Christo Fabricius: Ecological Infrastructure and its implications for catchment management
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Nature’s Infrastructure and its implications for the management of our Wilderness catchments Christo Fabricius with Abigail Crisp, Onno Huyser, David Le Maitre, Samantha Mc Culloch, Jeanne Nel, Patrick O’Farrell, Chantel Petersen, Dirk Roux, Klaudia Schachtscheider and Lindie Smith-Adao
description
Ecological infrastructure: landscape features that support ecosystem services. Their functions: Buffering the system against disturbances, e.g. riparian and wetland vegetation; soils; floodplains; coastal dunes. Nature’s infrastructure has a positive impact on human resilience by : Protecting human lives Protecting engineered infrastructure Enabling multiple land uses When EI is degraded, land use options reduced, resulting lock-ins into single land use options Navigating a new, sustainable future for the catchment Developing a shared vision with stakeholders Supported by good science Developing and implementing a local management plan Collaborative governance through a Catchment Forum Adaptive co-management: learning, experimentation, reflection, adaptation “Getting our act together for sustainable catchment management for resilient ecological infrastructure”
Transcript of Christo Fabricius: Ecological Infrastructure and its implications for catchment management
Nature’s Infrastructure and its
implications for the management of
our Wilderness catchments
Christo Fabricius with Abigail Crisp, Onno Huyser, David Le Maitre, Samantha Mc Culloch,
Jeanne Nel, Patrick O’Farrell, Chantel Petersen, Dirk Roux, Klaudia Schachtscheider and Lindie Smith-Adao
Actions Interventions
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem Social-system Feedbacks
Social-Ecological Systems
Nature’s Infrastructure
• The physical structures in the landscape that support ecosystem services: – Riparian and wetland vegetation
– Soils
– Floodplains
• Functions: – Buffering the system against
disturbances
– Regulating sediments and nutrients
People and Ecological Infrastructure
• Nature’s infrastructure has a positive impact on human resilience by : – Protecting human lives
– Protecting engineered infrastructure
– Enabling multiple land uses
• When EI is degraded, land use options reduced, resulting lock-ins into single land use options
Sedgefield 2006
Glentana 2006
(Photo: EDM)
Heidelberg 2007
Don’t we learn?
Sedgefield 2013 Wilderness 2013
If we do not clear invasive alien plants …
COSTS (Chemicals; fuel; labour; ALIEN PLANT MANAGEMENT)
YIEL
D p
er H
ecta
re
“Threshold”
Degradation of Ecological Infrastructure
• Development decisions use mostly social and financial considerations
• Responses may result in short term ‘maladaptations’
• Unintended consequences
River Catchments
Farming, Forestry, Urban
NEMA, Roads, Impoundments,
Water Local, Regional,
Provincial, National Floods, Drought
Climate change
Socio-economic
International best practice
Erosion Voting
Lack of capacity Hard engineering solutions
Clearing of Palmiet Monitoring
Eden Coastline
Property Owners Property Developers
NEMA, ICMP, SPLUMA
Foredunes Local, Regional,
Provincial, National Sea surges
Climate change
Socio-economic
International best practice
Coastal erosion Voting
Lack of capacity Hard engineering solutions
Coastal stabilization Monitoring
Where to from here?
• Navigating a new, sustainable future for the catchment
• Developing a shared vision with stakeholders
• Supported by good science
• Developing and implementing a local management plan
• Collaborative governance through a Catchment Forum
• Adaptive co-management: learning, experimentation, reflection, adaptation
“Getting our act together for sustainable catchment management for resilient ecological infrastructure”
