One word sums up the Mondi Wetlands Project and its national manager, David Lindley — enthusiasm.
“Look at this,” declares Lindley, emerging from thick grass and reeds in a rehabilitated wetland near Piet Retief in KwaZulu-Natal. Characteristically, he has mud up to his knees. “Water-loving plants. And look over there, spurwing geese. Six months ago this wetland was stone dead. Since we blocked up the drains and had one season of rain, it has reflooded and has risen like Lazarus.”
The Wetlands Project, now funded by Mondi, has achieved many such miracles over the past decade — on a shoestring budget and with a handful of staff. It has assessed the condition of over 30 300ha of wetlands and rehabilitated many of these, trained hundreds of wetland managers and extension officers, changed the law and inspired the government to pledge millions for wetland conservation. “Wetlands are a hot environmental issue and experts are conceding that wetland management can play a key role in flood attenuation, drought mitigation and water purification,” says Lindley.
The Mondi Wetlands Project is recognised by conservation organisations throughout South Africa as having pioneered wetland conservation outside declared nature reserves. As most of the country’s wetlands lie outside protected areas, its interventions are crucial. The project promotes the wise use, rehabilitation and sustainable management of wetlands. “Our interventions take place nationally at both grassroots and political decision-making levels. We work with commercial farmers, agricultural and conservation extension services, historically disadvantaged rural communities and key decision-makers,” Lindley explains.
Wetland rehabilitation creates benefits in the natural, social and economic environments. As a result of the project’s catalytic work, the departments of Water Affairs and Forestry and Environmental Affairs and Tourism initiated Working for Wetlands, a partnership to rehabilitate degraded wetlands.
Disadvantaged rural communities are employed to undertake this rehabilitation; about 100 jobs are created for every R1-million spent. During the 2000/2001 financial year the partnership spent R20-million on wetland rehabilitation, and it was so successful that a further R90-million will be spent over the next three years.
The project began its work in 1991 as the Rennies Wetlands Project in KwaZulu-Natal. When the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa became involved in the management of the project, it expanded its outreach to the whole of South Africa – a bold move, considering it had only one staff member then.
The project was divided into five-year phases. Phase one produced the Wetland Fix series of booklets, which advised on aspects of wetland rehabilitation and management. Phase two initiated successful wetland rehabilitation projects in 21 areas around South Africa. The project went on to catalyse a change in the definition of a wetland in the new Water Act, and new alien plant regulations in the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act. It also went a long way towards helping South Africa develop a basic wetlands inventory. Funding was then secured from Mondi for phase three – lasting until March 2006. This phase focuses on community wetlands management and the wise use of wetlands by commercial farmers.
The community project is headed by Vhangani Silima, who specialised in wetlands and traditional beliefs in his honours year. Damian Walters, who has studied agriculture and nature conservation, is in charge of the commercial farming programme.
Besides these two programmes, work continues on the rehabilitation of wetlands, training, lobbying and raising awareness. “There is much work to be done still,” Lindley warns. “It is estimated that some 50% of wetlands have already been lost worldwide by people thoughtlessly draining them for crops or housing developments, building dams, overgrazing or planting water-thirsty trees nearby.”