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)

In the recent months, the CWBR has visited communities in Villiersdorp, McGregor, and Paarl to support and provide opportunity for skills development in keeping food gardens.

Additionally, revisited NOAH, an old age home in Woodstock Cape Town, to help maintain and transform their open space into a fully producing garden.

Each space visited has been assessed to see how value can be added with practical and available resources and out of the box thinking. Outings to neighbouring Community Gardens with which the CWBR is involved, have taken place to expose the individuals and groups to practices and possibilities of implementation in their own space.

A programme and management system has been put in place to make the food gardens successful. Mentors within the community are essential for community involvement and the success of a flourishing space.   

The aim of the program is not only to teach food gardening as a means to feed one’s self and family, and possibly to other members of the community, but to inspire and excite participant in the wonder of plants. How they grow and form partnerships with bacteria, what is their place and roles are within ecosystems, how they communicate in order to thrive. What companion planting is, crop rotation, water and nutrient cycles, and what nutritional value each plant has to offer. How they are best preserved, the amazing flavours they add to meals, and how they can possibly bring an income.

Although there is a schedule of content, the course is adaptable and takes into account each person individual and group interest and circumstance, so the knowledge can be used in implementing individual gardens aligned to their resources, and can be rolled out to neighbors, friends and broader family members.

Enthusiasm, amazement, lots of enjoyment and fun is key to fostering an appetite to learn more.

A space with a beautiful view. The Hawaqua Community Garden in Paarl will be maintained by the youth.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world it has left many devastating impacts in its wake. Not least of which the loss of lives, livelihoods and normalcy. Perhaps the most disturbing, however, is the acceleration of global inequalities and the impact this has had on the digital divide and education. Nowhere is this more relevant than in South Africa. Our education system remains one largely characterized by poor educational facilities, overcrowded classrooms and where a student’s future will likely depend on their skin colour and zip code. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and these inequalities and deficiencies will only be compounded in the long-term.

The digital divide is in no way a new phenomenon. In fact, it has been steadily growing in South Africa and other developing nations for decades now. Less than 40 percent of South African households have regular access to the internet through at least one device. These figures drop considerably in poorer provinces like Limpopo where the number can drop to as low as 2 percent. After the national lockdown was imposed in late March this year, schools and universities were shut down, forcing millions of students to study from home. Some students were able to transition fairly comfortably to online learning, having access to the necessary resources, however, the vast majority were left disconnected. Without consistent access to the internet, data and devices, millions of students are unable to continue their learning progress. Some efforts were made to mitigate these effects. For example, telecommunications giants like Vodacom and MTN have introduced Zero-Data or free access on various learning portals and cutting mobile data prices to accommodate learners. However, these efforts are too little too late and fail to address the greater underlying issues.

In addition to this, the digitisation of education and the workplace has been fast tracked because of the pandemic. This rapid acceleration in technology means that future jobs and navigating through society in general, will require a high level of digital literacy. As it stands, the majority of our youth will be ill-equipped to keep up with these demands and fall further behind, becoming more marginalised in the process. Bridging this divide is certainly possible but it will require significant collaboration between government entities, the private sector and civil society in order to bring about the necessary change.

So what are we going to do about it?

Earlier this year, the CWBR introduced the Science Bus Project, in collaboration with Athénée Action Humanitaire. The idea behind this multi-purpose mobile education center was to provide educational support to children in remote areas lacking access to appropriate teaching infrastructure. Since its inception, a pandemic has devastated the world and in the background a group of young, impassioned South Africans mobilised to create a space for change. The CWBR Youth Board was formed in early August under the guidance of the CWBR team to create and implement innovative new sustainable development projects.

The Youth Board is very excited to announce that, together with USIKO Youth Organization, it will be spearheading the Science Bus Project. We hope to build on its previous vision, while placing a new primary focus on bridging the digital divide. Therefore, our aim is to inform, inspire and excite individuals and communities through hands-on learning experiences and empower them to navigate through the 21st century. Each learning experience will be curiosity-driven and geared towards student interests taking into account the four key skills for 21st century learning: creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. While no set lesson plan will exist some key topics to be explored will include information media and technology skills, environmental literacy and entrepreneurial skills. Rather than providing educational support the Science Bus aims to excite learning and help youth identify areas of interest as well as expose them to new technologies like drones, coding, film making software and so much more.

There can be no doubt that COVID -19 will have an unprecedented impact on our country’s most vulnerable youth. In these dark times we must act in ways that shine light on a better way forward. The Science Bus Project is just one of the ways the CWBR Youth Team is leading this change. Watch this space!

Mobile Education Workshops

Ongoing Collaborative Process

August 2020 Youth Board Workshop

October 2020 CWBR team, CWBR Youth Board, and USIKO