Cape Winelands District Municipality
South Africa
Sector
Agriculture & Agri-processing
Food & Beverages
Tourism & Leisure
The Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve was officially approved and registered by UNESCO on 18 September 2007. The reserve was demarcated in accordance with the bioregional approach, focused on conservation and human well-being, making it unique in South Africa. Together with the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, it forms the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdon of the Western Cape and incorporates five local municipalities in and outside the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM).
Map of the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve
(map and photos courtesy Dennis Moss Partnership)
The Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve encompasses a variety of sectors of which agriculture and tourism (including eco- and agri-tourism) are just two. Other important focus areas include: heritage conservation and management, history, nature and environmental conservation, education, social upliftment, poverty alleviation, landcare and reform, water conservation and management and recreation.
The Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve demonstrates a dynamic and practical role and application mode for:
- a mechanism to ensure appropriate international recognition and subsequent support for this globally-unique region and its natural and cultural resources
- an integrated place-specific land use management system for all stakeholders that complies with the relevant legislation and policy and gives practical effect to the imperatives of sustainable develeopment namely, environmental integrity, human well-being and economic efficiency
The biosphere reserve should not be viewed as an island isolated from its surroundings, but rather as an integral part of a regional planning and development strategy aimed at promoting sustainable development. The three imperatives for sustainable development are environmental protection, human well-being and economic efficiency.
As part of this strategy, the CWDM laid out the following goals, at a local and international level:
Internationally
- Provide practical ways to resolve land use conflict and to protect biological diversity
- Provide opportunities and share ideas for education, recreation and tourism to address
conservation and sustainability issues - Co-operate on thematic project-based topics (eg. agricultural practices or climatic change)
or on ecosystem types (eg. fynbos) - Create a connection among people and cultures worldwide on how to live in harmony with the environment and each other
Locally
- Help create and maintain a healthy environment for people and their families
- Maintain productive and healthy landscapes
- Reduce conflict among people
- Encourage diverse local economies to revitalise rural areas
- Increase the involvement of communities in land use decisions and thus the connection to
the land - Support and facilitate interconnected scientific studies and monitoring
- Celebrate cultural diversity and provide opportunities to maintain existing traditions and
lifestyle
Contact Quinton Balie at the Cape Winelands DM on +27 21 888 5194 or email quinton@bolanddm.co.za for the full framework for land-use planning and management.
Core areas of the biosphere reserve
The core areas of the biosphere reserve provide for the conservation of biodiversity, monitoring of ecosystems, and non-disruptive, non-consumptive land-uses, such as outdoor recreation, benchmark research, and environmental education. The core areas will, in particular, focus on the long-term protection of unique portions of the Cape Floral Kingdom, with specific reference to the listed Natural World Heritage Site in the area, the network of highly irreplaceable habitats and the corridors that link such habitats.
The Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve implies significant benefits for both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development throughout the region. It is envisaged that the
implementation and management of the biosphere reserve would help place the Cape Winelands on a path of environmental sustainability and human well-being.
In addition to the core areas described here, the buffer and transition areas are also of vital importance.
For a look at the key aspects that led to the declaration of the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve, click here:
For more information:
Contact: Mr Quinton Balie
Tel: +27 21 888 5194
Email: quinton@bolanddm.co.za
