Overstrand MunicipalityProposed development to address food

security and protect biodiversityEnvironmental and Sustainability StudiesExperimental Farm

Hemel-en-Aarde Valley,Hermanus,Western Cape, South Africa

Hi my name is Qarbon. I am a Second Life Avatar representing the Qarbon Qampus Virtual World. Today we will be doing a real world assessment for a development. My Role is that of the Co-ordinator of the Environmental and Sustainability Studies at the University of the Western Cape and I am looking to build an experimental facility to assess new foods we can grow in the Western Cape given the anticipated impacts of climate change.

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mQarbon Qampus Experimental Farm:An innovative new way of family farming for health and wealth!

We will use Ecological Niche Models to identify foods that have high retail value (so as to best provide our labourers with a livable income together with full retirement benefits), to popularise “Superfoods” to help city-dwellers eat a more healthy diet and to produced food at massively reduced ecological costs by growing what food is best suited to prevailing conditions. In short to address the triple bottom-line PROFIT, PEOPLE and the PLANET.

Pesticide-free Almonds. Almonds are California’s biggest agricultural export. Almonds are used as subsitute flour and milk for gluten and lactose intolerant people or people wishing to follow the Paleo-diet. Most of the almonds purchased locally are imported form California ( which has a similar Mediterranean climate to our Valley but are grown using high inputs of pesticide).

What is the Qarbon Campus Experimental Farm and why is it different?

Locally-grown “boutique” Coffee. Coffee is the most traded commodity after oil , it is also one of the most expensive food items with considerable scope for “value added” benefits. In California various research has focussed on growing coffee in climate conditions similar to that found in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

Popularise Pomegranate the sweet superfruit . Pomegranate products such as concentrates, salad dressings and fruit juices. Eating raw pomegranate seeds with their pulp will help people with diabetes as it contains high quantities of antioxides . The juice specifically can reduce the development of fatty deposits in our arteries as it inhibits LDL (bad) cholesterol absorption.

Increase production of Macadamia nuts. Pomegranate products such as concentrates, salad dressings and fruit juices. Eating raw pomegranate seeds with their pulp will help people with diabetes as it contains high quantities of antioxides . The juice specifically can reduce the development of fatty deposits in our arteries as it inhibits LDL (bad) cholesterol absorption.

Qarbon Campus Experimental FarmWhere will it be located!A potential property for the location of the Qarbon Campus Experimental Farm has been identified in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. This valley is well known for its alternative life style communities which exists in total contradiction to the valley’s exclusive Wine Estates and the South African Rivera town of Hermanus just over the seaward-side mountians..

Use climate similarities to identify better food to grow for local consumption

Agoura Hillshttp://en.climate-data.org/location/16058/

Location of University of Farmers Campus

Hemel-en-Aarde Valleyhttp://en.climate-data.org/location/9058/

Location Experimental Farm for our Environmental and Sustainability Experimental Farm in this exercise.

Riebeek-Kasteel (Goedgedacht)http://en.climate-data.org/location/189781/

Potential real farm that UWC could network with in the future – specifically its Poverty Alleviation Programme (POP).

“POP is building confidence and skills in rural youth and offering opportunities for self advancement and for making a real contribution to their own communities.”

Summary of Overberg Integrated Development Plan IDPPut text here

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dOverstrand MunicipalityProfileDescriptionOverstrand Municipality is a local municipality located within the Overberg District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its unique offerings of the ultimate experience in land-based whale watching and shark cage diving, pristine Blue Flag beaches, excellent wine industry and top-class restaurants and accommodation make it an attractive tourist destination with a variety of activities.

General statisticsArea: 1,708 km2

Total Population 2011: 80 432 Population density: 47/km2

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Overstrand MunicipalityTransformation and protection

Landscape transformationOne third of the municipal area has been altered to a state where not natural habitat remains.

Protected areasFormal land-based protected areas23 reserves covering 40959.8ha (24%)

Marine Protected Areas (MPA's)1 adjacent to municipality

Total area: 170750.5ha

Overstrand municipalityVegetation types – original extent

Main vegetation types ( >10% of municipal area)

Agulhas Limestone Fynbos 12.11%

Elim Ferricrete Fynbos 14.88%

Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos 17.76%

Overberg Dune Strandveld 11.24%

Overberg Sandstone Fynbos 32.36%

Other vegetation types (<10% of municipal area)Agulhas Sand Fynbos 1.59% Cape Coastal Lagoons 1.32% Cape Estuarine Salt Marshes 0.06% Cape Lowland Freshwater Wetlands 1.9% Cape Seashore Vegetation 0.16% Cape Winelands Shale Fynbos 0.09% Elgin Shale Fynbos 0.57% Hangklip Sand Fynbos 3.27% Ruens Silcrete Renosterveld 0.44%Southern Afrotemperate Forest 0.06% Southern Coastal Forest 0.51% Western Coastal Shale Band Vegetation 1.37% Western Ruens Shale Renosterveld 0.03%

Overstrand MunicipalityNationally listed threatened ecosystems

Percentage of municipal area now covered by threatened ecosystem shown

Critically Endangered (EC) Elgin Shale Fynbos 0.01%Elim Ferricrete Fynbos 2.49%Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos 15.2%Overberg Sandstone Fynbos 26.19% Ruens Silcrete Renosterveld 0.02%Western Ruens Shale Renosterveld 0.02%

Endangered (EN)Agulhas Sand Fynbos 0.48% Hangklip Sand Fynbos 1.41%Western Cape Milkwood Forest 0.42%

Vulnerable (VU)Agulhas Limestone Fynbos 6.44% Cape Winelands Shale Fynbos 0.08%

Overstrand MunicipalityNationally listed threatened ecosystems

Map showing the original extent of the ecosystems which are now threatened

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tOverberg District Conservation Plan AssessmentAssessment location and Conservation PlanAssessment locationThe map to the left shows the assessment area which was run for the identified potential location of the Qarbon Campus Experimental Farm in the Hemel –en-Aarde Valley

Assessment resultsThe assessment report is a compilation of data of various spatial biodiversity data sets and planning production. These are:

1. National terrestrial or aquatic spatial data sets and protected area boundaries and

2. The most relevant Biodiversity Conservation Plan BCP for the municipality in which the assessment is located . in the case the the most relevant SCB is the Overberg District Conservation Plan.

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Overberg District Conservation Plan AssessmentEcosystems, forests and soilsThreatened Ecosystems Section 1.1.1 of the report lists two national threatened ecosystems which occur with the assessment area. Although this information is extracted from the original extents of these ecosystems both the SCP results discussed below and examination of imagery confirm that natural vegetation may well exists within the area of the assessment. If this is the case it is critically endangered CR. The ecosystems in question are:

1. Elim Ferricrete Fynbos (FFf 1)

2. Overberg Sandstone Fynbos FFs 12

Note the results for the National vegetation types section 1.1.2 confirms that the only vegetation types (ecosystems) which may occur are these two CR ecosystems.

SoilsThe soil classes encountered (section 1.1.4) are probably associated with the two ecosystems. Further investigation into their properties revealed that

1. Association of Classes 7 and14: Undifferentiated texture contrast soils may have favourable physical properties, somewhat high natural fertility; relative wetness favourable in dry areas but can get water logged.

2. Non soil land classes has limit value for agriculture.

Indigenous Forest PatchesThere were no indigenous forest patches (section 1.1.3)

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sOverberg District Conservation Plan AssessmentRivers, wetlands and protected areas National Fresh Water Priority Areas (NFEPA)Wetlands

Seven wetlands occur in the analysis area (section 2.1.1) , five of these are artificial with condition Z3 where the percentage natural land cover <25% and two natural with condition Z1 classed as artificial by Surveys and Mapping. All these wetlands have the lowest FEPA rank of 6.

Rivers Units Sub-quaternary catchments

The analysis area intersected a single unit of the Onrus river (section 1.2.2) with a condition of C moderately modified. The analysis area was only located in this river units sub-quaternary catchment both have a NFEPA status of Fish Sanctuary. NFEPA fish sanctuaries are important areas for the support of indigenous fish species.

Protected Areas (NBA 20011)The analysis area intersected a formal protected area Fernkloof Local Nature Reserve (Section 1.3) It should be redrawn to avoid this intersection.

Note: The analysis area was not located in one of the focus areas for Protected Area.

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In the Overberg District Conservation Plan a lookup layer is provided which divides the area of the plan into units each of which gives biodiversity feature information responsible for the classification of the unit’s CBA map category CBA, ESA or PA. The analysis area intersected 63 such units (section 2). In the report each unit is listed separately rather than in a table due to the amount and complexity of information it contains.

Critically Endangered ecosystems (CBAs)Most of the analysis area intersected with lookup up layer units which were classified as Critical Biodiversity Areas 33 on natural or 16 degraded land 49 units in total. The biodiversity features responsible for this classification indicated potential occurrence of both endangered species and national threatened ecosystems. These units corresponds with the two critically endangered ecosystems which were listed above.

Ecological Support Areas (ESAs) The analysis area intersected six CBA map lookup layer units which were classed as ESA or important for maintaining aquatic processes and may be transformed from natural e.g. farmland.

Protected Areas (PAs)The analysis area intersected seven CBA map lookup layer units which were classed as Protected Area and corresponds with the Fernkloof intersection mentioned above although the SCP does not include the PA name.

Overberg District Conservation Plan AssessmentCBAs and ESAs

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Biodiversity & Conservation Biology

Environmental & Sustainability Studies