Promoting the sustainable stewardship of nature for all South Africans

 
 
 

To scale conservation, we need long-term, innovative funding that empowers people and builds independence. Our work proves that when communities have the tools to lead — through nature-positive livelihoods, sustainable finance and strong local capacity — conservation becomes more than a project. It becomes a way of life.

Peter Shisani
Country Director, Conservation South Africa

 
 

Established as a Conservation International affiliate in 2010, Conservation South Africa works to help the most vulnerable rural communities protect and restore the oceans, grasslands, shrublands and savannas they need to thrive.

Working in key geographic areas that cover some 4 million hectares of grasslands, shrublands and savannas across the Namakwa District, the Alfred Nzo District and the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere — plus 100,000 square kilometers of ocean in the Inhambane Seascape — the team implements sustainable landscape management strategies to restore degraded ecosystems while supporting the development of green jobs and sustained economic growth. These efforts focus closely on poor and vulnerable communities that raise cattle, sheep and goats on communal lands, as well as coastal fishing communities in Namakwa.

Through partnerships with local communities, NGOs, government, academia and national policy makers, the team aims to unlock further funding for green development and scale these strategies across Africa. By 2030, Conservation South Africa will help create 30,000 nature-positive jobs that will support the protection and sustainable management of an additional 2 million hectares.

Conservation South Africa has two support offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Our field offices are in Matatiele, Hoedspruit, Springbok and Port Nolloth.

 

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© M&M Pictures

Restoring native rangelands — for communities, by communities

Southern Africa's sweeping savannas, grasslands and shrublands support some 50 million farmers, provide habitats for some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife and store large amounts of planet-warming carbon. But these lands are under threat from expanding settlements, overgrazing and a warming climate.

The Herding 4 Health (H4H) program, a community-driven livestock management model created by Conservation International and Peace Parks Foundation, aims to reverse these trends by helping farmers graze their livestock in a way that allows the land to rest and recover. As native grasses grow back, they provide renewed habitats for wildlife and grazing for livestock, while also developing extensive root systems that sequester climate-warming carbon deep underground. With more grass to eat, cattle, sheep and goats arrive at market healthier, fatter and much more likely to command a premium price. Through partnerships with Meat Naturally, livestock owners are connected to buyers through mobile auctions, shearing and abattoirs, ensuring fair prices for their meat and wool.

As part of the H4H initiative, our Jobs for Nature program supports women and youth through job creation and enterprise development. Jobs for Nature helps marginalized groups build financial independence, creating sustainable livelihood opportunities beyond livestock ownership. The program was modeled successfully at Conservation South Africa's demonstration sites and is now being scaled to 7 million hectares (17 million acres) in seven countries in Africa in partnership with several implementing agencies.

 

Where we work in South Africa

 

News from South Africa

Upon reflection: Study gauges grasslands’ climate-fighting powers

In southern Africa, grasses can beat the heat better than trees, according to Conservation International research.

Plant more trees, cool the climate: It’s a message that readers of this website know well.

But new research confirms that this “rule” doesn’t apply everywhere. 

Take southern Africa: In some places, grasses are far more effective climate allies than trees.

Why? Grasses better reflect the sun’s radiation than darker, woody vegetation. This effect, called albedo, is at work in a number of climate-related processes, particularly in polar regions, where sea ice and snow reflect much of the sun’s energy back into space, providing a cooling effect. (An ice-free Arctic Ocean, on the other hand, absorbs more of the sun’s energy, hastening global warming.)

More or less the same principle applies with grasslands, said study co-author Heidi-Jayne Hawkins, a climate scientist at Conservation International’s affiliate in South Africa. 

“There’s a lot of emphasis on planting trees to mitigate climate change,” she said, “and that makes sense for areas that were forested and should be reforested. But this seemingly simple solution of planting trees isn’t applicable for all areas. This paper shows why grasslands are so valuable by looking at another aspect of climate mitigation through cooling.”

© Trond Larsen

Grasses better reflect the sun's radiation than darker, woody vegetation like trees.

The study compared albedo for different types of grasses and shrub vegetation in South Africa. Compared with shrubbery, the naturally lighter color of grasses — combined with their dormant periods of faded color — resulted in higher reflectivity. Whether this translates directly to a cooler local environment requires further study. However, the value of this study is that it differentiates between grass types, shrubs and land use at the patch scale.

The researchers also examined albedo for grasses and woody vegetation throughout the early, late and growing seasons to determine the effects of growth versus dormancy on albedo. Three different grasses — grazing lawn, red and white — were analyzed and had different albedo values.

As expected, albedo was lower for grasses during their growing season due to the green color compared to their more bleached color when dormant.

The woody vegetation and trees analyzed were perennial and do not go into dormancy, so the albedo was not as affected by changing seasons. Hawkins noted that while the woody shrubbery analyzed in this study grows year-round, deciduous trees like those in tropical savannas would likely have a bigger range in albedo due to their dormant stage and resulting leaf loss.

Taking the misguided effort of planting trees in grasslands out of the equation, even native trees may encroach. One reason for this is the loss of wild animals.

“Part of the story is that we’ve lost a lot of wild animals that used to control or remove woody vegetation — and which would have kept lands open for grasses,” Hawkins said.

Livestock, like cattle, have replaced wildlife such as elephants, which push down trees, browse on shrubs and, as a result, keep lands more open for light-loving grasses to grow.

Increased efforts to conserve wildlife could prevent woody shrubs from encroaching in grasslands. In grazing areas, Hawkins suggests, farmers can choose domestic animals that mimic wildlife feeding behaviors like cattle or goats.

Trees and woody shrubs in grasslands can contribute to the severity of wildfires as well.

“Fire is a natural part of these ecosystems, but trees planted where they shouldn’t be makes it harder to control wildfires,” Hawkins said.

Grasslands’ albedo effect is only one of their climate benefits. Stretching across 40 percent of the planet, grasslands hold more than a third of the world’s land-based carbon in their vast underground root and soil systems. 

Hawkins said she’s hopeful that the research will help boost understanding of grasslands as a climate ally.

“People seem to be getting the message that natural grasslands are as valuable as forests, and culturally important, not only for raising livestock but also for tourism and the wildlife that live there,” she said. “This study adds to that value.”


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Olivia DeSmit is a freelance writer. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates. Also, please consider supporting our critical work.

 

 

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References

  1. Fedele, G., Donatti, C. I., Bornacelly, I., & Hole, D. G. (2021). Nature-dependent people: Mapping human direct use of nature for basic needs across the tropics. ScienceDirect, 71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102368
  2. Conservation International (2021, November). Irrecoverable Carbon. Retrieved January 2025, from https://www.conservation.org/projects/irrecoverable-carbon
  3. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (2024). Table 8a: Total, threatened, and EX & EW endemic species in each country [Fact sheet]. https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/summary-statistics#Summary%20Tables