Princess Anne crowns SA man king of grasslands

HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne this week presented a Whitley Award in project funding worth £35 000 (R605 000) to Dr Ian Little at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London, to honour his work to protect South Africa’s threatened grasslands.

Demand for fresh water is expected to outstrip supply in South Africa by 2025. The eastern great escarpment provides catchment services for three of the country’s largest rivers, making it a vital source of water for cities such as Durban and Johannesburg in one of the world’s most arid nations.

As the world’s third most bio-diverse country, these grasslands support a plethora of plants and animals found nowhere else, including golden moles and sungazer lizards.

Despite their importance, less than 3% of grasslands in the country is protected. Intensive livestock farming, coal mining and gas exploration are inflicting untold damage – with fracking now an imminent threat.

Little, of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, works with farmers to champion conservation of grassland habitat. He is building capacity for sustainable farming and introducing improved management practices, such as less intensive grazing and burning regimes to decrease pressure on grasslands and boost productivity.

He has already secured 60 000 hectares of grassland for conservation, a figure he plans to increase with his award by creating a corridor of legally protected areas linking with others along the escarpment.

In doing so, he will safeguard these grasslands and the important source of freshwater they provide.

Edward Whitley, founder of the Whitley Fund for Nature, said: “The fund focuses on conservation success stories. The awards ceremony is about recognising progress –winning those small battles which cumulatively equate to change at the national level.

“In addition to the financial benefit, winners receive professional communications training to turn scientists into ambassadors, so they are able to communicate effectively with the public and inform change.” – ANA