By Julie Shaw
An area of nearly 275,000 square kilometers that includes portions of South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique — also known as the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot — will be the target of the latest multimillion dollar investment by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).
CEPF’s Donor Council this month approved the five-year strategy for $6.65 million in funding for the hotspot as part of a major expansion being undertaken by the program. The program is currently accepting proposals for a regional implementation team for the investment, the first step before grants become available later this year.
The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot is a wealth of biodiversity and human culture. It is the second richest region for plant life in southern Africa (after the Cape Floristic Region). At a habitat level, one type of forest, three types of thicket, six types of bushveld (sub-tropical woodland) and five types of grasslands are unique to the hotspot. The coastal waters of this hotspot are globally significant for their diversity of marine species.
The human landscape ranges from the urbanites of Maputo, Durban and Port Elizabeth to commercial farmers and foresters, to traditional pastoral cultures of the Zulu, Xhosa and Swazi and artisanal fishing culture in Mozambique. What they have in common is that they are dependent on the region’s natural resources for their livelihoods and well-being. The CEPF investment in this region is critical to stem the threats to those natural resources, balance human and natural needs, and conserve this unique part of the world.
CEPF will support civil society in applying innovative approaches to conservation in undercapacitated protected areas, key biodiversity areas and priority corridors, thereby enabling changes in policy and building resilience in the region’s ecosystems and economy to sustain biodiversity in the long term.
The strategy for the investment, outlined in its ecosystem profile for the hotspot, was developed through a process of stakeholder consultation and expert research studies coordinated by Conservation International’s Southern Africa Hotspots Program and the South African National Biodiversity Institute. More than 150 stakeholders from civil society, government and donor institutions were consulted during the preparation. It also is informed by an analysis of current and planned conservation investment by organizations working in the region.
In addition to guiding CEPF’s support in the region, the profile provides a road map for national governments, donors and others planning to implement or invest in conservation and development efforts in the hotspot.