A conservancy is the entry-level to community-based conservation. "Unlike other conservation initiatives," Colby says, "conservancies do not require you to set aside vast tracts of land and to actively stock wild animals. Conservancies can be anywhere and any size."
Although South African Conservancies don't have any legal rights to enforce laws, they are registered entities with the province's government agency maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity. All around the country, Colby says, concerned citizens are making a difference by conserving their local environments. "In a country internationally acclaimed for its wide variety of ecosystems, plants and wildlife, it is heartening to see the positive effects the Conservancies are having," she says. As South Africa ranks as the third most biologically diverse country in the world, it is no wonder that concerned citizens of all countries are involved in the establishment and protection of these unique and irreplaceable ecosystems.
One such conservancy is the Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy in KwaZulu Natal. "The area is home to wide range of rare and endemic species of animals, plants, birds, butterflies and insects and worms. Leopards prowl the bush where a variety of antelope share the space with rare aloes and birds," Colby says. When the conservancy was started several years ago, the area was declared an area of non-significance, the lowest on the ecology scale according to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the province's government regulatory agency.
Read the full article on www.ecology.com.
