South Africa

Cooperation between the Rhön Biosphere Reserve, Germany and the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa

Coordination:
Rhön BR: Dr. Doris Pokorny doris.pokorny@brrhoenbayern.de
Kruger to Canyons BR: Ms Debby Thomson info@bushveldconnections.za

Biosphere Partnership: Latest Activities and Milestones

Background:
UNESCO-biosphere reserves are part of a World Network (WNBR) . The close exchange and sharing of knowledge, experience and information within the network has been declared as goal in the Madrid Action Plan (UNESCO 2008). Furthermore are biosphere reserves platforms for education for sustainable development. As "learning regions" they aim at transferring knowledge and at mutually sharing of "best practices" with others. Biosphere reserves are meant to assist each other on their path to greater sustainability. The Rhön as UNESCO biosphere reserve has become a well-known player in the world network and since many years has gained a strong profile on the international level in providing various consultancies.

The partnership between the Kruger-to-Canyons Biosphere Region (K2C BR) in South Africa and the Rhön Biosphere Reserve has been initiated by the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, Eschborn (GTZ). Kruger-to-Canyons Biosphere Region is situated in the south east of South Africa , bordering Mosambique (see map).

The two areas vary significantly as to scale: the K2C BR is 13 times larger than the Rhön BR and its population is 10 times larger than in the Rhön BR.

Despite the obvious structural, geographical and cultural differences the two areas have a lot in common such as:

• Focus on sustainable rural development, including nature conservation, on the basis of established links of conservation with tourism, agriculture and forestry

• Ecological and economic importance of abiotic resources and biodiversity, including agro-biodiversity

• Importance of local agricultural produce (including organic products facing an increased domestic/ international demand)

• Economical dependence on (outdoor-) eco-tourism and nature-oriented sports (with overnight stays as well as day tourism)

• Economical importance of handicrafts (food- and non-food sector)

• Land reforms due to past political systems (property restitution on collective farms of former GDR/ Land under claim due to the former Apartheid Regime)

• Risk of change in landscape through land use change

• Peripheral locality

• Differences within the BR in wealth/ employment due to political and social history

• Seeking new opportunities for disadvantaged groups like women in rural areas

• Importance of stakeholders involvement, especially of the private sector, interest groups and NGOs, while participatory approaches have not historically been used

• Need for BR coordination beyond administrative boundaries (Transboundary Provinces Rhön BR: Hesse, Thuringia, Bavaria; K2C BR: Limpopo, Mpumalanga).

The intention is that from both BRs representatives from similar stakeholder groups (private sector, associations, NGOs, administration, science, municipalities etc.) should participate in the programme, in order to facilitate a meaningful peer-to-peer learning exchange and to design the fields of cooperation. Project coordinators of the biosphere administration units logistically support the cooperation.

 

Weitere Seiten:

South Africa -Seite 2

visit_report_by_rhoen-1.pdf

visit_report_by_K2C-1.pdf