Merit award — Environmental best practice in not-for-profit organisations: Gauteng Conservancy Association
The Gauteng Conservancy Association’s community-based approach has spread into nearly 30 conservancies in the province, including sensitive areas such as wetlands and grasslands, and it has committee members in almost 50 conservation developments.
“Our work is successful because of ordinary people who own land in sensitive areas, protecting their land and protecting their environment,” said Bob Dehning, chairperson of the association.
Members aim to preserve Gauteng’s environmental and agricultural resources through a variety of interventions. These range from clearing alien vegetation to controlled burning in grasslands and protecting endangered species.
Other tasks undertaken by the association include battling with municipalities over dumping of toxic waste in landfill sites and getting schools and other community bodies involved in environmental action.
The organisation considers education and awareness in communities integral to the success of its initiatives, said Dehning. “We are providing a service to local communities which often don’t have the knowledge to protect the environment.”
It relies on locals to take the initiative to protect their own land. “The association simply provides the tools, motivation and education.”
One of the problems identified was the rapid disappearance of the endangered Highveld bullfrog. The association conducted a census and moved the frogs to safe breeding grounds to save the species.
Another initiative involved working with the South African Police Service to stop illegal trading in endangered muti plants. “Though poaching will still crop up from time to time, we feel people are aware now that it’s being monitored. We’ve managed to save 500 years’ worth of growth by returning confiscated plants to their natural habitat,” said Dehning.
Members of the association regularly engage farmers and farm workers, helping them to develop skills for contour ploughing and fencing, flower and snake identification and the use of eco-friendly herbicides and dips for their animals.
Dehning said plans for the future included expanding the establishment of protected areas in Gauteng.
The Greening the Future judges were impressed by the outreach and accessibility of the association and its various projects. “It gets better every year and it operates on a number of different levels,” the judges said.
They praised a booklet published by the association called Guidelines for Conservancy Management Planning, saying it was a useful and well thought out tool for the advancement of environmental best practice. Its price made it accessible to all.