When
the English botanist William Burchell first visited Cape Town in 1810 he
climbed Lion’s Head, the hill near Table Mountain. There he counted over 100 different plants
over a distance of 1km. He wrote in his
diary that he found it hard to believe that such a wonderful garden could have
been planted purely by nature. Today ‘Nature’s
bulb garden’ can be seen in all its glory in only a few unspoilt places, but
the flowers are grown throughout the world.
The magnificent isolation enjoyed by the Cape Flora came to an end when
people deliberately imported plants and trees to the Cape. Most of these are beneficial but a few have
become problem plants competing with the fynbos and greedily using up the
water. Some of these plants grown too well
and have crowded out the fynbos.
REMOVING
ALIEN VEGETATION SAVES WATER
Alien
vegetation uses a lot of water and allows rapid run-off that leads to soil
erosion and the drying up of streams. By
contrast, fynbos is the best vegetation for ensuring a steady supply of clean water
from catchment areas. The fynbos soaks
up the winter rain like a sponge but uses little for its own needs. This water seeps slowly from the soil into
rivers throughout the dry summer. Caring
for fynbos in catchment areas provides additional water at a fraction of the
cost of a new dam or desalination of sea water.
The ‘Working for Water’ programme removes alien vegetation and provides
work and wood for unemployed people, and can increase the water supply by 20%.
A
CHANGING CLIMATE – GLOBAL WARMING
The
diverse fynbos has evolved over millions of years, adapting to both ice ages
and very warm periods during earth’s history.
Over the last 4 000 years modern humans have developed a civilisation
based on agriculture and technology. But
these activities are causing the earth’s climate to change very fast.
ECO-TOURISM
MAKING FYNBOS PAY
Eco-tourism
is becoming very popular and the Cape has wonderful opportunities to create
awareness and appreciation of its natural heritage, while at the same time
earning valuable income to help manage it.
Flower farmers near Cape Agulhas have created trails where visitors can
experience the beauty of the fynbos and its animals. The towns of Clanwilliam, Darling and Caledon
have annual flower shows and beautiful wild flower gardens.
UNDERSTANDING WORLD HERITAGE, WORLD HERITAGE SITES AND
THEIR OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE
“Outstanding
Universal Value (OUV) means cultural and/or natural significance which is so
exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance
for present and future generations of all humanity”
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION
It
has now been more than a decade since the issue of climate change impacts on
natural and cultural heritage properties was formally brought to the attention
of the World Heritage Committee (Welling et al. 2015). At its 29th session in
Durban, South Africa in 2005, the World Heritage Committee called on States
Parties to identify the properties most at risk from climate change and
encouraged UNESCO “to ensure that the results about climate change affecting
World Heritage properties reach the public at large, in order to mobilize
political support for activities against climate change and to safeguard in
this way the livelihood of the poorest people of our planet (Decision 29 COM
7B.a).
In 2007, at its 16th session, the General Assembly of
States Parties adopted a binding Policy Document on the Impacts of Climate
Change on World Heritage Properties (UNESCO 2007a).
CAPE
FLORAL REGION PROTECTED AREAS, SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa’s Cape Floral
Kingdom is one of the world’s most extraordinary regions for plant
biodiversity. A huge magnet for nature tourism, the World Heritage site
consists of more than 1 million hectares of protected areas including the Table
Mountain and Garden Route National Parks, surrounded by nearly 800 000 hectares
of buffer zones. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden with its 7 000 garden
and wild plant species is also within the World Heritage site (SANBI; UNESCOb).
Already under pressure from
development and population growth, this extraordinary area, its unique
biodiversity and the tourism revenue that supports local livelihoods and helps
drive the region’s economy has been for many years threatened by the warmer and
drier conditions resulting from climate change.
Plants
and animals are adapted to the particular environment in which they live. The Fynbos Biome is a major community of
plants and animals, at the southwestern corner of Africa, that is influenced by
two oceans, several mountain ranges and by a winter-rainfall climate – making
it different from the rest of Africa and the world!
WEATHER – WHETHER IT IS POSSIBLE TO INDUCE RAIN
VIA CLIMATIC
SIMULATION
Cold fronts have historically brought winter rainfall to the
Cape at roughly seven-day intervals but due to climate change annual rainfall has
dropped significantly since 2013. This
has presented the looming Day Zero scenario when taps will run dry in April
2018 unless averted or a shortened Day Zero period by citizens prayers and rain
falls heavily via the assistance of an organisation inducing rain via
simulating and imitating ideal weather conditions.
INFLUENCE
OF THE OCEANS
Water
warms up and cools down more slowly than land, and so places near the ocean are
not as hot or as cold as those far from the sea. Wind causes sea water to evaporate and then
carries the water vapour over the land to fall as rain. The east and south coasts of South Africa are
bathed by the warm Indian Ocean, from which lots of water evaporates, creating
plenty of rain. By contrast, the cold
Atlantic Ocean along the west coast gives up less water, and the little water
vapour the wind does carry over the land condenses into fog that refreshes the
plants with dewdrops on cold nights. On
hot days the fog evaporates, leaving dry, desert conditions along the coast.
A
TABLECLOTH AND A RAIN SHADOW
Wind
scurries across a narrow coastal plain and as it rises over the mountains it
cools, water condenses and drops as rain nor settles as a cloudy
‘tablecloth’. The inland slopes of the
mountains are drier and known as a ‘rain shadow’.
CAPE
TOWN TOURISM
Cape
Town, is the country’s largest tourist draw, with one in every ten jobs in the
Western Cape related to tourism – more than twice the national average (SSA
2015). Table Mountain, which is within the World Heritage property, is a major
destination, with its aerial cableway and spectacular views. The famed Garden
Route, in which fynbos is the primary habitat type, is visited by more than a
third of all tourists to South Africa (Benfield 2013). Major attractions for
visitors to the Cape region include wildflowers and gardens, whale and penguin
watching, and hiking. The Cape Floral Kingdom is the world’s “hottest hotspot”
for plant diversity and endemism, and the fynbos is one of five
Mediterranean-type biomes in the world, which together contain 20 per cent of
the world’s known vascular plants (UNESCOb; Lee and Barnard 2015). It has a
greater density of species than any of the world’s other Mediterranean-type
regions and is home to 20 per cent of Africa’s flora (9 000 plant species) on
less than 0.5 per cent of its land area (UNESCOb).
CHANGING
CLIMATE
Climate
change has already been recorded in the Western Cape region, with studies
suggesting an average warming of 0.1–0.2ºC per decade from 1901 to 2006 in the
Greater Cape Floristic Region, with rates in the later decades being higher
than earlier in the century (Altwegg et al. 2014). For the future, the regional
warming trend is expected to continue and the fynbos will get hotter and drier,
with an especially marked decrease in winter rainfall. Climate models suggest
that by 2070 the fynbos will experience average temperatures over ten months of
the year that would have been considered extreme in 1961– 1990 (Beaumont et al.
2011). There is also evidence that the incidence of very large fires has
increased since the 1990s, and the total average area burned annually has
expanded significantly since the 1980s (Kraaij et al. 2013a). Fire regimes are
expected to continue to change, with greater frequency of fires predicted
(Kraaij et al. 2013b). One impact of increased fire frequency would be a
reduction in the height of the overall vegetation structure, with large proteas
being replaced by grasses and fire ephemerals (Lee and Barnard 2015).
FYNBOS UNDER PRESSURE
Outside
protected areas, the fynbos is already under severe pressure, with
approximately 31 per cent already lost, particularly as a result of the
conversion of wildlands to agriculture, urban development and plantation
forestry (Huntley and Barnard 2012). Climate modelling suggests that proteas
are highly likely to become more restricted in their distribution under future
climate scenarios (Midgeley et al. 2006), with species in lowland habitats and
already restricted ranges likely to be the first to be negatively affected
(Hannah et al. 2005).
THE
CAPE FLORAL KINGDOM
The
Cape Floral Kingdom is a recognised Global Biodiversity Hotspot and a World
Heritage Site. Nowhere else in the world
are there so many different species of plants in such a small area. The aromatic plants produce a fascinating
array of colourful and unusual flowers that attract many birds, insects and
other small creatures. The region is
being actively conserved, with strict laws about picking flowers, the
elimination of alien vegetation and the formation of many protected areas. Fynbos has found its way into gardens
worldwide. Table Mountain National Park
is a World Heritage Site.
WORLD
HERITAGE PROPERTY
A World Heritage Site is a landmark
or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of
significance, and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are
judged important to the collective interests of humanity.
To be selected, a
World Heritage Site must be an already classified landmark, unique in some
respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special
cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical
structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument,
mountain, or wilderness area). It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as
evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
The sites are
intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be
subject to risk from human or animal trespassing,
unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted access, or threat from local
administrative negligence. Sites are
demarcated by UNESCO as protected zones. The list is
maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the
UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21
UNESCO member states which are
elected by the UN General Assembly.
WORLD HERITAGE DATA REPORTING
CONDITIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTY INTERNATIONAL
ASSISTANCE
ARTICLE
19
Any
State Party to this Convention may request international assistance for
property forming part of the cultural or natural heritage of outstanding
universal value situated within its territory. It shall submit with its request
such information and documentation provided for in
ARTICLE
21 1.
The
World Heritage Committee shall define the procedure by which requests to it for
international assistance shall be considered and shall specify the content of
the request, which should define the operation contemplated, the work that is
necessary, the expected cost thereof, the degree of urgency and the reasons why
the resources of the State requesting assistance do not allow it to meet all
the expenses. Such requests must be supported by experts' reports whenever possible.
12 2. Requests based upon disasters or natural calamities should, by reasons of
the urgent work which they may involve, be given immediate, priority
consideration by the Committee, which should have a reserve fund at its
disposal against such contingencies. 3. Before coming to a decision, the
Committee shall carry out such studies and consultations as it deems necessary.
ARTICLE
22
Assistance granted by the World Heritage Fund may take the following
forms: (a) studies concerning the artistic, scientific and technical problems
raised by the protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of the
cultural and natural heritage, as defined in paragraphs 2 and 4 of Article 11
of this Convention; (b) provisions of experts, technicians and skilled labour
to ensure that the approved work is correctly carried out; (c) training
of staff and specialists at all levels in the field of identification,
protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of the cultural and
natural heritage; (d) supply of equipment which the State concerned does not
possess or is not in a position to acquire; (e) low-interest or interest-free
loans which might be repayable on a long-term basis; (f) the granting, in
exceptional cases and for special reasons, of non-repayable subsidies.
WESTERN
CAPE ECOSYSTEM
The
Cape Floral Kingdom stretches from Nieuwoudtville in west to Port Elizabeth in
the east. A heath-like vegetation known
as fynbos covers 80% of the region.
Fynbos, grey renosterveld and coastal strandveld make up the Fynbos
Biome. There are also patches of
wetland, thicket, forest and succulent Karoo vegetation.
FYNBOS
(FINE BUSH)
The
characteristic plants of the fynbos are proteas, colourful ericas, hardy Cape
reeds (restios) and plants known as geophytes that survive harsh conditions
underground as bulbs. Fynbos grows in
areas with more than 300mm of rain, most of it falling in winter. It favours nutrient-poor soil, which is usually
acid. Fynbos often has small leaves to
reduce wilting during the dry summer, and is fire-adapted.
SUCCULENT
KAROO
Sparse,
low-growing succulent Karoo vegetation is found in dry areas with less than
250mm of mainly winter rain and where the soil is rich in nutrients. The Karoo, from the Khoekhoen word for ‘dry’,
is the semi-desert region in the rain shadow north of the Cape Fold Belt
Mountains and along the west coast approaching Namaqualand. It has the highest number of plant species
for a semi-arid area anywhere in the world.
The most common of its fleshy-leafed plants are the vygies, with over
1 000 species.
SUBTROPICAL
THICKETS AND AFROMONTANE FOREST
There
are also subtropical dense thickets along rivers, dunes and on termite
mounds. Thickets thrive in nutrient-rich
soils with a rainfall of between 300and 800mm and where there is little danger
of fire. Small pockets of cool,
temperate forest occur in areas of high year-round rainfall of over 800mm. The most important trees are the magnificent
yellowwoods. The high forest on the
Garden Route between Knysna and Tsitsikamma is the only extensive forest in the
southern African region.
17th
to 20th centuries
|
Between
the 17th and 20th centuries, the island was used as a prison, including
for political prisoners, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups (leper colony), and a military base.
|
||||
N/A
|
IT HAS NOW BEEN MORE THAN A DECADE SINCE THE ISSUE OF
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE PROPERTIES WAS FORMALLY
BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE (WELLING ET AL. 2015).
At its 29th session in Durban, South Africa in 2005,
the World Heritage Committee called on States Parties to identify the
properties most at risk from climate change and encouraged UNESCO “to ensure that
the results about climate change affecting World Heritage properties reach the
public at large, in order to mobilize political support for activities against
climate change and to safeguard in this way the livelihood of the poorest
people of our planet (Decision 29 COM 7B.a).
THIS RESULTED IN A GROUND-BREAKING REPORT,
PREDICTING AND MANAGING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WORLD HERITAGE (UNESCO
2007B), AS WELL AS THE STRATEGY TO ASSIST STATES PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION TO
IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT RESPONSES (UNESCO 2007C)
At its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006), the World
Heritage Committee requested all States Parties to implement the strategy so as
to protect the OUV, integrity and authenticity of World Heritage properties
from the adverse impacts of climate change. In 2007, at its 16th
session, the General Assembly of States Parties adopted a binding Policy
Document on the Impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage Properties (UNESCO
2007a).
SOUTH
AFRICA HAS RETURNED WORLD HERITAGE REPORTS IN 2006, 2007, 2009 and 30 NOV 2017
Only
three threats identified in all three reports from 2006 to 2017
Invasive species;
Fires
LAST SOUTH AFRICAN REPORT SUBMITTED INCOMPLETE 30 NOVEMBER 2017 AND WITHOUT
MENTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND / OR WATER SCARCITY?
MANAGEMENT
OF WORLD HERITAGE SITE OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE
All properties inscribed on the World Heritage List
must have adequate protection and management mechanisms in place. How a country
chooses to protect and manage its properties can vary, so long as it does so
effectively.
Cultural heritage and natural heritage of
Outstanding Universal Value are defined in Articles
1 and 2 of the World Heritage Convention
The World Heritage Committee can place a property
on an "in danger" list if it believes the property is threatened by
serious and specific dangers.
If the Outstanding Universal Value of a
World Heritage property is destroyed, the World Heritage Committee will remove
it from the World Heritage List. This has happened only twice since
the World Heritage Convention began.
CAPE
TOWN DAY ZERO RISKS – APRIL 2018
An internationally
commercially important endemic plant species of the fynbos is rooibos
(Aspalathus linearis), which is used to make redbush tea, a herbal drink
growing in popularity worldwide, especially in Germany, Japan, the UK and USA.
Rooibos was mainly harvested wild but is increasingly being grown commercially
in Western Cape Province, where the tea industry provides employment for more
than 5 000 people on farms and in factories, and turns over in excess of ZAR
500 million (c. US$ 31 million) annually (SADAFF 2014). The extensive expansion
of rooibos cultivation in recent years has been a significant driver of the
conversion of natural habitat to small farming operations. Models suggest,
however, that the range of both wild and commercial rooibos will shrink
significantly as the climate warms and the region dries.
CLIMATE CHANGE
THREATENS BIRD SPECIES
Aside from its
incredible plant diversity, the fynbos provides important habitat for many bird
species, including six endemic species. Climate projections suggest a
significant loss of climatically suitable habitat for these endemic birds,
including the protea canary (Serinus leucopterus) and Victorin’s scrub-warbler
(Bradypterus victorini), while the Cape rock-jumper (Chaetops frenatus) has
already been nationally listed with near-threatened status as a consequence of
its vulnerability to climate change (Lee and Barnard 2015). Estimates of
climate impacts on bird populations that look only at range shifts may
underestimate extinction risk. Modelling that takes into account changes in
abundance as well as in range generally shows greater population impacts
(Huntley et al. 2012). Any resulting loss in fynbos species diversity could
have major implications, especially if the projected reductions in range and
abundance occur for such important pollinators as the orange-breasted sunbird
(Anthobaphes violacea) and Cape sugarbird (Promerops cafer) (Huntley and
Barnard 2012).
It is clear that
future prospects for this important biodiversity hotspot and tourism centre
will be under pressure in an increasingly warm and dry climate. Preservation of
the fynbos biome and its extraordinary array of species will depend on careful
management of buffer areas, reduced stress from wildland conversion and perhaps
increased connectivity of protected areas, even if global mean temperature
increase can be kept to 2ºC or below.
HEALTH RISKS
JOB LOSS RISK AS MANY
SME’S GRIND TO A HALT AND LARGER INDUSTRIES CANNOT MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCE WITHOUT
WATER
Cape Town is the
second-most populous city in South Africa behind Johannesburg and it is the
provincial capital of the Western Cape. Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape
Town is famous around the world for its beautiful harbour and it has a long
history going back to its development by the Dutch East India Company for
supplying ships in the mid-17th century. In 2016, Cape Town has an estimated
population of 3.74 million. Cape Town is
part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, with a metropolitan
population of 3.74 million people and a population density of 1,530 people per
square kilometer.
CAPE TOWN HAS MANY
NOTABLE NEIGHBORHOODS
The
Atlantic Seaboard to the west of Cape Town, for example, has some of the most
expensive real estate in the country and the highest concentration of
multimillionaires in the city.
The Northern Suburbs
are comprised mostly of Afrikaans-speaking people while the Southern Suburbs
are mostly English-speaking people. The Cape Flats to the southeast of the
central business district is often called "Apartheid's dumping
ground" as it became home to people the apartheid government considered
non-white.
CAPE TOWN
DEMOGRAPHICS
Cape Town is one of
the most multicultural cities in the world and is a major destination for
expatriates and immigrants. The ethnic
and racial composition of Cape Town is:
42.4%
"Coloured"
38.6%
"Black African"
15.7%
"White"
1.4%
"Asian or Indian"
1.9%
other
THE
KNOCK-ON EFFECT OF DAY ZERO – DAY ZERO WILL DISADVANTAGE 80% OF PEOPLE IN CAPE
TOWN WHILE APPROXIMATELY 20% OF THE POPULATION, BEING THE MORE AFFLUENT COMMUNITY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO
THE OVERUSE OF AND EXCESSIVE PURCHASE OF PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES FOR DAILY WATER USE. MANY OF THE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES WILL EVENTULLY END UP IN
LANDFILLS AND PERPETUATE THE CYCLE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ONLY ADD TO THE PROBLEM OF PLASTIC WASTE
THUS, NOT FULLY MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE BUT PERPETUATING THE PROBLEM VIA ACTIVATING DAY
ZERO AND SUBMITTING AN INCOMPLETE ‘STATE OF CONSERVATION
REPORT BY THE STATE PARTY (SOUTH AFRICA) DATED 30 NOVEMBER 2017 IRO WHC’s REQUEST (10) BELOW http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1007/documents PUTS ADDITIONAL RISK TO SOUTH AFRICA LOSING ITS WORLD HERITAGE SITE
STATUS AT THE 'CAPE FLORAL REGION PROTECTED AREAS'
THE
WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE DECISION 2009
1.
Having examined Document WHC-09/33.COM/7B,
2.
Recalling Decision 31 COM 7B.8, adopted at its 31st session (Christchurch,
2007),
3.
Welcomes the efforts of the State Party to improve connectivity amongst the
different components of the property, as well as its intention to prepare an
extension for the property;
4.
Notes the reported progress towards the establishment of an overall management
board for the property as well as efforts to increase financial resources for
the control of invasive species and address the impacts of wildfires in the
property;
5.
Encourages the State Party to further continue and enhance its programmes for
fire management, control of invasive species and mitigation of climate change
impacts;
6.
Urges the State Party to ensure appropriate funding for these and other
management activities in the property;
7.
Requests the State Party, to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February
2011, a report on progress made in fire management, control of invasive
species, mitigation of climate change impacts as well as the institutional,
financial and staffing provision for the conservation of the property.
THE
WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE DECISION JULY 2015 FOR SOUTH AFRICA TO SUBMIT A REPORT
BY 1 DECEMBER 2017 (16 MONTHS LATER)
Cape
Floral Region Protected Areas [extension of the property “Cape Floral Region
Protected Areas”]
Recommendations
by IUCN and ICOMOS to the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee (28 June
- 8 July 2015)
- Having examined Documents WHC-15/39.COM/8B and WHC-15/39.COM/INF.8B2,
- Approves the extension of Cape
Floral Region Protected Areas, South Africa, on the World Heritage
List, on the basis of criteria (ix) and (x);
- Adopts the following Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:
BRIEF SYNTHESIS
The
Cape Floral Region has been recognised as one of the most special places for
plants in the world in terms of diversity, density and number of endemic
species. The property is a highly distinctive phytogeographic unit which is
regarded as one of the six Floral Kingdoms of the world and is by far the
smallest and relatively the most diverse. It is recognised as one of the
world’s hottest hotspots for its diversity of endemic and threatened plants,
and contains outstanding examples of significant ongoing ecological, biological
and evolutionary processes. This extraordinary assemblage of plant life and its
associated fauna is represented by a series of 13 protected area clusters
covering an area of more than 1 million ha. These protected areas also conserve
the outstanding ecological, biological and evolutionary processes associated
with the beautiful and distinctive Fynbos vegetation, unique to the Cape Floral
Region.
CRITERION (ix): The property is considered of Outstanding
Universal Value for representing ongoing ecological and biological processes
associated with the evolution of the unique Fynbos biome. These processes are
represented generally within the Cape Floral Region and captured in the
component areas that make up the 13 protected area clusters. Of particular
scientific interest are the adaptations of the plants to fire and other natural
disturbances; seed dispersal by ants and termites; the very high level of plant
pollination by insects, mainly beetles and flies, birds and mammals; and high
levels of adaptive radiation and speciation. The pollination biology and
nutrient cycling are other distinctive ecological processes found in the site.
The Cape Floral Region forms a centre of active speciation where interesting
patterns of endemism and adaptive radiation are found in the flora.
CRITERION (x): The Cape Floral Region is one of the richest areas
for plants when compared to any similar sized area in the world. It represents
less than 0.5% of the area of Africa but is home to nearly 20% of the
continent’s flora. The outstanding diversity, density and endemism of the flora
are among the highest worldwide. Some 69% of the estimated 9,000 plant species
in the region are endemic, with 1,736 plant species identified as threatened
and with 3,087 species of conservation concern. The Cape Floral Region has been
identified as one of the world’s 35 biodiversity hotspots.
INTEGRITY
The
originally inscribed Cape Floral Region Protected Areas serial property
comprised eight protected areas covering a total area of 557,584 ha, and
included a buffer zone of 1,315,000 ha. The extended Cape Floral Region
Protected Areas property comprises 1,094,742 ha of protected areas and is
surrounded by a buffer zone of 798,514 ha. The buffer zone is made up of privately
owned, declared Mountain Catchment Areas and other protected areas, further
supported by other buffering mechanisms that are together designed to
facilitate functional connectivity and mitigate for the effects of global
climate change and other anthropogenic influences.
The
collection of protected areas adds up in a synergistic manner to present the
biological richness and evolutionary story of the Cape Floral Region. All the
protected areas included in the property, except for some of the privately owned,
declared Mountain Catchment Areas, have existing dedicated management plans,
which have been revised, or are in the process of revision in terms of the
National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act. Mountain Catchment
Areas are managed in terms of the Mountain Catchment Areas Act. Progress with
increased protection through public awareness and social programmes to combat
poverty, improved management of mountain catchment areas and stewardship
programmes is being made.
PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT
REQUIREMENTS
The
serial World Heritage property and its component parts, all legally designated
protected areas, are protected under the National Environmental Management:
Protected Areas Act (57 of 2003). The property is surrounded by extensive
buffer zones (made up of privately owned, declared Mountain Catchment Areas and
other protected areas) and supported by various buffering mechanisms in the
region. Together, these provide good connectivity and landscape integration for
most of the protected area clusters, especially in the mountain areas. The
protected areas that make up the property are managed by three authorities:
South African National Parks (SANParks), Western Cape Nature Conservation Board
(CapeNature) and Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency. These authorities,
together with the national Department of Environmental Affairs, make up the
Joint Management Committee of the property. All of the sites are managed in
accordance with agreed management plans, however, there is a recognised need for
a property-wide management strategy in the form of an Environmental Management
Framework.
Knowledge
management systems are being expanded to advise improved planning and
management decision-making, thus facilitating the efficient use of limited, but
increasing, resources relating in particular to the management of fire and
invasive alien species. The provision of long-term, adequate funding to all of
the agencies responsible for managing the property is essential to ensure
effective management of the multiple components across this complex serial
site.
Invasive
alien species and fire are the greatest management challenges facing the
property at present. Longer-term threats include
climate change and development pressures caused by a growing population, particularly
in the Cape Peninsula and along some coastal areas. These threats are
well understood and addressed in the planning and management of the protected
areas and their buffer zones. Invasive species are being dealt with through
manual control programmes that have been used as a reference for other parts of
the world.
THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE:
THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE:
- Commends the State Party (South Africa) for its review of the
nomination boundaries to bring forward an extension of the property which,
on the basis of fine scale scientific analysis, significantly increases
the number of Fynbos vegetation types protected within the property and
strengthens the property’s integrity;
- ENCOURAGES the State Party (South Africa) to address longstanding
shortfalls in financial resources which are impeding management of the
property and which will be increasingly important in light of the
substantially increased area and complexity of the extended property;
- REQUESTS the State Party (South Africa) to complete the Environmental
Management Framework and submit a copy to the World Heritage Centre
by 1 December 2017 and
to strengthen the role and resources of the Joint Management Committee so
that it can more effectively act as a single coordinating authority that
guides management across all inscribed component parts of the property;
- ALSO REQUESTS the State Party (South Africa) to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2017, a report on the state of conservation of the property, including progress on the finalization of a property-wide integrated management plan; strengthened governance arrangements to improve coordination; and the implementation of actions to ensure adequate financial resources for the property’s management, FOR EXAMINATION BY THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE AT ITS 42ND SESSION IN 2018.
SOUTH AFRICA’S REQUESTED SUBMISSION DUE 1 DECEMBER 2017 WAS INCOMPLETE
UNESCO 2016 REPORT: WORLD
HERITAGE AND TOURISM IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
This
publication was made possible with financial support of the Ministry for
Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, France.
The
recommendations in the report lay out a series of priorities for the
international community, national governments, the tourism industry and site
managers. The report was produced by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, UNEP’s
Tourism and Environment Programme and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS),
in close collaboration.
“This
report provides an overview of the increasing vulnerability of World Heritage
sites to climate change impacts and the potential implications for and of
global tourism. It also examines the close relationship between World Heritage
and tourism, and how climate change is likely to exacerbate problems caused by
unplanned tourism development and uncontrolled or poorly managed visitor
access, as well as other threats and stresses. Tourism can also play a positive
role in helping to secure the future of many World Heritage sites in a changing
climate.
The
report’s goal is to provide up-to-date information and a basis for action on
climate change, tourism and World Heritage in the follow-up to the adoption of
the Paris Agreement by the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2015 and the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly in October 2015. Using a series of case studies from World Heritage
sites around the world, many of them iconic tourist destinations, the report
shows how climate driven changes currently, or could in the future, threaten
their outstanding universal value (OUV), integrity and authenticity, as well as
the economies and communities that depend on tourism. - Mechtild Rössler, Director of Heritage Division & Director of The
World Heritage Centre
UNESCO REPORTED IN 2016 POTENTIAL CLIMATE
CHANGE IMPACTS
ON THE CAPE FLORAL REGION
ON THE CAPE FLORAL REGION
The Cape Floral
Region World Heritage site consists of 8 protected areas covering 553 000 ha
and characterised by an outstanding plant diversity, density and endemism.
Based on supporting evidence by experiments, observations and modelling, climate
change might be the most significant threat facing this diversity over the next
50 to 100 years. Projected changes in soil moisture and winter rainfall
could result in a changed species distribution. This would affect the range
restricted and locally rare species with limited dispersal ability and the
climate sensitive relict wetland species that characterize the floristic
region. Climate change might also affect the values of the site through drought
mortality, the breaking up of highly specialized mutualisms and impacts on
existing disturbance regimes such as fire. The first impacts of climate change
on the region’s biodiversity are already becoming apparent and many more
impacts are expected. Bioclimatic modelling provides an excellent risk
assessment but key knowledge gaps need to be closed by experimental and
observational studies. Potential strategies include investing in focussed
research and developing a monitoring system, perhaps with the involvement of
the public. Conservation planning should also be integrated with climate
risk assessment and a coordinated regional effort should be established to
analyse information and assess the risk of biodiversity loss. It is also
important to increase the topographic diversity and landscape connectivity of
protected areas by creating migratory corridors, to reduce or remove other
stresses on the ecosystem and to strengthen risk preparedness, in particular
for fires.
THE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS OBSERVED FOR ALL GLOBAL NATURAL
WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTIES ARE:
• Glacial retreat and glacier
melting (19 sites)
• Sea-level rise (18 sites)
• Loss of
biodiversity (17 sites)
• Species migration and tree-line shift
(12 sites, 6 for treeline shift)
• Rainfall
pattern changes and occurrence of droughts (11 sites)
• Frequency of
wildfires (9 sites)
• Coral bleaching (6 sites)
• Coastal erosion (4 sites)
• Sea water
temperature and salinity change (1 site)
• Hurricane, storms, cyclones (1 site)
The 1972 UNESCO World
Heritage Convention is the principal instrument for identifying and protecting,
for the benefit of current and future generations, the outstanding natural and
cultural heritage of the world, and encouraging international cooperation for
its conservation. Climate change has now emerged as one of the most serious
threats impacting on the conservation of this heritage. The global network of World Heritage sites is
ideally suited to build public awareness and support through sharing of
information and effective communication on the subject, given the high-profile
nature of these sites. Protecting and
managing World Heritage sites in a sustainable and effective manner is a shared
responsibility under the Convention. Therefore, there is a need to publicize all
available information on the threats posed by climate change and the potential
measures for dealing with them. This publication in the World Heritage
Papers Series, comprising the report on ’Predicting and managing the effects of
climate change on World Heritage’ and a ’Strategy to assist States Parties to
implement appropriate management responses’ is part of that overall effort.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre is committed to working closely with all
stakeholders including the States Parties to the 1972 Convention, other international
conventions and organizations, the civil society and the scientific community
to address the multiple challenges posed by climate change to the precious and
fragile cultural and natural heritage of the world. - Francesco Bandarin Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
