The closure of the Friends of the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area (Fobwa) is a sad day for conservation in SA.
However, this announcement on Monday, while disheartening, carries a silver lining that offers hope for the future of conservation in our country.
But it also sends out warning bells for the sector as it battles poaching, invasive alien plants, lack of manpower, and a myriad other eco-problems.
For more than two decades, the dedicated group of volunteers has worked hard to protect and preserve the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, one of the country’s most precious natural assets.
The hope is the closure will mark the turning point in the malaise that has seen the erosion of the critical public-private partnerships that drive conservation in the country.
The donation of Fobwa’s funds to the Wilderness Foundation Africa is a positive step.
The foundation’s focus on creating eco-linkages and supporting conservation efforts through eco-tourism and community upliftment gives hope for the future of conservation.
Fobwa Trust chair Taz Zacharie said the organisation was happy to hand the money to the Wilderness Foundation Africa.
The foundation’s CEO, Dr Andrew Muir, said it was appropriate that rhino conservation would be the central beneficiary of the R61,000 donation.
He said there were about 400 protected areas across SA but up to 70% of these entities were unable to sustain themselves and the aim was to create eco-linkages wherever possible.
“Eastern Cape conservation has lost a limb,” Muir said.
“However, today marks the closing of a chapter — but it doesn’t need to be the end of the story.”
He is right that hard questions need to be asked about the future of conservation.
It demands political will, difficult questions, and a renewed commitment to volunteerism.
The future of conservation in SA hinges on public-private partnerships, and the government must find ways to formalise and value these initiatives before it is too late.
HeraldLIVE
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