EVIDENCE-BASED POLICYAND DECISION MAKINGFOR CONSERVATIONAGREEMENT PROJECTSAS AN ECOSYSTEM BASED ADAPTATION(EBA)
2021
CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS FOR RANGELAND RESTORATION IN
NAMAQUALAND: A CASE STUDYINTRODUCTION

THE PROBLEM

THE SOLUTION

Did you know that nature can help communities adapt to theeffects of a changing climate? When rivers and wetlands
are healthy, they can store water for longer during periodsof drought and buffer the effects of floods. Rangelands arebetter able to provide fodder for livestock during extended
dry periods if they have been rested and maintained. Using
nature to help people adapt to climate change is called
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). Box 1 presents SouthAfrica’s vision for EbA.

Rangelands and wetlands in Namaqualand, Northern
Cape Province, South Africa, are important to people who
rely on livestock farming for their livelihoods, but they arethreatened by inappropriate land management practices.
Limited economic opportunities and worsening poverty
place further stress on rangelands and wetlands as people
become increasingly dependent on them. In addition, warmer
temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and more frequentand intense storms are expected to affect the health ofrangelands. Most of the farmers are aware of changes intheir environment, especially those caused by more frequentand longer droughts, but often farmers require support tounderstand how their actions affect the condition/healthof their environment and what they can do to adapt to achanging climate.

Conservation South Africa (CSA) implemented theBiodiversity and Red Meat Initiative (BRI) and the Meat
Naturally Initiative (MNI) in Namaqualand. The initiatives
were designed to improve the sustainability of agricultural
practices and enhance people’s ability to cope with climate
shocks such as drought and floods. With support fromfunding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) EarthFund and SWITCH Africa Green Grant, CSA connected with
communal farmers in the Leliefontein Commonage (192 000hectares), and Steinkopf Commonage (329 000 hectares).
Both of these areas urgently require resources, according
to the EbA priority areas map developed for the Namakwa
District Municipality’s Climate Change VulnerabilityAssessment.

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is an approachthat uses nature to help people adapt to climate
shocks such as droughts, and floods. The National
Climate Change Response Strategy recognises
the potential of EbA to help communities adapt
to climate change. South Africa’s vision is to use
EbA to transition to an economy that is able towithstand climate shocks, and secure the livelihoodsof vulnerable people. For this vision to be realised,effective coordination, learning and communicationis needed between people, to document successes
that can inform policy and decision making which will
unlock funding to implement EbA.

Box 1. South Africa’s vision for EbA

Focus Area: Wetlands in Namaqualand the Northern CapeNORTHERN CAPE

Steinkopf
Commonage

Leliefontein
Commonage

329 000 ha

192 000 ha

NAMAKWA
Steinkopf

NAMAKWA

Namaqua, photo by Erol Eriksson

Leliefontein

CSA engaged in Conservation Agreements (CAs) through avoluntary and participatory process to support communal
farmers to protect nature in return for incentives.
Conservation actions and incentives were identified together
with farmers based on what they could do to improve theirfarming, and what they would need to support them.
CASE STUDY | 1The results of the surveys and the workshops create a clearer
understanding of why and how the stewardship programme
is working to derive multiple benefits for both nature andpeople. This will enable the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and other enabling organisations, policy
makers and government stakeholders to promote CAs as atool for EbA by informing policy and unlocking funding.

Desired Outcomes

Rested andmaintained
rangelands

Restoredwetlands

Access toeconomic
opportunities

It was agreed that planned grazing was needed to rest
rangelands, restore wetlands, and conserve biodiversity.
Farmers needed support through livestock medicines for
vaccination and dosing against parasites, introduction of
more suitable breeds (such as the indigenous meatmaster
sheep, and speckled goats), better access to markets, andtraining.
During the agreement, CSA and participating farmers(called stewards), exchanged ideas, learnt from each other,and brought people together to value nature as a means
to generate benefits for both people and nature. In order
to collect data and assess the impact of the stewardshipprogramme, socio-economic surveys were conducted in2017, 2018,1 and 2020.2 Questions focused on demographics,
perceptions of livelihood, rangeland and livestock impacts
as a result of the CAs, as well as aspects that required furthersupport. Successes and challenges faced by stewards werealso documented during workshops, which provided a spacefor valuable engagement between stewards and CSA. In
2017, feedback was received from 59% of the stewards. Of
the stewards who had CAs by the end of 2018, 52% provided
feedback in 2018, and 44% in 2020.

RESULTS AND SUCCESSES
Most stewards who provided feedback during the surveys
and workshops, noted an observable improvement in thecondition of rangeland4 because they planned their grazing
and kept their livestock numbers below the recommended
threshold. Their livestock were free of internal and externalparasites. Grazing became greener and more abundant.
Livestock became healthier and heavier. The more resilient
breeds reached market ready weights earlier. Stewards had
better market access to sell their livestock at better prices,(particularly the more resilient breeds5), and generated anincome which catered for their families. They saved moneyon livestock medicine, so they had money to put away for
emergencies or spend on other expenses. Box 2 presents
feedback from one of the female stewards, Katrina Schwartz.

Katrina Schwartz is a passionate farmer with anaffinity for nature conservation. Katrina has praised
the benefits she has felt as a result of the stewardshipprogramme, including gaining valuable knowledge
in sustainable livestock grazing, conservation andfarming as a business. “After CSA my life became better
because my livestock became healthier and I gained
more profit from livestock sales.” She is proud of therelationships she has developed with other stewards
who she has learnt other skills from. Katrina also
acknowledges the vast potential of the programme toempower the youth and reduce unemployment.

Box 2. Feedback from one of the female stewards, Katrina
Schwartz.

Katrina Schwartz
1. After two years of implementation of the CAs
2. Two years after the CAs ended
3. When participating stewards were asked how they knew that their rangelands were in better condition they gave one or more of the following responses: livestock condition; more grazing available; the veld is greener;
growth of plants improved; and/or more flowers.
4. In 2017, semi-indigenous lambs were sold after 6 months, whereas commercial lambs were sold after 8 months.
5. In 2017, semi-indigenous lambs were sold at R32.00 per kilogram, whereas commercial lambs were sold at R29.00 per kilogram.

CASE STUDY | 2

The Steinkopf Bulletrap Cooperative was formed to help farmers (including those thatare not stewards) set up their own local governance and organisation structures which
supported the work of CSA, even after the CAs had ended. The cooperative brought
farmers together to better manage their livestock, and learn from each other and learn
through training. Training empowered farmers and stewards to become better skilled,
and more knowledgeable on livestock management, three-tier monitoring, and erosion
management. Importantly, they became more aware of what they can do to increase theirresilience to climate shocks such as droughts. Box 3 presents the view of steward Brian
Mitchell, on the impact of the recent drought in combination with COVID-19.

“The restrictions of lockdown, combined with the effects of the recent drought,
led to a situation where many farmers could not perform additional work tosupplement their grants and small livestock farming and this led to a loss ofincome. Animals weakened by drought, lost lambs or died during lambing,” says
Brian. “For the CA farmers, who were able to dose and inoculate their animals andadminister the vitamins included in the benefits package, the situation was better,as livestock could raise their lambs and ensure the availability of food and money
to support their households. Without it, many more people would suffer hardships
during this time.”

Box 3. The impact of the recent drought, combined with COVID-19 restrictions oflockdown, in the words of steward Brian Mitchell.

CALL TO ACTION
Replication

Duration

Inclusion

Co-ordination

Prioritisation

Stewardship can be replicatedin other communities who rely
on commonages for natural
resource use.

Stewardship programmes
should be implemented forat least 3 to 5 years to be
successful.

Stewardship should include
women, youth and vulnerable
members of communities.

Co-ordination is needed atthe landscape level to ensure
different programmes that workwith farmers and conservation
objectives are aligned to deliver
a integrated EbA responses.6

Policy makers should prioritiseEbA funding for stewardshipprogrammes in areas wherepeople depend directly on
nature for their livelihoods.

6. For example, working with the Northern Cape Department of Environment and Nature Conservation, whose goal is to conserve and protect nature for present and future generations by integrating sustainable use withlivelihood development.

CASE STUDY | 3

REFERENCES
Bertram, M. et al., 2018. Making Ecosystem-based Adaptation Effective: A Framework for Defining Qualification Criteria and Quality Standards. FEBA Technical Paper for UNFCCC SBSTA 46., s.l.: Friends of Ecosystem-based Adaptation,
GIZ, Bonn, Germany, IIED, London, UK, and IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
Bourne, A., Donatti, C., Holness, S. & Midgley, G., 2012. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the Namakwa District Municipality, s.l.: s.n.
CBD, 2009. Connecting biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation: Report of the Second Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change. Technical Series No. 41., Montreal: Secretariat of theConvention on Biological Diversity.
CI, 2020. Can conservation agreements catalyze private sector support for community-led conservation? Lessons learned and recommendations for replication, s.l.: Conservation International.
CSA, 2017. Conservation Agreement Socio-Economic Monitoring Survey Data, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
CSA, 2019. Meat Naturally Initiative 2019 Conservation Stewardship Lessons Learned Workshop Report for the Kamiesberg Conservation Stewardship Site, held at Nourivier Primary School on 26 June 2019., s.l.: Conservation SouthAfrica.
CSA, 2019. People, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
CSA, 2020. Workshop with Steinkopf and Bulletrap stewards on activities post Conservation Agreement implementation, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
CSA, n.d. Guideline to conservation agreements on communal lands in South Africa, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
DEA and SANBI, 2016. Strategic Framework and Overarching Implementation Plan for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in South Africa: 2016-2021, Pretoria: Department of Environmental Affairs (now Department of Environment,Forestry and Fisheries); South African National Biodiversity Institute.
DEA and SANBI, 2017. Guidelines for ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in South Africa, s.l.: Department of Environmental Affairs (now Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries); South African National Biodiversity Institute.
DEAT, 2011. National Climate Change Response White Paper, Pretoria: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (now Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries).
Jansen, C., 2017. Biodiversity and Stewardship Initiative Socio-Economic Survey Report – Steinkopf and Bulletrap, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
Jansen, C., 2018a. Biodiversity and Stewardship Initiative Socio-Economic Survey Report – Steinkopf and Bulletrap, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
Jansen, C., 2018b. Lessons Learned Workshop – Steinkopf and Bulletrap stewards, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
Jansen, C., 2020. Draft Post CSP baseline survey report, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
Jim, A., 2019. Meat Naturally Initiative, Namaqualand: A stewardship approach to support landscapes and livelihoods in the Succulent Karoo Hotspot, s.l.: Conservation South Africa.
Lambrechts, J. & Phillips, T., 2019. BRC and livestock adaptation project: Project monitoring and evaluation report, s.l.: s.n.
Reid, H. et al., 2019. Is ecosystem-based adaptation effective? Perceptions and lessons learned from 13 project sites, London: IIED.

Acronyms

BRI

Biodiversity and Red Meat Initiative

GEF

Global Environment Facility

CAConservation Agreement

MNI

Meat Naturally Initiative

CSA

Conservation South Africa

UNEP

United Nations Environment Programme

EbA

Ecosystem-based Adaptation
CASE STUDY | 4