NEWS tific data as evidence of changing conditions in this ecosystem . The maps and data also serve as a compelling source of truth as the nonprofit works to build consensus among residents and businesses around the need for better resource management , more sustainable practices , and disaster risk reduction .
“ If we don ’ t act now , we ’ re all really going to feel it 20 years down the line ,” said Romy Antrobus Wuth , stewardship ecologist with K2C . “ For this landscape to stay as beautiful as it is , where we all love to live , we all need to work together .”
A Landscape Experiences Transition
Figure 3 . South Africa ’ s Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region is known for biodiversity , including the greater kudu pictured here .
Climate change in the South African drought belt is occurring more rapidly and bringing impacts that are more severe than the global average , according to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change . These conditions rank the republic among the 30 driest countries on earth . Rainfall accumulates at a rate roughly 40 percent lower than the annual world average .
Heat waves , rising temperatures , prolonged droughts , and intense floods are evidence of the changes occurring here . These conditions further degrade deforested and excessively grazed rangelands where family-owned livestock roam . Climate shifts also diminish the waterways that run through the rangelands .
Figure 4 . Kruger National Park , in the biosphere ’ s eastern region , is considered the world ' s premiere wildlife viewing area — home to 147 species of mammals , 507 species of birds , 114 species of reptiles , 49 species of amphibians , and 34 species of fish in the park ' s seven rivers .
Unlike some regions of South Africa , rainfall in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region ’ s escarpments remains ample , ranging from 39 to 78 inches ( 1,000 – 2,000 mm ) per year . The water runoff helps sustain natural systems and people in the Lowveld region , where rainfall averages just 15 to 25 inches per year . K2C has used GIS technology to monitor conditions and document polluted waterways in residential areas and locations where sand mining operations exist . The data makes it clear that stakeholders must act now to protect water availability and purity to sustain life in the biosphere in the decades ahead .
In the biosphere , water flows from breathtaking escarpments that reach into the clouds in the western region and then moves through vulnerable rural villages and commercial agriculture operations at lower elevations . Biomes of forest , grassland , and savannah also exist in this biodiversity hot spot .
Figure 5 . A pride of lions drinking water is a beautiful sight to see in the Kruger National Park .
The eastern reaches of the biosphere include protected nature parks . The flagship is Kruger National Park , a renowned tourist destination . The park is considered the world ’ s premiere wildlife viewing area - home to 147 species of mammals , 507 species of birds , 114 spe-
43 Grassroots Vol 22 No 2 July 2022