2008 Annual Report
South African Partners Cultivate a Better Future
A plan to save the sandfields, or Sandveld, of South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region Hotspot is transforming potato growers into guardians of the area’s biologically diverse yet fragile environment.
With financial support from CEPF and the potato industry, a team of farmers, retailers, conservationists and scientists developed and are implementing far-reaching farming
guidelines. These efforts aim to reverse the tide of unsustainable agricultural practices,
protect the environment and improve farmers’ economic viability.
Regional conservation institution CapeNature and Potatoes South Africa, a group representing the industry, led the creation of the guidelines, which instruct farmers on subjects ranging from environmental planning and natural resource management to environmental protection.
The guidelines come at a critical time. Half of the semi-arid Sandveld has been converted to agriculture. The core of the production overlaps with the crucial Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor, which links the Cederberg Wilderness Area, a World Heritage Site, to the lowlands and the coast. Unsustainable use of groundwater is increasing the potential for desertification, degrading groundwater quality and reducing water fl ows to wetlands critical for bird migration. The toll on the ecosystem threatens more than 65 rare and endangered plant and other species, including the endemic speckled padloper (Homopus signatus), the world’s smallest tortoise.
“The guidelines are essential to prevent further environmental degradation in the area,” said Project Manager Sean Ranger. “They provide critical planning, conservation and biodiversity management tools that are compliant with existing regulations and exceed them in terms of best practices.”
CapeNature is working with the potato industry, which employs about 3,250 people, to implement the guidelines. Half the farms in the region have expressed interest in participating, and pilot phase results include the land use mapped and individual environmental management plans developed for 24 farms.