHOP

It is important to note that with the second question,
stewards might emphasise a conservation action/s theyfound particularly difficult or unpopular.
These should not simply be removed from theConservation Agreement for that reason. These might beimportant conservation actions that should not simply bediscarded.

The results of the Lessons Learned workshop provide theinformation necessary to adjust the existing agreement or
to populate a renewed Conservation Agreement.
In a second year of engagement the lessons learned
workshop functions as the Information Gathering
Workshop.
The following steps are then repeated to complete afollow-on renewal agreement:
1)

All stewards as well as the organizations they signed conservation agreements with should attend this workshop.
Representatives of the IA directly involved in the stewardship programme should also participate.

Unpack the results by asking questions such as:

Goals of the lessons learned include:О To determine whether the conservation actions are effective
О To adjust or remove those that are not effective
О To design new actions for those that needs replacement (or not) – you simply might want to drop totally ineffective
or unrealistic conservation actions)
Apart from renegotiating a second term it is a great opportunity to understand how to strengthen partnerships
At the Lessons Learned workshop, the following questions can be asked:

О Why did it not work well?
О What could we do to make it work?
О How can we adjust it?
Allow time for discussion, even when using the Participlan
method to ensure that the reasons why the conservation
action is considered too difficult or very unpopular isfully understood. This conservation action could then be
adjusted to make it more achievable or acceptable.

Collate and confirm the results of the lessons 		
learned workshop
2) Adjust or draft new agreement from the lessons 		
learned workshop3) Hold negotiations meeting for agreement on the draft
amended agreement (note this is just a meeting and 		
not a full workshop as is held in the year one 			negotiations workshop)4) Hold a signing ceremony for the renewed agreement

Answers to the last question will contribute to adjusting
difficult conservation actions. However, If stewards areadamant that the conservation action is not achievableand they give valid reasons for it, it might be preferable toleave it out, and look at an alternative action.

1) What has worked well? (conservation actions to be kept in the agreement)
2) What has not worked so well? (conservation actions needing to be adjusted/removed)3) How can it be done better? (either new conservation actions or new ways of approaching existing ones)

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

Stewards must prioritise their responses to all threequestions.

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DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTGUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICADESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

5

MONITORING + EVALUATION
Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

STAFFING SUPPORT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
The justification for rolling out a stewardship project isusually an environmental one. It might be that an entire
area is a center of endemism or that it has one or more
iconic species which are threatened by land use. A
Conservation Agreement programme’s outcome will be toconserve the area/species or prevent further degradationor to alleviate threats to it. To achieve this, stewards
will need to change their own behaviour. Furthermore,a stewardship programme must be underpinned bydefendable, credible science and it needs to be monitored
to determine the impacts of the programme.
When staffing a stewardship programme, humanresources are needed to address all these needs. It isstrongly recommended that an IA does not try to combine
all these roles into one person. Stewardship often calls
for innovative thinking to solve difficult problems and thecross pollination of ideas and disciplines is needed.

The stewardship coordinator negotiates and supports
the agreements which include alleviating actions during
implementation. The Compliance Officer ensures andverifies compliance with the Conservation Agreements.
It is recommended that candidates applying for these
posItions possess the following skills and experience:

An Ecologist
•
•
•
•
•
•

the ability to translate ecological needs into actions
the ability to monitor impact of conservation actions 		
linked to the environment
the ability to see linkages
adaptive management skills
GIS, Microsoft Officedrivers’ licenseThree dedicated positions are recommended, an
ecologist, a stewardship coordinator and a complianceofficer. The ecologist is responsible for identifying
environmental challenges and recommends alleviating
actions. The ecologist will also monitor the impacts of theconservation actions taken on the ground.

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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A Stewardship Coordinator
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

is people orientatedhas strong negotiation skills
is a strategic thinker
can innovate
is a good communicator
is realistic
can build partnerships
can see linkages
can think on his/her feet
Microsoft Officedrivers’ license

A Compliance Officer
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

is people orientatedis a good communicator
is detail orientatedcan see linkages
can think on his/her feetcan balance good relationships and ensuring compliancecan process data
can compile and write reports
attention to detail
Microsoft Officedrivers’ license

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DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTGUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICADESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT

STEP

5

MONITORING + EVALUATION
Photo by ©Green Renaissance

Understand the Place and the People
No two places are the same and communities eachhave their own unique characteristics. It is therefore
vital for stewardship staff to allocate enough time anddevote enough attention to enable a good grasp of theenvironment, the people and how they interact.
Preconceived ideas of the community will not serve youin achieving a successful stewardship programme, norwill making your focus too narrow help. Understanding
not only how land-users operate, but why, is important. A
specific land-use might be driven by factors lying outside
the ambit of the area of concern. For example, bark from athreatened tree species harvested for its medicinal value
in a certain area might be sold to customers that drive
the demand but live hundreds or thousands of kilometresaway from the actual location of harvesting. Local
authorities, land-use legislation, market demand, the arrayof livelihood options, education levels and many more, will
determine why land-users are doing what they do.

Build Trust and Nurture Relationships
Once these realities are known and understood, it isimportant never to ridicule them or to take the attitude
that it is wrong to do things a certain way. In other words,
do not be judgmental. Understanding the bigger picture
will clarify what is possible and where intervention would
be the most strategic.

Building trust and relationships is based on a few
simple principles. In the words of Carlos Fernando, thecompliance officer working with Kamiesberg stewards: “Ifyou say you are going to do something, do it.”
One of the most paternalistic behaviours is thewithholding of information from stewards. There is no
justification for it.

Encourage openness and promote mutual respect
Never raise expectations that cannot realistically be
fulfilled. Treat stewards as your equals and never takesides.
Encourage Collaboration
When challenges arise, encourage stewards to work
together to help find mutual and peaceful solutions to
issues.
Be Courageous
Take on the difficult tasks and questions by addressing
issues head on. It is better to address these quickly before
they turn into a bigger issue than they need be. Thisshould always be done in a sensitive manner.
Never Be Judgmental
Every undesirable land-use activity is an opportunity
to engage, discuss, educate and adapt. Land-users
should not be shown or told that what they are doingis “wrong”,but should rather be encouraged to amend
the methods they are using for their own betterment(make the link to this new behaviour to their livelihoods
and their environment). Ultimately the only way to makestewardship sustainable in the long run is to change
behaviour.

Finer details will also weigh in, such as the culture of thepeople. For example in the Kamiesberg, feral donkeys area problem but it has proved enduringly difficult to address
this issue with the local land-users as the main religion
is Christianity and there is a local religious superstition
that it is taboo to kill donkeys because Jesus rode into
Jerusalem on a donkey.

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

Relentless Honesty And Transparency
Be honest about budgets and about what can and cannot
be done.

Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTGUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICASTEP

DESIGN + NEGOTIATEDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENT6SUSTAINABILITY
Photo by © Tessa Mildenhall

Expand Your Impact
Once a stewardship project is in its implementation phase,
it presents an opportunity to design an entire programmearound it. The engaged stewardship community could
become a go-to group to roll out other projects. Suchproject opportunities usually come from the stewardship
activities themselves. For instance, it might be clear that,for stewards to benefit more from market opportunities
they need to gain basic finance skills. In CSA’s case an
existing green economy project was eventually expanded
to train stewards in business related skills and assistingthem with business mentorship. This also included writing
business plans as well as legal assistance that helped
them identify the most suitable governance structure forthe future.
The Natural Resource Management project (NRM), a public
works project funded by the Department of Environmental
Affairs, and implemented by CSA, was also rolled out inthis area to restore gully and sheet erosion on communal
areas where stewardship projects are implemented. The
result of this is a more holistic approach, where supportive
projects are beneficial to both the stewards and theirenvironment. Partnerships can also be built with otherentities, such as research institutions which would liketo conduct studies. Research could be carried out onelements that would enlighten the stewardship process
and provide new and useful information to the stewards.

Such projects could also serve as benefits in theagreement. Training, research, jobs created, land
restored, and mentoring have all flowed to stewards
as part of this suite of projects centering aroundConservation Agreement.

of these. This can often lead to better ways of
implementing stewardship, through flexibility andinnovative thinking.

Building an entire programme around this model alsochannels other funding toward those activities that cannot
be covered under the actual Conservation Agreement
budget. This approach expands the pool of expertise andaddresses many more external challenges that restrictedconservation funding cannot help address.

To maintain momentum in a Conservation Agreement
project requires the ability to maintain enthusiasm,
visible dedication, building the capacity, and theacknowledgement of achievements and results.

Maintain Momentum

TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTERS
Embrace Change and Challenges
The ability to be flexible and innovative in the faceof change is an important ability when implementing
stewardship. Making sure that a Plan B is in place atthe outset is useful, but even this might be affected bychanges in the stewardship environment. Drought, floods,changes in political spheres, fall or rise in demand for a
local product and many more, can influence or affect a
stewardship programme.
It is important to acknowledge changes and challenges,
but more importantly, to address it with the stewards
and solicit their participation in addressing the impacts

GUIDELINE | CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP ON COMMUNAL LAND IN SOUTH AFRICA

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Maintaining enthusiasm is closely linked to the kind ofpeople employed to roll out Conservation Agreements.
You cannot in-still enthusiasm if you are not enthusiastic
yourself. Visible dedication is being there, being on timeand putting in the time and staying the course despitedifficul-ties and challenges.
Any stewardship programme should have built-in
opportunities for building stewards’ capacity throughtraining, mentorship and assistance with forging usefulpartnerships. These can be formalized in a Conservation
Agreement as part of the benefits.
Achievements can be acknowledged through small“bonus” benefits (solar lights, airtime voucher, t-shirt, forexample) and using opportunities such as the signingceremony and Lessons Learned workshop to highlightachievements. For example, acknowledging a steward
in a meeting who has gone the extra mile can also beappreciated.
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CSA successfully applied for government
funding to restore degraded lands in
Namaqualand. Hundreds of local people weretrained + employed to help us get the job done.
DESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTDESIGN | NEGOTIATE | IMPLEMENTCONCLUSIONACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In 2008 Conservation South Africa (CSA) began to use a new
approach to do conservation on communal land. The Conservation
Agreement approach had previously been used successfully in South
Africa with private farmers but had not been adapted to address themany challenges associated with working on communally owned
lands. At the time there was no manual or reference for CSA to use intackling this challenge — and so we learned by doing.

Many thanks to the following people for contributing their insights and guidance
to the Conservation Agreement programme in Namaqualand, South Africa.
Conservation International’s; Global Conservation Stewardship Programme staff,
our Sustainability Agriculture Director, Rosanne Stanway, our Landscape Director,
Ronald Newman, Conservation Farm Manager, Halcyone Muller and Stewardship
Coordinator, Corlé Jansen.
Additionally, Conservation South Africa is grateful to all our partners who contributed
financial and in-kind support to this programme.

Increasingly unpredictable conditions caused by climate change ishaving a negative effect on the country’s food and water supplies.
Where commonages overlap with critically endangered and highbiodiversity areas, water catchments and vital ecosystem services,
finding ways to help change degradation from farming will becomea national priority. If it is not addressed increasing poverty andecological decline will continue.

Conservation International - Conservation Stewards Programme
The GEF Earth Fund Conservation Agreement Public Private Partnership Platform
Hansen Family Foundation
Elizabeth and William Patterson Foundation
Swift Foundation
South African National Biodiversity InstituteWorking for Wetlands
Kamiesberg Local Municipality
Namakwa District Municipality
Nama-Khoi Local Municipality
Agricultural Research Council
World Wildlife Fund - South Africa
Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
South African National Parks, Namaqua National Park
AgriMark
SPAR
MSD Animal HealthEngaging with commonage land users on Conservation Agreements
presents a great opportunity to halt these deleterious impacts, restore
rangeland management, build resilience to climate change and foster
human wellbeing.
This guideline is a compilation of 11 years of lessons in Namaqualandthat have led to, what CSA believe are, the basic steps for
implementing communal Conservation Agreements successfully.
It is hoped that our experiences and lessons will help others to
replicate this process and contribute to a safer, healthier climate for all.

Author: Malinda Gardiner
Editing + Design: Tessa Mildenhall

Icon Credit by © Noun Project: Priyanka, Design Bite, Gilbert Bages, Umlimicon, Turkkub, Atif Arshad

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PAGE 55OUR
MISSIONTo promote and support
conservation, restoration, andsustainable land use in South
Africa’s biodiversity hotspots
as an essential element ofsustainable food production,building resilience to theimpacts of climate change, andpromoting regional economic
development that values nature.

www.conservation.org/csp

PEOPLE NEED NATURE TO THRIVE