THE BIODIVERSITY ECONOMY AND

CONSERVATION PLANNING:

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

Lizanne (E. J.) Nel – Conservation Manager SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association

Email: Lizanne@sahunt.co.za

13th National Biodiversity Planning Forum – June 2016

SUSTAINABLE / RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT

CONSERVATION PLANNING

MiningCBA’s

FEPA

?

STATE & FUTURE OF “NATURAL” AREAS (various ecological conditions)

PROTECTED

AREAS

COMMUNAL

AREASEXTENSIVE PRIVATE LAND / GAME FARMS

• Assumed ecological

condition

• METT 49%

• Restitution –

protection level ?

• Funding ↓

• Compete as landuse?

SE

TT

LE

ME

NT

SCONSERVATION PLANNING

CONSERVATION: AFRICA

• Major shortfalls in

financial support for

most PA’s in Africa

• Political commitment

often toward socio-

economic development

and not conservation

• Africa’s population has

tripled in last 40 years to

1.166 miljard in 2015

Hluhluwe – Imfolozi

Fuleni Mine

PROTECTED

AREAS

COMMUNAL

AREASEXTENSIVE PRIVATE LAND / GAME FARMS

SE

TT

LE

ME

NT

SCONSERVATION PLANNING

• Assumed ecological

condition ?

• Capacity ↓

• Profitability ↓

• Compete as landuse?

STATE & FUTURE OF “NATURAL” AREAS (various ecological conditions)

COMPARATIVE VALUE OF COMMUNAL LAND

Private Land R2-8,000/ha Communal Land R232/ha

Greg Parent research on how market access reduces vulnerability and use of

natural resources (in prep)

Annual output from land use activities in Benda Mutali

communal area

Activity Total Output Output per Hectare1Output per

Household

Crops 97,185 4.19 171

Livestock 1,737,474 74.89 3,048

Natural Resources 2,537,184 109.36 4,451

Labor 1,017,279 43.85 1,785

Total 5,389,122 232.29 9,455 1 Area based on mapping exercise with community to calculate spatial extent of production, estimated to be 23,200 hectares.

De-institutionalised

Dual Economy

Rich institutions

Child, B. 2013 Presentation to the Scientific Authority

PROTECTED

AREAS

COMMUNAL

AREASEXTENSIVE PRIVATE LAND / GAME FARMS

SE

TT

LE

ME

NT

S

• 17 million ha - 16% national estate

• 3x the land of formal PA

• Assumed ecological condition

• 43% some form of intensive breeding

• 6% intensification, further growth projected

• Actual ecological condition ?

CONSERVATION PLANNING

STATE & FUTURE OF “NATURAL” AREAS (various ecological conditions)

CBA

• Endangered

Springbok

Turf -Thorn

veldt

• Corridor

INTENSIVE GAME BREEDING CAMPS

CONSERVATION PLANNINGFOCUS ON BIODIVERSITY VALUE

LANDOWNER/POLITICAL DECISIONS DRIVEN BY FINANCIAL

VALUE

Sustainability – responsibility......... Environmental integrity Social equity + responsibility Economic efficiency

WHICH ONE

IS DRIVING

LANDUSE

CHANGE ?

GOVERNMENT’S 9 POINT PLAN TO GROW THE ECONOMY

Revitalising agriculture and the agro-processing value chain

Adding value to our mineral wealth (advancing beneficiation and support to the engineering and

metals value chain)

More effective implementation of a higher impact Industrial Policy Action Plan

Unlocking the potential of small, medium and micro enterprises, cooperatives and township enterprises

Operation Phakisa (Oceans Economy, Mining, Health, Tourism, Basic Education, etc)

Encouraging private sector investment

Resolving the energy challenge

Moderating workplace conflict

State reform and boosting the role of state-owned companies, information and communications technology

infrastructure or broadband roll-out, water, sanitation and transport infrastructure

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

National B

iodiversity Econom

y Strategy (LA

B)

WILDLIFE SECTOR, GROWING CONSISTENTLY FASTER THAN THE

GENERAL ECONOMY, CONTRIBUTING R 3 BILLION TO GDP IN 2014

SOURCE: National Biodiversity Economy Strategy & Stats SA

Wildlife Sector

Growth p.a.

General GDP

Growth p.a.

9.2%

-1.54%

13.5%

3.04%

9.9%

3.21%

9.3%

2.22%

4.5%

2.21%

9.3%

1.52%

201420122010

2.11

2009 2011

1.87

2008

2.883.01

2013

2.352.61

1.66

Wildlife GDP contribution

LAB VISION: WILDLIFE - ESTABLISH AN ECONOMY THAT CONTRIBUTES

TO THE WELL-BEING OF ALL SOUTH AFRICANS

Aspiration

Objectives

An inclusive, sustainable and responsive wildlife economy that grows at

10% p.a until at least 2030, while providing a foundation for social well-

being and maintaining the ecological resource base

Transformation2 ▪ 30% of wildlife businesses PDI owned

▪ PDI ownership of >5 million Ha, and access to another >5 million Ha

▪ 4,000 PDI owned SMMEs supported to engage in the wildlife economy

1 ▪ Average yearly sector GDP increase of ~10%

▪ Create 100,000 new jobs

Sustainability3 ▪ 5 million ha of non-protected areas contributing towards conservation

target (AICHI)

▪ 3.5% animal population net growth p.a.

SHORT TO MID-TERM TARGETS FOR 4 OF 15 LAB INITIATIVESInitiative: TargetYear

Identify and prioritize 10m Ha for

transformation of wildlife economy12018 10m ha land mapped

and prioritised

Establish, develop and support new

wildlife ranching entrants through

infrastructure support and game

donation programmes

2

2020 60 projects completed

Operationalise 11 biodiversity

economy nodes (BENs)52021

11 BENs established

Formalize SA game meat market and

create a network of game meat

processing facilities7

2021 2,500 jobs created

18,5K tons of game

meat

LAB: CHALLENGES PREVENTING GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION OF

THE WILDLIFE ECONOMY HAPPEN AT FULL POTENTIAL

▪ Insufficient interdepartmental coordination and

understanding of the benefits of the bio-economy

▪ Insufficient knowledgebase (research and access)

▪ Gaps in industry standards (and compliance)

▪ Excessive and inefficient permitting

▪ Unsupportive legislative regime

– Misalignment of SPLUMA and PDALFB (Land

use)

– NEMBA lacking in enabling provisions

– Misalignment of provincial and/or national

hunting legislation

▪ Lack of sufficient collaboration platform for the industry

▪ Lack of capacity (human and financial) to effectively

manage and harness the potential of wildlife resources

▪ Lack of a formal game meat industry

▪ Insufficient access, ownership and

inefficient utilization of land

▪ Lack of infrastructure development

support for entrepreneurs

▪ Lack of access to ‘startup’ game

▪ Lack of organized governance amongst

community and emerging entrepreneurs

▪ Lack of technical skills, oversight,

business support and effective business

and partnership models

▪ Lack of access to finance and incentives

for transformation

▪ Insufficient government endorsement

for hunting as a tourism activity

▪ Untapped black consumer potential

▪ Insufficient societal value given to

wildlife resources and understanding

of the sustainable use concept

▪ Insufficient awareness and capitalisation

of the value of mixed wildlife/livestock

interfaces

▪ Insufficient mechanism addressing

and containing risks and threats to the

ecological resource base in further

growing the biodiversity economy

Risk of future growth stagnationII Unsupportive enabling environmentIIIBarriers to transformationI

CHALLENGES: PRODUCTION SYSTEMS & LANDUSE CLASSES

Return on

Investment 11%

Semi-Extensive

3%

Intensive Extensive / PA ?

8% / <1%

Risks to biodiversity

and wildlife economy

Habitat loss &

fragmentation

Loss of genetic integrity /

adaptability

Reputational damage

and business risk

Loss in threatened

species & predators

Some impact on

ecological integrity

Some predator removal

Business viability risk –

climate change?

Competing as a

landuse with mining?

Generally compatible

with low risks to

biodiversity and

wildlife economy

Limited areas

available

Misalignment between classes in the PDALFB and SPLUMA,

specifically classes 1-8 of the PDALFB

Conflict between essential biodiversity areas for the Wildlife Economy

and high potential agricultural land

Landuse Classes

COMPETATIVENESS OF LANDUSES - “NATURAL” AREAS

PROTECTED

AREAS

COMMUNAL

AREASEXTENSIVE PRIVATE LAND / GAME FARMS

FO

RE

ST

RY

MIN

ING

SE

TT

LE

ME

NT

S

LA

ND

CL

AIM

S

Extensive

IntensiveFRAGMENTATION

INTEGRITY

CONSERVATION PLANNING OPPORTUNITIESInitiatives

Identify and prioritize 10m Ha for

transformation of wildlife economy1

Establish, develop and support new

wildlife ranching entrants through

infrastructure support and game

donation programmes

2

Operationalise Biodiversity economy

nodes (BENs)5

Formalize SA game meat market and

create a network of game meat

processing facilities

7

• Address landuse classes in light of

Wildlife Economy

• Intensive game farming, similar to

agricultural production systems, include

in habitat modification classes - zone

differently

• Develop classes for economic

contribution (societal and financial) –

incentives for conservation compatible

landuses

• Consider risks: business risks (financial)

and environmental

Conservation planning –

expand input layers

Opportunities

COMPETITIVE LANDUSE OPTIONSDi Minin et al. 2013

• Spatial planning to guide process

• Typical conservation planning with risks

layers...but.......add economic layers:

Spatial economic return models for

land use classes, including

accounting for economic benefits

from conservation – e.g. ecosystem

services

Economic contribution of different

production systems (societal + ROI)

e.g. hunting, tourism, meat

production etc.

DIFFERENT WILDLIFE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Return on

Investment

Value of ecosystem services (R/

1000 ha)

11%

R2,305

Semi-Extensive

3%

R7,059

Intensive Extensive / PA ?

8% / <1%

R8,500

Risks to biodiversity

and wildlife economy

Habitat loss &

fragmentation

Loss of genetic integrity /

adaptability

Reputational damage

and business risk

Loss in threatened

species & predators

Some impact on

ecological integrity

Some predator removal

Business viability risk –

climate change?

Competing as a

landuse with mining?

Generally compatible

with low risks to

biodiversity and

wildlife economy

Limited areas

available

Jobs (per 1000 ha) 11 permanent

28 total

variety/depth

17 permanent

43 total

variety/depth

33 permanent

133 total

variety/depth

COMPETITIVE LANDUSE OPTIONSDi Minin et al. 2013

• Spatial planning to guide process

• Typical conservation planning with risks

layers...but.......add economic layers:

Spatial economic return models for

land use classes that account for

economic benefits from conservation –

e.g. ecosystem services

Economic contribution of different

production systems (societal + ROI)

e.g. hunting, tourism, meat production

etc.

Simultaneous achievement of

transformation and economics – land

claim/restitution layer

Assessment needed to

determine BENS

throughout the country

Restituted/communal areas unlocked

for wildlife economy 45,900ha

CBA protected 34,100ha

Protected area expansion 42,800ha

7,184 jobs: In area 1,796 permanent

+1875 temporary; 5,388 indirect)

SMME opportunities in wildlife value

chain: tourism; hunting; meat

processing; taxidermy; tannery; curio;

alien plant clearing; Nguni; etc.

Growth in support industries

Savings in PA expansion - proclamation

of communal land R282 mil

Leveraged investment R1.2 billion of

which > 50% from private sector

Increase of communal land value >3X

NODES ENABLE CONSERVATION TO COMPETE

AS LANDUSE : ACHIEVE CONSERVATION +

ECONOMIC GROWTH

THANK YOU

South African Hunters and Game Conservation

Association