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DAY 1 - WORKING SESSIONS- 5TH NOVEMBER 2001

The delegates attending the Congress reconvened for the first of four days of Wilderness Working Sessions. more...

Wilderness Foundation to manage Shamwari wilderness

First wilderness area in Africa legally declared on privately owned land -- Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa announced and formally signed a legally binding legal instrument -- a "servitude" -- to manage 10% of its land (currently equaling a over 3,00 ha or 7,500 acres) wilderness, with no roads, no buildings, etc...

As a result of the Shamwari Game Reserve announcement of the first wilderness area in Africa declared on private land under legal servitude, at least three other private landowners at the 7th WWC have immediately acted to begin similar designation on their properties. Among them is Carl Hilker, US based pilot and philanthropist, a director of The WILD Foundation and the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and a private landowner in Namibia.

Renowned Kenyan activist and community leader, Wangari Mathai, exhorted delegates to include local communities in their plans and vision for wilderness. "Wilderness and Human Communities is the theme
of this 7th WWC, and the local people are your allies...use them" said Ms Mathai.

View the days schedule

DAY 1 - DAY 1 WORKING SESSIONS

Terry Tanner, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana

Having spent the Sunday following the Congress on various tours to the Alexandra Dunes, Addo Elephants National Park, or out to 'meet the people' in townships around Port Elizabeth, the delegates attending the Congress reconvened for the first of four days of Wilderness Working Sessions. In these sessions papers on major themes, models and issues will be delivered and a brief Q and A session follows, allowing a more interactive aspect to the proceedings.

Day One opened with a session on private sector wilderness, chaired by Prof. Richard Cowling, of the Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, UPE. In his opening words he introduced the idea of using mapping systems to highlight the replace-ability of area habitat types and through this showed that the majority of the Cape Floral Region (CFR) is irreplaceable. He also suggested that since protected areas and wilderness areas tended to be those areas that Man had no economic use for the protection of a satisfactorily wide diversity of ecosystems and habitats was proving a major problem. Finally, in a reaffirmation of many of the speeches heard here, he stressed the need for the private sector to play a role in conserving the CFR, thus delivering benefits for both wildlife and the local community.

In introducing Mr Adrian Gardiner, founder of the Shamwari Game Reserve, we were about the get a first hand example of this. When setting up the reserve Adrian Gardiner had four goals: restoring the land after many years of agricultural use, the reintroduction of animals, the involvement of the local community, and the establishment of a wilderness area. He announced that yesterday the fourth and last of these goals had been achieved by the formal handover of 1300 ha of his reserve to the Wilderness Foundation, to be managed with appropriate wilderness management. Thus was created Africa's first legally designated private wilderness area. Dr. Johan Joubert then outlined the management of the new wilderness area, the zoning of the area into pristine and semi-pristine wilderness areas surrounded by a buffer zone. The removal of all signs of human impact was necessary in the wilderness area, involving the removal of fences and alien plants. In order to maintain the integrity of the wilderness experience only 16 people would be allowed into the area at any one time. Dr. Ian Player hailed the initiative as one of the most exciting things to have happened in South African conservation. Immediately after the talk Mr Vance Martin was pleased to announce the interest of Mr Karl Hilker, a US citizen owning 3000 ha of land in Namibia, in establishing a similar private wilderness himself.

Adrian Gardiner (c., Shamwari Game Reserve) and colleagues announce privately owned, legal wilderness

In the next session, Wilderness - Tribal and Communal, Dr. Chris Brown, Director of Namibia Nature Foundation, spoke of the Khoadi Hoas, a conservancy or communal wilderness in Namibia. He described a conservancy as a group of people working together, each member a rightful custodian of the wildlife and other natural resources. The conservancy is a combination of farming, community and wildlife areas with animals able to use much of the same land as the people. This is good example of indigenous people creating their own community-based conservation concept protecting both environmental and farming interests in a working relationship. These ideas were enlarged upon by Mr Terry Tanner, of the Confederated Sailash and Kootenai Tribes of the Mission Mountains of Montana, USA. A similar scheme here ensures the continuation of the traditions and livelihood of the Flathead Indians and the protection of the wilderness areas within their reservation.

The last session before lunch included two talks, one about the management of the Baviaanskloof, the second about the Lake St Lucia World Heritage Park. Prof. Graham Kerley, of the Terrestrial Ecology Unit, University of Port Elizabeth and Mr Leon Els, Regional Manager of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism graphically illustrated the importance of the Baviaanskloof. The 194,000 ha of Baviaanskloof contains 6 of the 7 biomes of South Africa (Kruger National Park by contrast has only one) and is home to 1100 species of plant and up to 46 species of medium-sized mammals. It is hoped that the region could eventually support the 'Big 5' - elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. Also stressed was the enormous range of environmental ecosystem services provided by the area, including the main water source for the Mandela Metropolitan Area. The sadly too often spoken of threats of overgrazing, inappropriate development and the impact of alien plants and animals were highlighted but a comprehensive development plan is in place with the hope one day that the Baviaanskloof will become a mega-reserve unequalled in South Africa. Similar issues were addressed in reference to the Lake St Lucia Park, with particular mention made of the ban on mining in the southern coastal region - a defining moment in the South African conservation movement.

The afternoon sessions were run concurrently and provided further, more detailed insight into the science and stewardship of wilderness and protected areas. Fascinating talks, by among others Mr Bill Bainbridge, a director of the Wilderness Action Group, regarding the creation of a buffer zone to the east of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, KwaZulu-Natal. Mr Mark Botha, of the Botanical Society of South Africa, introduced a scheme that aims to conserve the unique biodiversity of much of the South Africa veld by forming agreements with local farmers through incentives and support. This scheme seemed not dissimilar in essence to the agri-environmental schemes practised in the European Union. Other sessions exploring the value of wilderness in relation to mind and spirit, and wilderness and jurisprudence also take place over the next three days.

The highlight of the day for many, however, leaving us inspired and brimful of indignant but positive energy to tackle the issues confronting many of the environmental groups present, came with the introduction of the last speaker of the morning session. What followed was one the most moving, pertinent and heartfelt speeches of the Congress. Prof. Wangari Maathi, of the Greenbelt Movement, spoke passionately of the need of all indigenous people to regain the connection with the land they were born to, that their ancestors understood so well and incorporated into their culture and belief systems. So much understanding of the environment had been lost in so few years due in part to the misconceptions of plantation owners, and other foreign business interests, and further by new religions supplanting old.

As an example, Prof. Maathi explained that in days gone by, the old religion told of God living on the holy mountain, Mount Kenya, thus ensuring the area was protected and stewarded by the local people. Today this spiritual connection with the land has been broken and the destruction of the environment around Mount Kenya means relatively little even to those who live there. She questioned the wisdom of fencing animal parks and separating people from nature. The whole process of divorcing local communities from the land they have for so long lived in is fundamentally flawed, the people have less power to resist the exploitation, and it breeds a culture that regards the people as enemies of wildlands. In a plea to halt this way of thinking, she derided those who regarded the wisdom of people like her mother as trivial simply because it was not written in a book. Prof. Wangari Maathi left the stage to a warm, enthusiastic applause and a spontaneous standing ovation. Here was someone who touched the hearts and fired the passions of all those fortunate enough to be present.

By
Richard Sylvester
Rural Resource Management (BSc Hons) Student, Writtle College, Chelmsford, UK

MONDAY, 5 NOVEMBER

07:30 - Registration Opens, Boardwalk, Tsitsikamma Conference Centre

08:30 - 08:45 Opening: Wilderness Working Sessions
Chair - Mr Andrew Muir (Executive Director, 7th WWC; Director, Wilderness Foundation, SA) Charge to Delegates

08:45 - 09:00 African Wilderness - audio visual by Mr Trevor Barrett 

09:00 - 10:00 Private Sector Wilderness
Chair - Prof. Richard Cowling - (Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, UPE)
Expanding wilderness on private lands: the need for a systematic approach
Mr Adrian Gardiner, Dr Johan Joubert and 
Mr Keith Loon - The Shamwari Model

10:00 - 10:30 Refreshments

10:30 - 11:30 Wilderness - Tribal and Communal
Chair: Dr Chris Brown (Director, Namibia Nature Foundation)
Khoadi Hoas-Communal Wilderness in Namibia
Mr Terry Tanner (Confederated Sailash and Kootenai Tribes) Mission Mountains Wilderness- Spirit, Culture, Nature and Management.

11:30 - 12:30 The African Public Sector - Wilderness models
Chair - Mr Gladman Buthelezi (KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife)

Prof. Graham Kerley (Terrestrial Ecology, University of Port Elizabeth) 
The Baviaanskloof Conservation Area: Beyond Wilderness
Mr Andrew Zaloumis (Executive Director, Lubombo Spatial Development Authority, South Africa)
Lake St Lucia - A World Heritage Park, SA
Mr Trygve Cooper (Senior Warden, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia) 
The Sperrgebiet - Desert Wilderness Park of Namibia

12:30 - 2:00 Lunch 
Poster Sessions 

1:30 - 4:45 Technical Sessions: 
Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values (Dr Alan Watson, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute)
Wilderness of the Mind and Spirit (Mr Bill Petrie)
Earth Jurisprudence (The Gaia Foundation)

2:00 - 4:00 GLOBE Southern African Seminar:
The Role of Legislators in Protecting Wilderness Areas
(with the support of IFAW)

International Film Festival - screening of short-listed films

4:30 - 6:00 Indaba - Open Council Dr John Hendee, Ms Marilyn Riley

Dinner on your own

8:00 - 10:00 "The Last Dance - a Hunter's Story" - screening of award-winning environmental film by James Hersov- depicts the San people's intimate knowledge and understanding of and oneness with their environment.