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Blaauwberg Nature Reserve gets Green Coast Status once more

News Feed
Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Green Coast Status for Blaauwberg Nature Reserve The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) has once again awarded Blaauwberg Nature Reserve Green Coast Status, making it the fifth time that the nature reserve has been given the prestigious status. The Green Coast Status complements the International Blue Flag programme as it allows municipalities to sustainably manage coastal sites outside of traditionally developed swimming beaches, explains the City of Cape Town. On Monday, 28 October 2024, WESSA, who is the national implementer for the Green Coast Programme, presented official Green Coast Status to the City’s Environmental Management Department during a special ceremony yesterday at the Two Oceans Aquarium. The City’s Environmental Management Department. Image: City of Cape Town What is Green Coast Status about? According to the City, Green Coast sites aim to protect at least one of three main coastal themes, namely: sensitive habitats, sensitive species and cultural heritage. And Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, meeting those themes, is situated in an area that includes 2 000 hectares of pristine coastal landscape, and inland koppies and flats. It’s also home to critically endangered vegetation. Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment said they were proud that Blaauwberg Nature Reserve was a beacon for coastal conservation in Cape Town and South Africa. “This achievement comes as a result of the City’s Environmental Management Department and its implementing partner, the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area sparing no effort in actively monitoring; maintaining and ensuring the accessibility of this coastline, while providing opportunities for environmental education; sustainable tourism and the empowerment of local communities.” Alderman Andrews said. “It is an amazing honour to receive this achievement for the fifth time this year. We want to thank WESSA for recognising the hard work, effort and passion of people in our Environmental Management Department and the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area.” he added. The post Blaauwberg Nature Reserve gets Green Coast Status once more appeared first on SA People.

Blaauwberg Nature Reserve has once again received Green Coast Status from WESSA, now for the fifth time since 2018. The post Blaauwberg Nature Reserve gets Green Coast Status once more appeared first on SA People.

Green Coast Status for Blaauwberg Nature Reserve

The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) has once again awarded Blaauwberg Nature Reserve Green Coast Status, making it the fifth time that the nature reserve has been given the prestigious status.

The Green Coast Status complements the International Blue Flag programme as it allows municipalities to sustainably manage coastal sites outside of traditionally developed swimming beaches, explains the City of Cape Town.

On Monday, 28 October 2024, WESSA, who is the national implementer for the Green Coast Programme, presented official Green Coast Status to the City’s Environmental Management Department during a special ceremony yesterday at the Two Oceans Aquarium.

blaauwberg nature reserve
The City’s Environmental Management Department. Image: City of Cape Town

What is Green Coast Status about?

According to the City, Green Coast sites aim to protect at least one of three main coastal themes, namely: sensitive habitats, sensitive species and cultural heritage.

And Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, meeting those themes, is situated in an area that includes 2 000 hectares of pristine coastal landscape, and inland koppies and flats. It’s also home to critically endangered vegetation.

Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment said they were proud that Blaauwberg Nature Reserve was a beacon for coastal conservation in Cape Town and South Africa.

“This achievement comes as a result of the City’s Environmental Management Department and its implementing partner, the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area sparing no effort in actively monitoring; maintaining and ensuring the accessibility of this coastline, while providing opportunities for environmental education; sustainable tourism and the empowerment of local communities.” Alderman Andrews said.

“It is an amazing honour to receive this achievement for the fifth time this year. We want to thank WESSA for recognising the hard work, effort and passion of people in our Environmental Management Department and the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area.” he added.

The post Blaauwberg Nature Reserve gets Green Coast Status once more appeared first on SA People.

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Related News

Green farming budget freeze 'will hit nature work'

Environmental groups warn that next year's farm payments budget will not be enough to protect nature.

Green farming budget freeze 'will hit nature work'Getty ImagesEnvironmental groups say more money needs to be invested in the annual farm payments budgetEnvironmental groups have warned that work to boost biodiversity across the UK countryside will be put at risk by the government’s decision to freeze the level of payments to farms in England.Farmers - already angry at changes to inheritance tax rules announced in the Budget - have been told payments from the public purse will be frozen next year.The Wildlife Trusts say the decision leaves a "monumental gap" between current environmental land management scheme (Elms) funding and what is needed to help farmers protect and boost wildlife and its habitats, while still producing food.The government said it would maintain the £2.4bn current level of farm payments in England for 2025/26, and that its commitment to farming was "steadfast".James GrindalJames Grindal says the government has failed to protect smaller family farmsOne farmer told the BBC he no longer believed the government understood the pressures of producing the nation’s food and protecting the countryside.James Grindal, a mixed arable and livestock farmer in Leicestershire, said: “I wouldn’t think the government has any idea."I think they ought to come and see the reality - the coalface of putting food on people’s plates."In Wednesday's Budget, the Chancellor announced that, while there would continue to be no inheritance tax due on combined business and agricultural assets worth less than £1m, above that there would be a 50% relief, at an effective rate of 20%, from April 2026.While some maintain the new policy is designed in part to cover large-scale landowners who may have invested in farmland for the tax benefit, many in farming say the £1m limit will hit small family farms hardest.Mr Grindal, who has two sons, aged 17 and 19, said he could be hit twice by the changes – on handing down the family farm, and if landowners sell off the land he rents.CLAVictoria Vyvyan from the CLA said the decision to freeze the farming budget would hit sustainable food production"I explained to my youngest son, who asked what the implications were, that if you take 20% off something every time someone dies, it’s not long before you get to nought," he said.“The Chancellor said she wants to protect small farms, but she is protecting the person who made a lot of money somewhere, bought a nice house with 20, 30, 50 acres to have a few horses on."Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron said of the changes to agricultural property inheritance tax relief: "This is a family farm tax which risks ringing the death knell for local farmers and the small businesses who rely on them."Conservationists and environmental groups have spoken out on the government’s plans to maintain the farming payments budget at its current annual level of £2.4bn, the majority of which goes on environmental land management schemes.The Wildlife Trusts said around £3.1bn was needed for environmental farming schemes in England, and that maintaining the budget at current levels was a real-terms cut.'Largest ever budget'Elliot Chapman-Jones, the Trusts’ head of public affairs, said: “Ultimately, there is a monumental gap between current funding and what is needed to reverse wildlife declines, clean up rivers and significantly reduce the use of chemicals on farms."Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank, said all the budget did was "maintain the status quo, just about keeping the show on the road for now".The Country Land and Business Association's (CLA) president Victoria Vyvyan said the decision to freeze the budget at the same level would hit hard-pressed farmers.She added: "It could hit sustainable food production and undermine improvements to wildlife habitats, flood management and access to nature."The government said the £2.4bn farming budget for England in 2025/26 would still be the “largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery”.Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said: “Our commitment to farmers and the vital role they play to feed our nation remains steadfast.“That is why this government will commit to the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history, enabling us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.”

Nature
Business
Climate

Cape nature reserve granted Green Coast Status

At a special ceremony, WESSA awarded Green Coast Status to Blaauwberg Nature Reserve for the fifth time this year. The post Cape nature reserve granted Green Coast Status appeared first on SA People.

Cape Town’s Blaauwberg Nature Reserve has been again awarded Green Coast Status this year. Markedly, it is the fifth time that the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) has awarded this nature reserve this prestigious status. The award recognises the work that those involved are doing in protecting the environment. About Green Coast Status WESSA, founder of the programme, presented official Green Coast Status to the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve at a special ceremony. The event was held at the Two Oceans Aquarium on 28 October 2024. The award is a recognition of the hard work and effort put in by the parties involved. These include individuals from the Environmental Management Department and the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area. The Green Coast Awards recognise local conservation champions and towns for their effective environmental practices and support of nature-based tourism. As part of WESSA’s advocacy efforts, these awards also provide a platform for citizen science monitoring projects (such as water quality testing and biodiversity surveys), local community activism, and environmental education. These empower individuals to take action in protecting South Africa’s coastlines. About Blaauwberg Nature Reserve The Blaauwberg Nature Reserve in the Cape covers approximately 2 000 hectares of coastal terrain, including inland koppies and flats. It is home to critically endangered vegetation and has a seven-kilometre coastline. Markedly, the Blaauwberg Hill in the reserve is one of the rare spots in the world where you can view two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are Table Mountain and Robben Island. Along this stretch of coastline, the Green Coast Zone promotes conservation, sustainable tourism and environmental education. Eddie Andrews, City of Cape Town’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, said that this achievement comes as a result of the City’s Environmental Management Department and its implementing partner, the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area’s collective efforts. These include ‘actively monitoring, maintaining, and ensuring the accessibility of the coastline, while providing opportunities for environmental education, sustainable tourism, and the empowerment of local communities’, said Andrews. “Today we can proudly say that Blaauwberg Nature Reserve is a beacon for coastal conservation in Cape Town and South Africa. I am pleased that we have set the ‘Green’ bar.”Eddie Andrews. The post Cape nature reserve granted Green Coast Status appeared first on SA People.

Nature
Activism
Education

Environmental Muralist Faunagraphic Brings an Urban Oasis to the Concrete Jungle

Massive art installations depicting birds and other wildlife help bring a touch of nature, and creative inspiration, to cities around Europe. The post Environmental Muralist Faunagraphic Brings an Urban Oasis to the Concrete Jungle appeared first on The Revelator.

As more and more of Earth’s natural beauty gets paved over each year, one woman has made it her mission to capture the wonder of the world beyond the cityscape and inspire people to venture outside the concrete and steel. Artist Sarah Yates, who works under the name Faunagraphic, is known for her massive murals: 20-foot-high wild birds or brilliantly rendered octopi with tentacles that snake along the bricks for a whole city block and transform what was once cold and lifeless into an enlightening expression of nature’s wonders. “I love to paint small things on a large scale,” she says. “This wasn’t really a style when I first began as a graffiti artist. Most graffiti artists were painting letters, so at first I felt a bit like a black sheep. But I painted the birds I loved, and the public, in turn, loved my art.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Faunagraphic (@faunagraphic) Faunagraphic’s work has been transformative for the cities and villages that have invited her to create colorful murals within their borders. Neighbors emerge from their cramped quarters, entranced by the sight of the mesmerizing imagery blooming in their neighborhood, waving at the smiling woman with wild auburn hair on her scaffold with her spray-paint cans. A child asks his mother what kind of bird she’s painting. The mother remembers the bird from when she was young and tells her child the story, saying they’ll have to go looking for the bird one day. The art’s spell has settled into the hearts and minds of the residents, a magic that they’ll take with them throughout the day, making them dream of a world without roads, wild and free and untainted by industry. Environmentalism through art. Conservation through contemplative thought. “I developed my style through painting the things I loved,” she says. “I have always loved game design, fantasy art, stories of magic, folklore, ancient history, future tech … I always wanted to have something within my work to keep me inside that imaginative place.” Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, Yates discovered her passion for creating art with spray paint as a 19-year-old graphic design student. Over the next 15 years, Faunagraphic honed her craft of blending graphic elements with nature-related realism. It became her mission to advocate for the importance of the natural world through the beautification of urban developments. “I love nature and the things that inspire us inside the woods — the feelings we get when walking through a forest path full of bluebells, bright green grasses, little birds shifting through the trees. I put myself in that place when I draw and try to surround myself with these things.” Her audience easily interprets the message behind her art and advocacy: Embrace nature more. “At times my message is more to remind people of how lucky we are and how beautiful and unique our planet is,” she remarks. “To value time, help others, and love each other. Our world has many issues, but nature is always at the core. When we have nothing and someone’s life is not going great, I hope only that they can find joy in nature, at least.” Painting to Heal Much as being in nature can provide psychological healing, Faunagraphic hopes her work can achieve a similar effect in the heart of a city. “I believe it has a big impact on peoples’ wellbeing,” she says. “Seeing any form of creativity triggers ideas in people: clear thinking, positive reactions. They then walk away to lead their own inspirational or motivational behavior within their circles of influence.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Faunagraphic (@faunagraphic) Faunagraphic reflected on a particularly difficult time in her own life where she drew upon the solace of the natural world for peace and strength. “I was very sick and in the hospital with blood cancer when I was 18,” she says. “I wasn’t allowed to leave my room for 30 days. I was in confinement, isolation. However, each day at the same time different animals would pass by my window, including fox cubs who would play in the grass outside. I wasn’t sure what the future had planned for me, but I stayed positive and tried to be strong, knowing that soon I could go outside again into the greenery and wind.” Her mind drifted to things others have told her about how her work has changed and inspired them. “I hear a lot of stories about people starting to watch birds when a family member dies or something traumatic happens to them,” she says. “These kinds of stories move me. I feel there is a more spiritual connection that people overlook until they are on their own, having a quiet moment in nature and realize they are not alone.” I ask about her work with children as an activist and preservationist, and whether she’d observed a difference in the responses of children versus adults when it comes to the idea of nature conservation. “I think children are more engaged,” she says. “They want to get involved, to help more. They want to make their own art. Adults are more reflective and take the inspiration into their lives in their own ways. It’s very positive.” Art Spreads Its Wings When it comes to her focus in the world of environmental conservation, Faunagraphic is drawn to several different bird societies across the United Kingdom and Europe, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds — RSPB for short — and Swift Conservation. During 2024 she has focused on heritage and urban regeneration projects, one being a new UNESCO protected site, the details of which are still developing. In a past interview on the BirdBuddies blog, Faunagraphic remarked, “I always find the story of the RSPB amazing. I have a few friends and they’re like, ‘Oh, protesting for nature, it doesn’t get anywhere.’ And I’m like, that’s wrong, because the RSPB was just two women that started it off, fighting for the rights of these birds, because they kept getting slaughtered for hats, and the birds were going extinct. And that’s how it all began, just two women.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Faunagraphic (@faunagraphic) Faunagraphic doesn’t limit her artistic endeavors to murals. She has been invited to participate in dozens of European gallery exhibits and installations. Recently she extended her presence in the art world across the Atlantic Ocean to be part of the 2023 Aruba Art Fair in the Caribbean Islands. Faunagraphic has also collaborated with some of the most influential brands today — including Sony, TOMS Shoes, Converse, Diesel, Pioneer, and Reebok — to design unique nature-themed consumer products. She might even launch her own product line one day. “It’s something I’m working on,” she says. “I love linen and organic or sustainable fabrics, which I would then screenprint onto. I have been spending years speaking with different suppliers in different countries, as well as machinists and clothing makers.” Faunagraphic’s stunning and impactful work reaches thousands of people every year, and her murals could continue to inspire viewers for generations to come. She understands the power of her murals on young and old alike and continues to strive to spread her message of nature conservation. With every thoughtful swath of paint, Faunagraphic continues to make the human fabricated landscape — as well as the lives of those who live within it — a little more beautiful by turning concrete jungles into urban oases. Ultimately Faunagraphic’s hope is to reconnect people to the Earth and reinvigorate their childlike curiosity about the natural world. For it’s only through a deeper connection with nature that we can preserve the beauty of our world. “Small steps lead to big changes, you know.” Scroll down to find our “Republish” button Previously in The Revelator: Project Animalia: A Year in 365 Animal Paintings The post Environmental Muralist Faunagraphic Brings an Urban Oasis to the Concrete Jungle appeared first on The Revelator.

Nature
Activism
Conservation

Nature in England at risk as amount of protected land falls to 2.93%, data shows

Experts are calling for ‘rapid rescue package’ for nature to improve condition of protected sitesThe amount of land that is protected for nature in England has fallen to just 2.93%, despite government promises to conserve 30% of it by 2030, new data reveals.Campaigners are calling for a “rapid rescue package for UK nature”, as government delegates head to Cop16, the international nature summit, which will take place from 21 October in Colombia. They intend to ask other countries to stick to ambitious nature targets. Continue reading...

The amount of land that is protected for nature in England has fallen to just 2.93%, despite government promises to conserve 30% of it by 2030, new data reveals.Campaigners are calling for a “rapid rescue package for UK nature”, as government delegates head to Cop16, the international nature summit, which will take place from 21 October in Colombia. They intend to ask other countries to stick to ambitious nature targets.The commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030 was made in 2020 by the then prime minister, Boris Johnson. But according to a report by Wildlife and Countryside Link, the amount of land in England that can be said to be effectively protected for nature has fallen to just 2.93%, while the amount of sea protected is at 9.92%.The amount of land protected for nature is down from last year’s update, which was at 3.11%, while 8% of sea in England was effectively protected for nature in 2023. Protecting land for nature means there are clear boundaries and laws in place to ensure wildlife is not harmed or destroyed and nature is not being depleted.The figures are falling owing to declines in quality of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), which are changing because of the climate crisis, water pollution and overgrazing. National parks should be areas where land is in good condition, but previous reports show that nature within these sites is often no better than outside them.Currently only designated nature sites such as SSSIs within national parks count as protected for nature as the parks themselves are not specifically designed for nature but for recreation, unique views and other attributes.There are small improvements in the protection of England’s seas because of new laws to prohibit destructive fishing. In March 2024, ministers introduced bylaws prohibiting bottom-towed fishing gear across some marine protected areas (MPAs).Experts are calling on the government to set out plans for improving the condition of protected nature sites, and for bylaws to be published to halt damaging fishing activity across all MPAs by the end of 2024.Katie-jo Luxton, the global conservation director of the RSPB, said: “We welcomed the commitment to protect 30% of our land for nature, but years have passed since this was made and we’re just not seeing the urgent action that is needed for nature recovery. Meanwhile, more species are being added to the red list of conservation concern, and this will only carry on if the conditions in our protected nature sites aren’t improved. We also need to see more places, from seabird-foraging areas to our ancient woodlands and upland peat bogs given protected status so they can revive threatened species such as puffin, curlew and willow tit.”skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionRichard Benwell, the CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, added: “The new government is going to need to take giant strides in the next six years to meet internationally agreed 2030 nature targets. As delegates arrive in Colombia for crucial nature talks, the UK has a major opportunity to show global environmental leadership. This must be backed up by action at home. As we approach the five-year countdown to the deadline to restore nature, we’re calling for a rapid rescue package for UK nature.”A Defra spokesperson said: “Progress to restore nature has been too slow. Britain is currently one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, yet it underpins everything – the economy, food, health and society. It’s why this government has wasted no time in announcing a rapid review to deliver on our legally binding environment targets, including how we can accelerate progress to hitting our international commitments of protecting 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030.”

Nature
Government
Conservation

Hurricane Helene Deaths Will Continue for Years, Study Suggests

Research on hundreds of tropical storms finds that mortality keeps rising for more than a decade afterward, for reasons you might not expect.

Over the past week, the official death toll from Hurricane Helene has surpassed 100 as the vortex creeping inland from Florida submerged homes and swept away cars. But the full weight of lost lives will be realized only years from now — and it could number in the thousands.A paper published in the journal Nature on Wednesday lays out the hidden toll of tropical storms in the continental United States. Looking at 501 events from 1930 to 2015, researchers found that the average tropical storm resulted in an additional 7,000 to 11,000 deaths over the 15 years that followed.Overall during the study period, tropical storms killed more people than automobile crashes, infectious diseases and combat for U.S. soldiers. It’s such a big number — especially compared with the 24 direct deaths caused by hurricanes on average, according to federal statistics — that the authors spent years checking the math to make sure they were right.“The scale of these results is dramatically different from what we expected,” said Solomon Hsiang, a professor of global environmental policy at the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University, who conducted the study with Rachel Young, the Ciriacy-Wantrup postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.The pair used a technique that has also provided a more complete understanding of “excess deaths” caused by Covid-19 and heat waves. It works by looking at typical mortality patterns and isolating anomalies that could have been caused only by the variable under study — in this case, a sizable storm.Previously, researchers examined deaths and hospitalizations after hurricanes over much shorter periods. One study published in Nature found elevated hospitalizations among older Medicaid patients in the week after a storm. Another, in The Journal of the American Medical Association, associated higher death rates with U.S. counties hit by cyclones. A study in The Lancet found that across 14 countries, cyclones led to a 6 percent bump in mortality in the ensuing two weeks.

Nature
Climate

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