The year 2020 became a most unusual one when in March a new, world-wide virus infection became a pandemic, forcing many businesses and organizations to close down. Not so for the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR). Under the strong leadership of its CEO Mark Heistein, his very able secretary and assistant Celine MacDonald, staff, and volunteers, it had a continually active and productive year.

Among the CWBR projects are the following:

 1. Health and Nutrition Programme

Through the partnership with Athénée Action Humanitaire (AAH) NGO of Luxembourg the CWBR developed a Health and Nutrition Programme which provided food parcels and facilitated workshops on growing food in community and individual gardens, thus reaching the most in need who have access to no other help and helped to ensure food security.

Soup Kitchens and Food Garden Ambassadors in Villiersdorp

In total the CWBR has provided 2258 food parcels from April 2020 to December 2020, while 16 soup kitchens have been supported with dry and fresh produce reaching over 5000 people per week. Through the workshops that teach sustainable food gardening 40 community and individual gardens have been established and 108 individuals reached. The success was due to identifying mentors in the community and exciting out of school youth about growing their own food. WhatsApp support groups were set up for ongoing communication and support between workshops.

Due to success of this programme, the CWBR was approached by UNESCO to create a ‘Proud to Share’ 1 minute video – featured on their social media platforms and part of a Good Practices article.

2. Biosphere Reserve Hub

At the Biosphere Reserve Hub in Franschhoek a food garden has been established that displays different methods of food production in small areas and serves as a hands-on learning space for school groups, youth groups, and the general public. It has supplied over 35 000 seedlings to community gardens and individual food security initiatives in McGregor, Villiersdorp and Jamestown.

Pear tomatoes

2020 volunteers

Sunflower

Greenhouse

3. Edu-Link Project

Also, in partnership with AAH of Luxembourg, the Edu-Link project continues to support the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre the CWBR established in Franschhoek in 2019, ensuring that all educators continue to be upskilled through teachers training. Thus, two teachers are currently receiving training at ECD Level 4 at Boland College and Grade R at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. During closure of the school as a result of the pandemic, 25 families and 5 teachers were supported with food parcels. The school reopened in September 2020, C19 compliant. Three outings for ECD pupils are facilitated to enable them to engage first-hand with nature, and live fauna and flora.

EFATA ECD Pre-Covid19

4. Mobile Classroom

A new initiative of the CWBR, in partnership with AAH, is the establishment of a Mobile Classroom. This trailer has arrived at the Biosphere Hub and is being fitted out with interior custom-made storage and foldable tables to host a CWBR ‘Lab’ for education. It is designed to inspire the minds of young people through practical, fun and engaging Science, Technology, Engineering, Math’s (STEM), and Art activities. It offers the opportunity to make STEM education more relevant and engaging by applying and hosting activities in real world settings such as community gardens, pristine natural spaces, and other community settings. The CWBR is collaborating with USIKO Stellenbosch to reach youth through 100 contact sessions in 2021. As part of this collaboration, 10 facilitators combined from both organizations have completed a course in

Mobile Journalism. Through the use of mobile phones, educational bites will be produced and shared with young learners on different subjects within Science, Technology and Engineering related health and nutrition. Teaching material will be available in three languages to start with.

The Mobile Journalism team

Picking up the custom made classroom

5. Hikes and Educational outings

The CWBR organized outings to reconnect youth and communities to nature and encourage them to preserve the natural environment. 256 youth have participated this year.

McGregor Outing

to De Hoop Nature Reserve

guided by De Hoop Collection Guides

6. Field Guide Association and Life Skills Courses

The CWBR continued funding Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) and Life Skills Courses. The Association sets the standard and level of professionalism in the guiding industry. The FGASA and Life Skills course theory was taught online. In September 2020, 6 new students joined the course, focused on Cultural Guiding. Two contact sessions, and a day practical to Agulhas have taken place. In total 68 students have qualified since 2016.

Cultural Tour Franschhoek

Planning a Day Trip

Hands-on learning at Cape Agulhas

7. Utilizing drone technology

The CWBR provides drone technology to map the alien invasive trees in the upper Berg and Breede-Catchment area. The data collected is used to estimate cost of clearing and assist management decision making. As well as supplied for other scientific research, including Socio-Economic Benefits of Ecological Infrastructure (SEBEI), municipalities, and provincial government.

8. Youth Board established

The CWBR became the first Biosphere Reserve in South Africa to establish a Youth Board. The newly established Youth Board has brought a new dimension to the operational capacity of the CWBR, in helping with funding applications, running projects, and creating awareness. Their vision is to bring a creative and fresh perspective to the CWBR team that is in tune with the youth today by implementing new, innovative approaches within existing projects and participating in the development of new projects. It is a diverse and dynamic team, with ages ranging from 17-32.

9. Building international connections

The CWBR continues to build partnerships with educational outreach organizations, research institutions, local and overseas partners to promote biosphere reserves and inspire a sustainable future. January 2020, the CWBR became the only sub-Saharan member of European Innovation Partnership on Active Healthy Aging (An information and knowledge exchange Hub – to build partnerships, inform projects, to promote and support innovation in active and healthy aging). The CWBR is a participant in the Be Resilient Project, a UNESCO initiative on using biosphere reserves as observatories for Climate Change Adaption in South Africa, launched in 2020. The CWBR also continues to be the chosen reference site for the African Climate and Development Initiative, as nominated in 2019. 

My wish for the CWBR is that every inhabitant will become aware of the unique privilege it is to live in a Reserve, a Biosphere Reserve, situated in this beautiful part of the world.  Hopefully, this awareness will result in lifestyle changes for many, accepting the responsibility of looking after it. While the major universal environmental problems of global warming, climate change and loss of biodiversity may seem remote, every individual can locally make a difference by reducing his or her impact on the Reserve by preventing pollution, recycling (paper, metals, glass, plastic), using less energy (electricity, fuel, wood) and water, reducing, or eliminating the use of pesticides, planting trees etc.

We are all fellow passengers on this revolving and circling airship in distress.

Jan Giliomee

As part of the current [Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve designed and facilitated] Field Guide and Life Skills course, done through long-distance study and limited meet ups, the students were asked to write an essay on why locals should explore or travelers visit Southern Africa. Here is one students captivating depiction of why.

Introduction

As a child I grew up in a small village, surrounded by huge trees and dense forests. We had quite a unique lifestyle. Each family had a dog or dogs, enough land to plant and grow crops, no electricity or running water, one school, one church but most of all a strong social structure. We were known as” die kinders van die bos”

If I can remember correctly on the Anglican grounds where we lived were only 15 houses, 15 houses = 15 mothers (what a scary thought, especially if you live in a small village). We were loved by all 15, and beaten by all 15

When I think back on how I grew up and how we lived with our neighbors, I cannot help but feel saddend by the reality of knowing that the bonds and memories stayed behind when everyone was relocated to another area – An area with electricity, running water, and problems. 

I miss the freedom, the honesty, and friendliness.

When visiting Southern Africa, plan to visit small villages who still stay on church grounds or who have 15 mothers like I had. You will be amazed by the unity, friendliness, and respect shared among individuals.

Southern Africa is by far one of the most diverse regions in the world. Known for its abundance in wildlife, pristine beaches and coastlines, natural landscapes. I must say that Southern Africa also has deeper roots to unravel.

Even though each country has a rich cultural diversity, with their own heritage, they all share some common traits such as poverty, food insecurities, the spread of HIV/Aids, corruption etc. These are all challenges faced as a Southern region that need attention and commitment to combat.

Long before there were borders, the handful of countries we now call Southern Africa, was inhabited by a group of hunter-gathers known as the San who lived in harmony with nature. Going about their day playing flutes, rattles, dancing and singing in their unique click language. They traveled in small groups, had no chief or hierarchy of leadership, therefore decisions were made as a group. Everything needed for the day, was carried with them.

The San’s nomadic lifestyle was brutally disrupted once their space was invaded by more powerful tribes and by European settlement. Land seizures and forced population migration lasted over 200 years and more than 200 000 indigenous people perished. The ones remaining became highly dispossessed.

Remarkable human diaries were left behind in the form of rock paintings. Even though some have long faded away due to climatic changes, when you visit the naturally preserved sites, you get a snapshot of their spiritual beliefs, how they lived, and hunted.

The best possible sites to view these amazing drawings are Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe, Tsodilo Hills in Botswana, Twyfelfontein in Namibia, and Giant’s Castle in South Africa.

Just to bring you up to speed:

A few years ago, Botswana and Namibia’s San population were relocated from their ancestral lands. This has made international headlines as the Botswana government defended their relocation policy by saying they have the San’s best interest at heart for development and education purposes. However, the San rejected the government’s version as they felt they were giving up on their traditions and land. In 2006 the High Court ruled in favor of the San saying the eviction of the San was unlawful and unconstitutional.

Looking forward, one of the greatest challenges in Africa as a whole is how to preserve old cultures and traditions while accepting and adapting to the new. Tourism does provide some opportunity for the San/Bushmen in the form of guides and trackers. Their tracking skills are exceptional, and I would recommend a tour with a tracker guide in Namibia and Botswana.

People on the Southern side of the African continent are known for their hospitality and one of the main forms of social function/stability is song and dance. Not too long ago the famous Jerusalema song and dance connected people from all over the world – whom for once understood the same language through music.

Throughout the different countries song and dance are very important, especially in traditional black communities as it is a communication tool between ancestral spirits and the individual.

When you travel through Swaziland between August and September you might come across the famous traditional reed dance which is a particularly important dance in Swazi culture.

Some traditions have been lost over the years, however visits to specified rural areas, such as townships, frequently practice their beliefs and culture.

Historically Southern Africa recorded many archaeological remains of the worlds earliest human inhabitants. Sterkfontein, a World Heritage Site in South Africa, is regarded as one of the richest places on the planet for early human remains. Southern Africa constitutes different ethnic groups, and some with a direct link to our Stone Age ancestors . So if you are serious about the family tree, this is a good place to start searching.

Multiculturalism has been tested to a high extent, meaning migration legally and illegally, and has created some tension and hostilities between poorer countries advancing into more wealthier countries.

If we look at South Africa and Botswana, it has more opportunities than other neighboring countries. Many of the locals feel threatened by migrants, as they feel their “jobs” are taken – resulting in higher crime.

The above information shared was to give an insight on possible underlying factors in our countries – just a thought to look back on if the way of Southern lifestyle is not understood.

Southern Africa’s environment is as fragile as any other place in the world. Mismanagement and exploitation over the years has led to many environmental problems. However, the establishment of Transfrontier parks, National parks, Reserves, Conservation nodes, and Education centers have worked very hard to conserve and protect. Every visitor have a shared responsibility to minimize the impact of environmental distress.

Architecturally, colonial legacy dominated by European design is eminent, especially in South Africa like the Union building in Pretoria, the Cape Dutch style in Cape Town, and also some Victorian Style of buildings in some areas. However not to miss are the ancient historical buildings such as the Great Zimbabwe ruins, and the architectural treasure a Chapel (built by the Portuguese in 1522) in Mozambique which is the oldest European building in the Southern Hemisphere.

When you are traveling through the Southern African countries, away from the city lights, you can observe thousands and thousands of stars, shining down on a darkened earth. I visited Namibia a few years ago and was blown away. I observed in awe how the night sky unfolded in an area called Spitzkoppe. Surrounded by 700-million-year-old granite mountains, some in the form of boulders made me feel so tiny. Sleeping under the stars, while giant rocks loomed over me, I could not help but wonder how our ancestors figured it out. How did they figure out to connect the stars to form their own patterns, and then using them as a tool to navigate through the deserts, when to plant or when to hunt?

Cuisine or food is not generally a highlight in Southern Africa, unless specifically looked for. South Africa being on top of the list with more of a variety. One of the most inexpensive and common shared meals between the countries uses maize. In South Africa and Namibia it is called Mielie pap, in Botswana bogobe, Zimbabwe sadza.

The possibility of having language barriers are not common, as English is widely spoken in Southern Africa, however in Mozambique you will be greeted in Portuguese.

Southern Africa undeniable offers spectacular site seeing tours and caters for every type of traveler.  Each country is also still growing and have some challenges, but the drive and urge to enhance Tourism development is visible.

Southern Africa awaits and welcomes you.

Do we really appreciate soil as we should? That skin on the surface of the earth, which takes so long to grow, is extremely fragile, and yet without it there would be no living things.

Everything we wear, live in, drink, read and use, ultimately comes from soil. It hosts our food supply, filters water for clean rivers, creates amazing landscape and should be revered as the most complex ecosystem on the earth.  

It is also the warehouse of excess carbon, kept full by plants that take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and produce carbon, essential to plant growth. When plants and other dead organic matter enter the soil, it becomes food for microbes that produce enzymes which convert the soil carbon back into carbon dioxide that goes back into the atmosphere. Fungi and bacteria, both decomposers ensure the right consistency of biomass, which together with minerals are the building blocks of soil.

This is how it should be!

But ignorance and greed have played havoc with huge areas of land, rendering the soil into nothing more than lifeless dirt. Once we have eradicated the living soul of soil, it is a long process to restore it. It took millions of years to make, but with good management and the right boost, it is amazing how it will regenerate itself.

Chemical fertilizer is salt-based, and kills the living organisms, which results in more and more industrialised nutrients required. Good for some pockets, but a killer to any ecosystem because the balance between living organisms has been compromised, demolishing eco systems. A system that is addicted to fertilisers, cannot be sustainable. It is sick, gets more symptoms and becomes susceptible and easy prey to pests.

This not only effects the plants, but has a direct effect on our health. Plants grown in dead soil, lack the minerals, vitamins, proteins and the multitude of other nutrients our bodies need. But no problem for Mr big pocket, he will sell us all of this in a capsule!

Destroyed soil does not host natural forests, so essential for the water cycle. Coastal forest absorb mist blown in from the sea, and feed the soil, as well as through transpiration feed the onshore wind with more water. Which is then fed to the next forest further inland, and then onto another. Through this process water is passed on to inland forest across the world. Destroy coastal soils, and the knock-on effect will cause desertification thousands of kilometres inland. Desert don’t produce much food!

Technology has allowed for positive scientific information to be shared with such a broad sector of society, allowing so many more people to realise that soil is an integral part of us. There is a new exciting awakening to the importance of preserving it in its natural form, and reversing the damage that has been done.

As Biosphere Reserves, with all our partners have been doing all we can to encourage this “soil” revitalisation awareness. Please come and join us.

Breeding microbes

Nutrient rich soil with a flourishing ecosystem

For decades, the film making industry was dominated by professional filmmakers with big budgets and top-of-the-range gear. Consequently, it remained desperately out of reach for most amateurs lacking adequate funding and equipment to produce quality films. This changed with the rise of smartphone technology which presented a unique opportunity for amateur filmmakers to produce top quality films on incredibly low budgets. One of the first of these films to garner significant international attention was the critically acclaimed, Tangerine. The film scooped up numerous awards during its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 where viewers were stunned to learn the film was shot entirely using three iPhone 5s smartphones.

Smartphone cinematography is widely regarded as the future of filmmaking and offers a platform for amateur filmmakers with limited budgets to showcase their creativity and talents. In this way, it opens up the exclusive world of filmmaking to anyone with a story and access to a device. Africa is rich in compelling stories but lacks the knowledge and resources to produce films that are made by Africans for Africans. Upskilling individuals in smartphone filmmaking presents an exciting opportunity for these stories to be told in an authentic way while also helping to bridge the Digital Divide and unlocking new economic opportunities.

The CWBR recognises the significant potential this emerging industry may have on creating skills development opportunities within the informal economy that supports livelihoods for the most marginalized within the CWBR.

The CWBR and USIKO have partnered with MOJO Cape Town as part of the Mobile Minds Project. Six CWBR team members as well as six USIKO Stellenbosch team members are currently completing a mobile journalism (MOJO) course led by the organisations Creative Director, Dominique Vandenhoudt. The aim, to run a train-the-trainer programme in mobile phone film making. These trainers will go on to support others in the CWBR’s network of community partners to identify, document and share the local knowledge and skills within their respective communities. To also excite and foster understanding and positive use of mobile phones in youth to tell their own stories through visual story telling.

Participation in the MOJO Course, as part of the collaboration between CWBR and USIKO to equip facilitators with the necessary skills and knowledge to train others in mobile journalism, was made possible by the US Consulate who funded this initiative.

The MOJO Course team

West Coast Fossil Park: Fossils are the starting point of understanding our human existence. At West Coast Fossil Park, research and fossils are beautifully depicted through various art forms.

With local tourism on the rise again, the CWBR are working alongside Western Cape Biospheres Reserves to create a Biosphere-to-Biosphere Reserves tourism route. The route will link all five Biosphere Reserves and aims to raise awareness of these sites and showcase their lesser-known treasures. To gain a greater understanding of these unique features the CWBR Youth Board along with the CWBR team, will be embarking on trips to each Biosphere Reserve to experience them first-hand. Last week we embarked on our first trip up the ruggedly beautiful West Coast, where we were left in awe of one particular local tourist attraction: The West Coast Fossil Park. Declared a National Heritage Site in 2014, the park carries great palaeontological significance and is particularly revered for its exceptionally well-preserved fossil faunal remains. Although garnering local and international recognition among scientific communities the park offers great opportunities for tourism too.

Located 150km outside Cape Town, the park can sometimes be overlooked for the excitement and scenic beauty on offer in nearby Langebaan. Moreover, similar institutions like museums have a reputation of failing to inspire much excitement in tourists. After all, the notion of spending hours traipsing around an old building looking at dead things, having to read long paragraphs of information can seem more work than fun. In an age where information is just one click away, why visit these places? Well, from our own experience we can tell you, you will learn far more and leave with an incredibly memorable experience, particularly when interpreted by a professional guide.

As is the case, with any historical site, the way to engage with tourists and spark interest is to bring the past to life. The Fossil Park uses a combination of nature, art, technology and science to do just this and successfully recreates the evolution of the West Coast over millions of years, to the present day. Before entering the Exhibition Hall, one passes by the Pliocene Garden Amphitheatre and is immediately transported back millions of years ago. One will be amazed to find the area was once dominated by forest and grassland biomes as evidenced by fossil pollens found at the site. Are we experiencing similar phenomena today with climate change?

Particularly impressive in the Interpretive Exhibition Hall is the Sivathere Hall, which houses a family of life-size wooden sculptures of extinct long horned, short necked giraffes. Like something out of Avatar, these structures offer an ingenious way of visualising prehistoric animals found at the park. A level below, takes you down into the depths of the Subterranean Display, where you will be transported to the underground world of today, filled with giant termites, snakes and pangolins, made entirely from recyclable materials. Perhaps the most popular section of the park is the Dig Site, an active excavation site, one of few in the world that remains open to the public. Observe fossils currently studied by scientists and palaeontologists, still trapped in bedrock and grab the opportunity to hunt for tiny fossils in sifting trays as you enter.

Rhinoceros fossil alongside modern bones of the species

Recycled plastic bottles become termites

To further enhance your experience of the park, we suggest you get yourself a great guide. We were privileged enough to be taken on a private tour by Pippa Haarhoff, the park’s Director who was instrumental in formally establishing it back in 1998. Needless to say, Pippa knows the place inside and out and shared some interesting insights with us. She believes the park holds special significance due to its “immense diversity in terms of species number and quantity of material… you've got marine, terrestrial and freshwater animals all in one area, which you don’t often find.” Greater than that, she hopes the park will inspire curiosity and make people think about not only the separate evolutionary paths of people, animals, plants and their environment, but also the co-evolution of all of these factors and how they interact and change one another.

Pippa explains the process of identifying fossil fragments

Even the tiniest of fossils are important in understanding the immense biodiversity of the past.

This got us thinking: Children continue to be enamoured by Disney movies like the Lion King and each year millions of tourists flock to Addo Elephant National Park to observe the Big Five. However, how few of us stop to think about how these charismatic animals, whom we have come to love, came to be this way? Most tourists stand in awe of African elephants but how about their four tusked elephant extinct cousins - possibly even more fascinating. Places like the Fossil Park allow us to study our planet’s ancestry and how and why it has changed. Perhaps inspiring this kind of curiosity within our tourists will impart a greater message of environmental stewardship that they will be able to take home.

Our vision for the tourism route is to create greater awareness of the importance of man’s role in nature, hereby converting the average tourist into an environmental ambassador. Stay tuned for our next trip where we scout out some more hidden gems in our local Biosphere Reserves.

The informal economy is a central pillar in the South African economy and a critical safety net for rural and urban communities alike. As town’s, countries and the world at large try to make sense of the massive social upheaval caused by Covid-19, the informal economy needs to be at the heart of our social, ecological and economic recovery efforts.

According to the International Labour Organisation, the informal sector is responsible for 85% of all livelihoods in Africa. In South Africa, it is estimated that the informal economy employs around 3.7 million people, accounting for one third of all jobs. In many parts of South Africa, the long-term trend sees the proportion of formal sector employment shrinking, while work in the informal sector is growing. A 2015 report by the Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative Council illustrates the increasingly central role of the informal sector in the region. They state that:

 ‘for every 100 people employed in the Eastern Cape’s formal sector in 1995, there were 14 fewer people in 2013. However, for every 100 people employed in the Eastern Cape’s informal sector in 1995, there were 64 additional people in 2013. This implies an employment shift from the formal economy to the informal economy; an inflow into the informal sector in the form of self-employment through the creation of micro-enterprises. This reality cannot be ignored.’

Therefore, as we consider recovery strategies, the need to ramp-up support for the informal economy in the wake of Covid-19 should be something which biosphere reserves take very seriously.

The question is how.

One point of entry for biosphere reserves could be through support for green-skills development.

To date, the informal economy has been almost entirely overlooked by the formal education system. But there is growing recognition for the need for serious investment into the knowledge needs of this vital sector.

 Given, the relative success of the informal economy at creating and sustaining livelihoods for so many South African’s, we should be looking to understand and support existing approaches to learning within the sector, not trying to fit the informal economy into the rigid training models of formal training institutions. Research suggests that people in the informal economy tend to value short, problem orientated on-the-job learning because formalised courses designed ‘for’ rather than ‘by’ traders themselves often fail to provide the kinds of knowledge that those in the informal sector find useful in a format that is accessible. However, by the same token, many in the informal economy are held back by their lack of access to new knowledge.   This is where the idea of learning networks can assist.

Learning networks are groups of people and organisations that come together on a voluntary basis with the purpose of mutual learning. In a learning network, people work as equals, collaboratively sharing ideas and information in order to further their knowledge about something that affects all the members. 

Effective learning networks involve people from a wide range of backgrounds, who share common interests associated with a particular activity (such as agriculture, tourism, water management, fishing, or any other shared activity). Membership of such networks can include: formal and informal practitioners actively involved in the activity; trainers and educators who teach aspects of this activity; representatives of commercial organisations involved in this activity; representatives of NGOs, CBO’s and associations with interests in this activity, and; government officials mandated to support this activity. Within this context, the focus shifts from top-down training approach toward a longer-term process of collective problem solving and knowledge brokerage. 

For example, in an agricultural learning network, a farmer may, from time to time, develop a new solution or new practice on their farm. However, it is often not the farmer themselves, but an extension worker, trainer or input salesperson within such a learning network who will help spread this new solution to farmers in other regions. The richer these networks of exchange and collaboration are, the more innovative and dynamic the network itself and the members become. In fact, a growing body of research now suggests that this kind of knowledge exchange is the starting point for innovation.

Figure 1: Farmers in a learning network come together behind a shed to share experiences around rainwater harvesting techniques on their farms

However, while learning networks have been shown to support inclusive and cost-effective learning in the informal economy, they do require some investment and coordination.

Given their historic function as boundary-crossing organisations that pull together different actors across a given region in support of harmonisation between man and biosphere, biosphere reserves have a unique set of relational skills, social networks, and green economy know-how. Unlike universities, colleges, and other traditional training institutions, which were set up to deliver training, biosphere reserves specialise in building and sustaining collaborative networks of relationship. These unique attributes could position biosphere reserves as ideal anchor institutions in the kinds of new learning networks needed to rebuild towards a greener and fairer economy from the ground up.

Dr Luke Metelerkamp is a research fellow at the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University.

Those interested in setting up learning networks, might be interested in the following

stakeholder network mapping tool.

Cover photo credit: unsplash/Riccardo Annandale)