NEWS
Gordon was “ a botanist , zoologist , ethnographer , linguist , geologist , cartographer and draughtsman ”. In his 20 years at the Cape , he recorded “ an enormous quantity of material , both visual and verbal , concerning the topography , fauna , flora , meteorology , geology and inhabitants of South Africa ”.
It ’ s all about the numbers
Regardless of the Karoo ’ s harsh beauty and its contribution to the country ’ s biodiversity , it ’ s a hard place to farm , and Ferreira knows farmers won ’ t buy into his project unless it makes financial sense .
Figure 8 . PC Ferreira says his farm is now ‘ fully transformed ’, home to livestock and wildlife . While tourism has been added as an income stream , he is protecting and restoring the region ’ s fragile biodiversity . ( Photo : Supplied )
Ellané van Wyk of Wilderness Foundation Africa , says farmers in the area have been struggling for the past few years because of the severe drought .
At the same time – as the foundation ’ s environmental tax services and training , innovative finance lead – she says she feels that although it is ambitious , this project “ can be done ”.
Van Wyk says that combining farming with protected area status “ has been done in other places in South Africa where rotational grazing and reduced stocking rates are applied in line with protected area management plans ”.
Jonk says there are examples in South Africa where landowners have joined in declaring large areas as protected areas . He gives the examples of the Dinokeng Game Reserve outside Pretoria and the Mountain Zebra-Camdeboo Protected Environment in the Eastern Cape Karoo .
Figure 9 . A steenbok on Karoo farmer PC Ferreira ’ s Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve , just off the N1 , outside Richmond . ( Photo : Supplied )
Big skies , big picture , big plans
Today , Ferreira shares some of that biodiversity by taking guests on “ shy five ” night drives once his day of farming sheep and cattle is done , revealing porcupine , aardvark , aardwolf , bat-eared fox and black-footed cat . He says it ’ s a strong tourism product in an area that remains dominated by livestock farming . There is a large flock of blue cranes that roost at his dam every winter and he has been acknowledged by the Endangered Wildlife Trust Crane Conservation Group as a crane custodian for his conservation efforts .
But he says it ’ s the “ big picture ”, the potential inherent in such a large nature reserve , that drives him .
Breaking down the numbers over a map of central South Africa , the proposed KSRNR lies between the Eastern Cape towns of Nieu-Bethesda and Petrusville , following the flow of the Seekoei River to just east of Hanover and west of Colesberg in the Northern Cape .
It is a large tract of natural veld that would stretch about 250 km from south to north and about 100 km from west to east at the widest point , comprising 57 properties .
Ferreira says that among those already signed up to the project are “ a core group of conservation-minded landowners ” who “ came together because they would like to see the area transformed into the once-pristine wilderness area Colonel Robert J Gordon witnessed in his well-documented travels of the late 1700s ”.
Working with Jonk on the foundation ’ s Northern Cape Land Project , and to help landowners access tax benefits aimed at stimulating the tourism and conservation economies , Van Wyk says she “ did the numbers ” of the proposed KSRNR reserve .
The 57 landowners who are connected to it by virtue of their location may also qualify for tax deduction – if they choose to participate , she says .
“ Tax efficiency is regarded as one of the most important aspects of financial sustainability . Reducing tax payable by these landowners may enable them to spend more resources on conservation , employment and in improving the lives of communities within and around the proposed protected area .”
This must sound like rain in the desert to Ferreira . The Karoo farmer is all for the improvement of the whole region , saying it could help prevent the death of various Karoo towns .
Grassroots Vol 22 No 1 March 2022 40