Offered Papers Theme B: Grassland and the Environment
Description
This is an exciting new initiative under the second strategic priority for the Global Environment Programme (GEF)'s Biodiversity Focal Area: Mainstreaming biodiversity into productive landscapes and sector. The rationale is that whilst grassland biomes cover some 30% of South Africa, (within montane, coastal and high-veld systems) less than 3% is formally protected at national, provincial or private land-owner levels. Over 40% of the grasslands have been totally converted to other land usages and 30% is degraded. Forces of degradation and conversion (cultivation, forests, urban spread) continue. The issues of conservation are of land use and putting in place incentives to encourage beneficial use patterns (open grazing land and set aside areas) and using a set of disincentives to discourage negative land usages in sensitive areas.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
UNDP-GEF Grasslands Project: Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Productive Landscapes: The Southern African Grasslands Programme
This is an exciting new initiative under the second strategic priority for the Global Environment Programme (GEF)'s Biodiversity Focal Area: Mainstreaming biodiversity into productive landscapes and sector. The rationale is that whilst grassland biomes cover some 30% of South Africa, (within montane, coastal and high-veld systems) less than 3% is formally protected at national, provincial or private land-owner levels. Over 40% of the grasslands have been totally converted to other land usages and 30% is degraded. Forces of degradation and conversion (cultivation, forests, urban spread) continue. The issues of conservation are of land use and putting in place incentives to encourage beneficial use patterns (open grazing land and set aside areas) and using a set of disincentives to discourage negative land usages in sensitive areas.
