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FEATURE

Environmental and Rural The highland catchment area of Matatiele
Solutions (ERS), based in
Matatiele in the Eastern

Cape, has just celebrated
its 20th anniversary. ERS
is a partner of WWF and

the WWF Nedbank Green
Trust.

lANDSCAPES AND lIVElIHOODS

e are rural people who want to environmental conservation if we improve wood into kiln-size logs and bake them in
do good for other rural people”, their livelihoods,” Matela explains. two kilns at 600° C. One kiln uses one ton
“Wsays soil scientist Sissie Matela of wattle wood to produce up to 180 kg of
of ERS, a non-profit social enterprise that she WWF’s water source areas manager, Samir eco-friendly charcoal.
and environmental scientist Nicky McLeod Randera-Rees, who works closely with
established in the Eastern Cape village of ERS and who helped lead a recent WWF The project is supported by Avocado
Matatiele 20 years ago. Nedbank Green Trust field trip to the area, Vision, a small business development
says: “The projects are not only critical for company whose MD, Henry Sebata,
Matatiele is situated in the upper local livelihoods and conservation, they are explains: “We change this liability into
uMzimvubu river catchment, which is also critical for the whole country because an asset; in turn it frees up water and
part of the southern Maloti Drakensberg this is one of a handful of strategic water we can start the process of grassland
watershed, extending to the river’s mouth source areas (SWSAs) in South Africa.” rehabilitation where the wattles have been
in the Indian Ocean at Port St Johns. The removed. Our vision is to help to drive
third largest river system in southern Africa, SWSAs cover less than 10% of South the eradication of alien invasive species
it is every bit a water factory, draining over Africa’s land surface but provide more through micro-enterprises and SMMEs.
two million hectares and contributing to than 50% of the entire country’s water. The team clears two to four hectares in a
the country’s water supply for hundreds of The country is disproportionately reliant month and the project is certified by the
kilometres, as far as Johannesburg. on water from the SWSAs, and they need Forest Stewardship Council.”
to be carefully managed at all levels – from
Both women have done exceptional work policy and legislation, all the way to what Organic vegetable gardens
in improving rural livelihoods through happens on the ground. Another WWF Nedbank Green Trust
a series of ‘landscapes and livelihoods’ project in the greater Matatiele area is
projects. They received WWF’s Living The Matatiele region is ideal cattle country, supporting 120 smallhold farmers to
Planet Award in 2019 in recognition of with rich grasslands and wetlands. Healthy establish and maintain organic vegetable
being an agency in action. grasslands, soils and wetlands are integral gardens using natural compost and grey-
to water management; they slow down the water bucket filter systems to water the
Over two decades, Matela, McLeod, their water flow from the top of the catchment vegetables. Also part of the UCP effort is
ERS team and partners have incrementally that recharges the rivers and streams, and a WWF Nedbank Green Trust project that
created jobs and increased sustainable form a landscape ‘sponge system’ whereby is making headway on the construction
self-employment, predominantly through the water can be absorbed across these of 18 spring capture systems. These will
livestock farming – the main source of areas and slowly released during the offer fresh, clean quality water to 600
income in the area – as well as through course of the year. households in 12 villages.
micro-enterprises, and by training a team
of young people to be part of ERS. More “Well-managed grazing keeps the A 20th anniversary celebration for ERS
recent projects include the development grasslands and wetlands healthy, and was held in Matatiele, where Matela and
of smallholder vegetable farming and a the soil mantle intact,” McLeod explains. McLeod were honoured for their work with
pilot micro-enterprise that removes alien ‘Unmanaged grazing leads to grassland the rural people of the area. At the event,
invasive wattle trees from the riverbanks degradation and severe soil erosion, which WWF CEO Morné du Plessis remarked:
to make eco-friendly charcoal. undermines the water catchment system, “The scale of the work being undertaken
as is evident in large parts of this province. here motivates us to bring the full might
All ERS projects are centred on growing the of public-private partnerships to this
green value business chain through the Ecochar project and to all those we are involved in
uMzimvubu Catchment Partnership (UCP), To tackle the wattle infestation in the throughout South Africa.”
a community programme of landscape region’s river courses, an eco-friendly
and water rehabilitation, combined with charcoal production enterprise, Ecochar, Text and photos supplied by Levergy/
a managed livestock grazing regime, in is being piloted in one of the tributaries M&Csaatchi
partnership with six local chieftainships. of the uMzimvubu river. Here, local people
“Our work starts with people’s livelihoods, cut down alien invasive silver wattles from For more information on the projects visit
as it’s so much easier to engage people in parts of the riverine area. They reduce the www.greentrust.org.za. n

16 Landscape SA • Issue 122 2023