The Working for Water programme was launched in 1995 and is administered through the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. The programme works in partnership with local communities which it provides with jobs, and also with government departments including the then Departments of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Agriculture, and Trade and Industry, provincial departments of agriculture, conservation and environment, research foundations and...

Despite the widespread distribution and extent of alien invasive species in South Africa, actions to control such plants have had some good results. In the fight against invasive alien plant species, the Working for Water programme has used various methods including mechanical methods, chemical methods, biological control, and integrated control.

Alien plant species pose a major threat to South Africa’s native biodiversity. It is estimated that more than 9 000 plant species have been introduced so far. Of these, about 198 species are deemed invasive, covering 10 per cent of the country. Since the invasive plants grow by an estimated 5 per cent a year, their presence has dramatic effects on both native species and ecosystems as well as economic activities in the area. In particular, alien ...

The goal of the Working on Fire programme is to protect life and livelihoods and ensure a sustainable and well balanced environment. The programme is advocating and assisting with good land management strategies and an integrated fire management regime. At the same time, the programme contributes to black economic empowerment, skills development, social equity and accelerated service delivery that work towards poverty alleviation. The empowerment...

Wetlands are essential in providing and storing freshwater, but today more than half of South Africa’s wetlands have been destroyed or degraded and it is estimated that by 2025 South Africa will suffer from water scarcity.

Population growth puts pressure on coastal ecosystems. Increased population means growing demand for land for housing and infrastructure, increased use of living resources for food, and more use of available freshwater resources. The negative environmental impacts of the shipping industry also harm the coastal ecosystem. Impacts from shipping include oil spills and the discharge of ballast water and waste into the sea, which affect the quality of...

Although the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Index ranks South Africa as a middle-income country, the way in which income is distributed across the population is highly skewed. Some 39 per cent of the population, estimated at more than 49 million people, lives on less than R 388 a month. One consequence of poverty and high levels of unemployment is social unrest. A large proportion of South Africa’s poor population...

The Social Responsibility Programme was initiated in 1999 under the then Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and represents an important part of the Environment and Culture sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The programme contributes to alleviating poverty, reducing unemployment and strengthening the population’s general skill base. It aims to address the following core responsibilities of DEAT: to create job...

South Africa is recognised as the third most megadiverse country in the world. The abundance of biodiversity found within its borders covers an estimated ten per cent of the world’s plant species, seven per cent of all bird, six per cent of all mammal, and five per cent of all reptile species found on the planet. Due to various causes ranging from unsustainable land use and farming practices, to invasion by alien species and climate change, So...

Wildfires mostly affect rural settlements, but to an increasing degree also urban areas, which have developed in fire-prone areas. The impact of wildfires in natural vegetation on the poorest groups of the population cannot be overstated. Many informal settlements are located in the transition zone between densely settled land and land carrying high fuel loads. If not properly managed such areas pose a high risk of wildfires, which may inflict se...

The Social Responsibility Programme was initiated in 1999 under the then Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and represents an important part of the Environment and Culture sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The programme contributes to alleviating poverty, reducing unemployment and strengthening the population’s general skill base. It aims to address the following core responsibilities of DEAT: to create job...

For the focus areas Batang Toru and Tripa in the two main orangutan habitats (forest on non-peatlands and peat) it was calculated what the values (USD/ha) would be of the avoided CO2 emissions over a period of 25 years. For Batang Toru these ranged from 3,711-11,185 USD/ha and for Tripa from 7,420-22,094 USD/ha. Net present values (NPV) per hectare were calculated using the model in Butler et al. (2009) with the following prices (range per tCO2 ...

Under Indonesian law, areas that qualify for protection are based on slope (>40%), sensitive soil types, elevation (above 2000m), and peat land (>3m), thereby preventing any man-made development within most of the Sumatran orangutan’s habitat. Certain sensitive soil types, including deep peat, buffer zones along river banks and around other water sources, and the upper reaches of water catchment areas.

Sumatran orangutan habitat offers excellent opportunities for tourism, including direct viewing of orangutans and other diverse wildlife, jungle treks and caving, rafting and bathing in rivers and hot springs, and even unspoilt sandy beaches where the forest meets the sea.

Although the burning of peat is forbidden by Indonesian law, more than 458 fire hotspots have been detected by satellite in Tripa during the last 10 years, the vast majority being located within palm oil concessions.

Opportunity costs for the transition from forest to other land uses between 1994-2009 in Tripa and 1990-2009 in Batang Toru are shown. For the transition to the most profitable land-use a price of slightly more than USD 10 per tCO2 would have been sufficient to offset opportunity costs in Batang Toru. For Tripa this value is lower because of the below ground carbon stocks in the peatlands.

Using satellite images, land use changes were determined at Batang Toru (2001-2009) and Tripa (2001-2009) to calculate overall CO2 emissions. Deforestation in both areas led to different land use transitions, with the predominant land use in Batang Toru after deforestation being disturbed forest and in Tripa, oil palm plantations.

The main driver for forest loss on peat areas in the Leuser Ecosystem was oil palm development between 1985 and 2007, while for forest on non-peatlands other land uses than oil palm contributed more to land use changes.

The three coastal peat swamps of Tripa, Kluet and Singkil together represent the most important habitat for Sumatran oran-gutan populations in terms of density (van Schaik et al. 1995). When considering that the depth of the peat exceeds more than five metres in many parts of Aceh’s peatlands, these coastal peat swamp forests represent by far the largest carbon stocks per unit area for the areas where Sumatran orangutans occur (Wahyunto et al. ...

All great ape species predominantly live in tropical rainforests, which are among the most carbon-rich areas in the world. This overlap between the areas where great apes occur and carbon indicates that more potential synergies between great apes and carbon conservation exist.