Northern Areas
Contact Details
18 Blackwood Street, Bryanston, Extension 3
P.O. Box 435, Ferndale, 2160
Tel: (011) 462-5663
Fax: (011) 462-8364
info@wessanorth.co.za
Gauteng
Gauteng, Africa's economic powerhouse, although by far the smallest province geographically, is the most populous of the country's provinces. Some 11.2 million people, or 22.4% of the total population of South Africa, live in the province. Intensive mining, industrial, commercial and residential development threatens biodiversity conservation and water resources in the area. More than seventy percent of the province falls within the grassland biome. With this in mind, WESSA in Gauteng concentrates much of its effort on the conservation of grasslands, wetlands and water resources. We involve ourselves in all Environmental Impact Assessments in sensitive areas and participate extensively in catchment and wetland management forums and in the SANBI Grasslands Programme.
Through the One Stop Dry Domestic Recycling Shop initiative, WESSA Northern Areas seeks to influence people, through a process of education, for action in reducing, reusing and recycling materials in the home and workplace.
Our environmental education efforts are concentrated in the Eco Schools Programme, The Eskom Energy and Sustainability Programme and the Corporate Volunteer Programme (CVP). The CVP involves learners, educators and community members working together with volunteers to address environmental management issues and promote environmental learning.
North West Province
North West can be divided into three distinct regions each with its unique biodiversity; Eastern Kalahari Bushveld, Dry Highveld Grassland and Central Bushveld. Key areas for Biodiversity Conservation are the majestic Magaliesberg mountain range, The Vredefort Dome World Heritage site and Barberspan, a Ramsar site.
Major threats in the area are:
- Mining and Prospecting
- Collapse of the municipal infrastructure in many towns resulting in millions of litres of raw sewage flowing into rivers and dams,
- Rampant development, often illegal, especially in the Magaliesberg.
- The uncontrolled spread of alien vegetation.
WESSA has been actively developing partnerships and has become an integral part of many organisations such as the Magaliesberg Protection Association, Magaliesberg Biosphere Initiative, North West Conservancy Association and Birdlife Harties. WESSA is involved in the rolling out of Coordinated Water Bird Counts, the Birds of the Magaliesberg list, the North-West Birding Route, a number of Eco schools and more recently, the Cape Vulture Restaurant Project.
Limpopo
The period 2000 – 2010 saw two major changes in terms of WESSA’s involvement with land in Limpopo: the transfer of Ben Lavin Nature Reserve to the Manavhela Community, and the acquisition of Bushpigs Environmental Education Centre which came in the form of a donation to WESSA, after Kim Wilson had built it up to become one of the premier EE centres in South Africa.
Environmental issues in Limpopo have coalesced into two categories: short-term ‘crisis’ issues such as Rhino poaching, and long-term insidious threats, principally mining and water. A landmark case was decided in 2009 when a WESSA Friends Group, Friends of the Haenertsburg Grasslands, was instrumental in blocking a De Beers-led consortium from prospecting in pristine grassland near Haenertsburg.
Led by Marion Dunkeld-Mengell, the Friends of Nylsvley have supported Nylsvley Nature Reserve and the wider floodplain for many years now. Birdlife SA has also been a partner in this project and it is a wonderful example of how NGOs can work together.
The other key water area is the eastern escarpment where the Letaba River begins and where many tributaries of the Olifants also originate. WESSA has been involved with local schools, and Working for Water, in clearing alien plants from the montane grasslands and in creating awareness of their importance.
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga is an incredibly diverse province, stretching from the Highveld grasslands across the great escarpment to the Lowveld savannah. Most importantly however, Mpumalanga is the watershed for four major catchments: The Olifants; Vaal; Imfolozi/Pongola and Komati/Crocodile River Catchments.
Originally Mpumalanga comprised of 61% grasslands however 44% has been transformed by agriculture, forestry, mining and other development. These grasslands and wetlands are critically important for water quantity and quality as well as biodiversity. Currently demand for water exceeds the available water supply.
Mpumalanga is home to eight Eskom power stations and two coal –to-fuel plants. One of the greatest threats to Mpumalanga’s environment is coal mining. (See map below for mining applications - 2006). Non/mal-functioning waste water treatment works exacerbate the problem and.
A 2010 victory for Mpumalanga was the proclamation of the 23 600 hectare KwaMadlangampisi Protected Environment around the Wakkerstroom-Luneburg area. This protects many rare and endemic plant and animal species as well as the Phongola River headwaters.