Climate Change
Increasing the resilience of small-scale rooibos tea farmers to climate change (ZA 1361)
Rooibos tea is produced from the shrub Aspalathus linearis, which is endemic to the Cederberg and Bokkeveld regions of the Western and Northern Cape. Most commercial production relies on a pioneer sub-species of rooibos, grown from seedlings on lands previously cleared for production of cereals. A relatively small percentage of production has traditionally been contributed by poor, landless people harvesting the endemic sub-species of Aspalathus linearis, which is longer lived and (unlike its cultivated cousin) resistant to drought and fire.

This project will serve as a demonstration project with a view to building a future research program under WWF and partners on supporting adaptation to climate change in frontline ecosystems and communities. As the Provincial Department of Agriculture is understaffed and not well attuned to the necessity to promote adaptation strategies whilst conserving endemic biodiversity, the project will provide practical demonstration of how appropriate support to farmers can enhance the resilience of their enterprises whilst contributing to the conservation of biodiversity. Such demonstrations will include both enhanced resilience in cultivated lands, and enhancement of livelihoods through the sustainable harvesting of endemic sub-species of Aspalathus linearis.

Contact: Noel Oettle
Telephone: 027 218 1117
E-mail: dryland@global.co.za
Partner Website: Environmental Monitoring Group - www.emg.org.za
Funder Website: WWF-SA, The Table Mountain Fund - www.panda.org.za

Toxics
Operation Oxpecker (GT 1310)
Operation Oxpecker is aimed at preserving the existing populations of Yellowbilled Oxpeckers Buphagus africanus and Redbilled Oxpeckers Buphagus erythrorhynchus on privately owned and state owned land in South Africa and also at expanding these populations into other areas where oxpeckers used to occur before the introduction of oxpecker incompatible ectoparasiticides.

Contact: Gerhard Verdoorn
Telephone: 011 646 8617
E-mail: nesher@tiscali.co.za
Funder Website: The Green Trust - www.panda.org.za