Case studies
Which cities have successfully applied light pollution reduction strategies? What can we learn from them?
Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are a threat, not only to South Africa’s biological diversity, but to the country’s water security, livelihoods and economy. Of the estimated 9,000 plants introduced to South Africa, about 198 are currently classified as invasive. According to the recent status report on biological invasions, this is the third largest threat to South Africa’s biodiversity, following cultivation and land degradation, and contributes 25% of all biodiversity loss in the country. Moreover, South Africa is a water scarce country, therefore, ensuring sustainable use and management of water resources and water-related ecological infrastructure is a priority for the national government. The working for water (WfW) program, launched in 1995, has been catalytic in the restoration of South Africa’s degraded ecosystems. The program is anchored in the development of people as an essential element of environmental conservation, and has accordingly substantially contributed to job creation through invasive alien species clearing activities. WfW strives for the inclusion of youth, women and people living with disabilities in their community development goals.
Since 2013, the South African government has spent ~1 billion rand annually on the clearing and control of IAPs, and listed over 500 invasive taxa as requiring control. At least three alien species taxa are introduced into the country each year, contributing to the destructive and sometimes irreversible damage to biodiversity, the economy and communities’ livelihoods. In fire-prone areas such as the fynbos biome in the Western Cape Province, invasive plants have been recorded to intensify the impact of fires, rendering them a danger to communities and biodiversity at large. Additionally, IAPs have been proven to negatively impact water resources, increasing droughts in parts of the country – including the Western Cape. This has led to intensified action, further calling for a boost in investment in IAP clearing and landscape restoration and rehabilitation, specifically in riparian areas where the impact on water security is most concentrated.
Through the program, a range of methods to control invasive alien plants were used. These include:
- Mechanical methods – felling, removing or burning invading alien plants.
- Chemical methods which include the use of environmentally safe herbicides
- Biological control methods where species-specific insects and diseases from the alien plant’s country of origin are used to limit and eradicate spread. To date, 76 bio-control agents have been released in South Africa against 40 weed species.
- Integrated control where a combination of the different approaches is used.
At the policy and institutional level, the South African government in collaboration with a number of public, private and academic entities has worked to restore degraded ecosystems by developing strategies, plans and policies that aim to prevent and manage the introduction of new and emerging invasives. Among these are the development of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004, (Act no. 107 of 2004) Alien and Invasive Species Regulations, the development of an early detection rapid response system and continuous monitoring and evaluation efforts that support the assessment of progress.
Since its inception, the program has cleared more than one million hectares of invasive alien plants across South Africa, providing jobs and skills training to ~20,000 people from marginalized sectors of society annually, with 52% of these beneficiaries being women. WfW currently runs over 300 projects across all nine of South Africa’s provinces.
Mauritius has one of the most threatened island floras in the world. More than 89% of its endemic plant species are considered at risk
of extinction, and only ~2,600 ha of reasonable quality native forest remain, representing less than 2% of the total area of the island. Much of Mauritius’ fauna, unique to the island, has disappeared along with the forest; 24 of the 52 native species of forest vertebrates that were known, are now extinct. Remaining fauna species are under pressure as the forest becomes more and more degraded.
Ebony Forest Ltd is implementing a project in Chamarel, Mauritius that particularly incorporates awareness raising as part of its innovative ecosystem restoration practices through funding from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). This case study showcases the scope of efforts required to restore forest ecosystem services, and the role played by a renewed realization of forest ecosystem services that was promoted through: i) private sector partnership with school children, tertiary education students and volunteers; ii) information-sharing about native species and extinct species; iii) narratives about the restoration process and requirements; iv) visions of the forest in the past combined with planning for the future, v) involving partners in the restoration process (e.g. weeding and planting), and vi) concrete investment in the restoration process.
The measures taken to ensure the restoration and revitalization of degraded ecosystems in Chamarel include;
- Expansion of high-quality native forest in the southwest of Mauritius through ongoing maintenance and removal of weeds. The ongoing maintenance weeding is undertaken to ensure that no weeds can reestablish themselves and that native vegetation can regenerate.
- Greater civil society involvement in and awareness of the conservation and restoration of native flora and fauna by involving schools and the private sector. As part of the project, Ebony Forest Ltd worked with schools and particularly companies with a strong interest in sustainability and environmental goals, leading to a greater involvement of civil society. Through increased civil society involvement, the project has helped boost skills development and enabled communities to generate income through restoration interventions.
- Shift in the use of non-native to native plants in landscaping activities.
- Forest restoration to improve species richness and abundance by providing more microhabitats and food for native fauna has helped increase the area and distribution of native forest, providing more microhabitats and food available for native fauna, including threatened indigenous snail species.
- Establishment of long-term sustainable finance mechanisms to enhance restoration, conservation and environmental education activities.
Capacity building through training initiatives targeting staff and volunteers. The training offers skills in restoration and conservation and has developed capacity.
The project’s successes and impacts since its inception can be grouped into three main themes, namely;
- Forest restoration: weeding of 16 ha of forest, including the first weeding of 3.05 ha, occurred alongside the planting of more than 20,000 native plants grown in Ebony Forest Ltd’s nursery. The private sector and school children participated in these restoration activities.
- Education and awareness raising of the importance of protecting the island’s native biodiversity among all visitors to Ebony Forest, including primary, secondary and tertiary education students. This included a variety of ways to communicate what the forest once looked like, what has been lost and what can be done to conserve and rebuild native biodiversity. For example, the wall of Ebony Forest Ltd’s museum depicts the diversity of extinct and extant vertebrate fauna that once occupied ebony forests throughout Mauritius. One significant result has been visitor feedback on their awareness of the enormity of the restoration efforts and their connection with the forest and the native flora and fauna.
- Development of partnerships with the private sector: companies have provided finance and pledged to sponsor restoration work for 2 ha of forest, and also involved their employees to volunteer in the weeding and planting work. Through partnerships, 4,000 education packs have been developed, to provide to primary and secondary school children visiting Ebony Forest.
The Mediterranean Sea is home to the Special Conservation Area off the cliffs and seabed of Punta de la Mona in the Granada region of Spain. This area was declared a National Park in 2015 because of its high ecological value, given that several species of cold-water corals are found here, including the chandelier coral (Dendrophyllia ramea) and the orange coral (Astroides calycularis) – two endangered species of which little was known until now. Despite measures to formally protect and safeguard the area’s biodiversity, the area still faces threats from human activities such as recreational or sport fishing, which continue to degrade the coral ecosystems. Corals play a crucial role in sustaining marine communities, with most marine species directly or indirectly dependent on corals for shelter, mating grounds and food. Cold-water coral ecosystems shelter up to 29 times more wildlife compared to marine areas without corals, making their restoration critical to conserving marine biodiversity.
Since 2020, Coral Guardian has been collaborating with the Spanish organization Coral Soul to drive coral protection and rehabilitation in the area. Through the Deep CORE (Deep COral REstoration) project, one of the first participatory marine conservation projects of the Mediterranean Sea, efforts have been made to help recover the coral ecosystem in Punta de la Mona.
Due to the area’s recreational activities, many coral colonies break or detach from their natural substrate, which poses a threat to their survival or possibility of growth. As a rehabilitation measure, the detached fragments are collected and if they are in good condition, transplanted back into the seabed, but if they are in a dire state they are placed on underwater tables, referred to as “nurseries”, where they can recover and grow in optimal conditions. Once recovered, these corals are transplanted back onto the seabed using a non-toxic resin that promotes reestablishment. Moreover, the project conducts seabed clean-ups and other restoration actions, as well as awareness-raising programs for locals and tourists in the area.
Since its inception in 2020, the Deep CORE project has;
- restored 767 corals,
- involved 1,270 local community members through outreach programs,
- collected ~1,024 kg of marine debris, and
- established three nurseries in the Mediterranean to support the recovery of severely damaged corals.