In 2012, the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust (ORCT) was established to preserve the highly endangered Renosterveld of the Overberg – so it turns 10 this year.
Founder and Director Odette Curtis-Scott says this is a dream that seemed impossible 10 years ago. “I still can’t believe it. We have made major inroads towards protecting Renosterveld over this time.”
Renosterveld is the richest bulb habitat on earth, but is also one of South Africa’s most threatened ecosystems.
Since the advent of farming technology, in particular the plough, 95% of Lowlands Renosterveld has been removed and replaced with agricultural development.
The 5% of Renosterveld that remains is severely fragmented – with patches situated on private land, in valleys and on hills too steep to walk or rocky to plough.
Curtis-Scott explains the main focus of the ORCT when it started was showing farmers the incredible diversity and life that exist in these patches.Mission with a difference
Prof Muthama Muasya of the University of Cape Town says: “The approach to conservation taken by the ORCT is one geared towards conserving the ecosystem, as opposed to approaches that look at a particular species, such as the rhino. The trust is therefore conserving not only what we know above the ground, but also below the ground, and the interaction of the complexities of the ecosystem.”
A game changer for the ORCT came with the launch of conservation easements, a mechanism that gives support to farmers to protect their Renosterveld, by signing title-deed restrictions.
In return, the ORCT provides assistance with habitat restoration and management, which can include clearing of invasive alien vegetation, fencing to improve livestock management on the veld, erosion control and ecological burns, among others.
Farmer Dirk van Papendorp, who has been chair of the trust since its inception, says this support to farmers is the foundation for success.
Already 20 conservation easements have been signed, with around 6 000 hectares now protected via title deed restrictions.