Stewardship

Provincial biodiversity stewardship programmes have been established in the Western Cape, KZN and Mpumalanga (amongst others) to secure priority biodiversity on private and communal land through formal legal and contractual arrangements. These programmes seek to address the various weaknesses of previous initiatives by conservation authorities to secure biodiversity with landowners, such as conservancies.

How it works
Biodiversity Stewardship programs work with landowners to draw up agreements of varying degrees of legal commitment and resulting benefits to the landowner:

the site can become a conservation area (a decision that is not legally binding and of no specific duration),
a landowner can enter into a legally binding biodiversity (management) agreement or a declared protected environment with a legal binding contract,
the property can be declared as a nature reserve, with a legally binding long-term contract, and with a title deed restriction.

All options are entered into voluntarily and the landowner retains the property title deed. As part of the agreement, the nature conservation agency draws up a biodiversity-focused management plan tailored to suit the specific needs of the owner and the property. As part of the agreement, the conservation authority usually undertakes all legal work to set up the contract and to ensure the relevant declaration. In addition, the conservation authority will provide conservation extension services, and possibly secure assistance of the agricultural and water sectors to assist with other extension advice. If secured as a protected environment or nature reserve, there are substantial benefits in terms of with rates and tax rebates and exemptions.