HIGH SLENT, the 260 hectare farm of Chris and Judy New in the Perdeberg region, which is well-known for its renosterveld and granite fynbos, will soon be the latest addition to the stewardship program of Cape Nature whereby private landowners can get involved in releasing the pressure on biodiversity.
This area is one of 19 areas in the Western Cape who will receive their stewardship status soon.
The key objective of this project is to provide an evaluation of voluntary conservation sites in terms of their habitat status, management efficiency and generic management guidelines and plans, a spokesperson of Cape Nature said.
The stewardship within CapeNature and CAPE (Cape Action for People and the Environment) refers to the wise use, management and protection of that which has been entrusted to you.
Within the context of conservation, stewardship means wisely using natural resources that you have been entrusted with on your property, protecting important ecosystems, effectively managing alien invasive species and fires, and grazing or harvesting without damaging the veld.
“You negotiate different time frames to be part of the stewardship program, but the land always belongs to you. If you sell the land the new owners can re-negotiate a new contract and time frame,” Judy said.
High Slent, which was originally part of Slent farm which was granted in 1707, is a bird watcher’s paradise and hikers often make use of this area.
The vision of the stewardship program is threefold, a spokesperson of Cape Nature said.
It ensures that privately owned areas with high biodiversity value receive secure conservation status and are linked to a network of other conservation areas in the landscape.
Landowners who commit their property to a stewardship option, will enjoy tangible benefits for their conservation actions.
This stewardship also expands biodiversity conservation by encouraging commitment to, and implementation of, good biodiversity management practice, in such a way that the private landowner becomes an empowered decision-maker.
