Projects
Gondwana Alive (GA) strives to implement strategic projects that will help us learn and improve efforts to restore biodiversity and improve lives.
Supporting the AEON Africa Alive Corridors Project - sustainably celebrating and conserving heritage
Description: GA projects focus on a network of 20 Africa Alive Corridors, each a unique piece of our natural, cultural and geological heritage, and each offering unique lessons from the past to inform the future. In November 2009, the AEON Africa Alive Corridor Project was officially recognized by the UNESCO Board for the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE) as one of two legacy projects for Africa. The Africa Alive Corridor project was initiated by Maarten de Wit of AEON (Africa Earth Observatory Network), and John Anderson, previously of SANBI (SA Biodiversity Institute) and currently an Associate Member of AEON and one of the Directors of Gondwana Alive.
Contribution: 20 Corridors described, Imizila educational tool developed and Africa-wide school olympiad initiated at Arusha IYPE Conference in 2009, Minimag (school environmental publication) contributions – 101 Africa Alive Strategies.
News: Springer (publisher) agree to publish a book on the Africa Alive Corridors; AEON use the Corridors as a framework for Earth Stewardship Science; GA strive to restore biodiversity, celebrate heritage and improve lives along the Corridors bringing them alive for local people (Make a donation); Gondwana Alive initiate research into tried and tested strategies (Make a donation).
Stewardship – Creating jobs & skills to support coastal management
In February 2010, GA in partnership with the Kommetjie Environmental Action Group (KEAG), launched a coastal steward project on South Africa’s Cape Peninsula. The South Peninsula is a node on a Africa Alive Corridor and a global biodiversity hotspot, under threat from a growing coastal population, associated development and increased demands on natural resources. The project addresses the Millenium Development goals to reduce poverty and ensure environmental sustainability. Locally, it addressed a need for jobs and skills development, and a need to support (i) the City of Cape Town with environmental management of a Coastal Conservancy, (ii) the Soetwater Environmental Education Centre with education and management of school groups, and (iii) Residents & Rate Payers with community outreach.
Contribution: In six months (Feb-Jul 2010)…
Economic: R400,000 investment in people, organizations and natural infrastructure of public benefit, 100% spent in local target area.
Social: Over 40% used to create jobs (2 per km of coast), increase knowledge, diversify skills and improve lives of 6 disadvantaged coastal stewards (3 female, 3 male) with ~24 dependents; supported environmental education of over 1000 youth; supported World Environment Day, World Cup Soccer and Mandela Day outreach events leaving 2 communities (1 disadvantaged) cleaner and greener, and over 200 children less hungry for a day.
Ecological: 300 indigenous trees & shrubs planted; contributed to rehabilitation (alien clearance, reseeding, erosion control) of ~30 hectares of natural habitat (fynbos, wetland, dune); strengthened environmental management of 250 hectare Coastal Conservancy with many endemic and rare plants and animals; saved water by supporting alien clearance from 30 hectares; removed over 1000 bags of waste and helped prevent tons of plastic washing into the Ocean by stabilizing an old beach dumpsite.
Institutional: Nearly 70% used to strengthen 2 public benefit organizations through contribution to operations, labour and promotion; pooled resources to strengthen 4 interventions (Conservancy, Education, Outreach, Stewardship) and promote cooperation between 5 enviro-socio agencies (City of Cape Town, KEAG, GA, KRRA, WESSA).
News: KEAG undertakes to maintain a coastal steward team within their organization for as long as possible; To enable a coast-wide sustainable coastal management support system GA undertakes to initiate development of a coastal steward learnership (Make a donation), and support the emerging WWF-SA Cape Peninsula – Coastal Conservation Partnership to promote and support the conservation development approach and grow the demand for steward services (Make a donation).
Other projects
Contact us to find out about or make a donation to the Green Energy Economy and Trail Network initiatives we are supporting in the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve.