Do your part for urban conservation
The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Urban Conservation project,launched in January encourages city-dwellers to conserve wildlife in the face of devastating urbanisation by logging wildlife sightings around Johannesburg.
“Over 50 percent of the world’s human population now lives in urban areas and it is no longer enough to focus all our conservation efforts on protected areas because these are diminishing rapidly, and urban areas are host to activities that have environmental impacts on areas far from their origin,” said project co-ordinator Emily Taylor.
One of the main impacts of urban development is fragmentation of habitats, which has serious consequences. Inbreeding weakens isolated animal populations as genetic mixing becomes impossible, and wildlife cannot migrate when habitats are destroyed. Predator-prey relationships, water catchment and filtration, and pollination are disastrously disrupted.
Highly urbanised and subject to rapid human population growth, Gauteng is of particular interest.
“There is actually not much known about the wildlife composition of the area, particularly as it is a site to which many species have been introduced… Urban areas are also host to species that have, over time, adapted specific coping mechanisms in order to survive in the harsh urban environment,” said Taylor.
Working with organisations including Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Generation Earth, and Wits University, the project is building a database of residents’ wildlife sightings. Reports to date include porcupine, African hedgehog, small spotted genet, giant bullfrog, and the endangered African grass owl.
The trust also helps manage Modderfontein Reserve, bringing significant conservation rewards such as the return of the iconic blue crane.
Once it is known where species occur, whether they conflict with human populations, and how they have adapted to the urban environment, the project will consider how to optimise its conservation impact.
According to Taylor, what makes this project unique is its holistic approach, engaging communities, government, NGOs and private stakeholders to ensure the natural environment is considered valuable to everyone.
“Our main obstacle is not a lack of interest but rather a lack of awareness… Our main focus is therefore on awareness raising and encouraging participation,” Taylor concluded.
Details: emilyt@ewt.org.za; @EWTUrban; www.ewt.org.za
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