Water Wheel Jan/Feb 2024: Water And The Environment

Abstract

New protection area offers valuable lifeline for South Africa’s grasslands Grasslands are one of the most prolific habitats on Earth. Depending on the definition, they cover between 20% and 40% of the world’s land area. Mostly because of its agricultural potential, the biome is also one of the fastest to have been converted. The tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome is now one of the planet’s most endangered, while temperate grasslands are considered the most altered terrestrial biome on the planet. The key to securing grasslands, and the knock-on benefits they provide, is the integration of agriculture and conservation in these biodiversity-rich landscapes, says Thembanani Nsibande, Manager of the Grasslands Programme at WWF South Africa. South Africa already has a long history of grassland conservation, practiced through a mix of formal protection, policy and collaboration with different landowners.

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