A central element of the
C.A.P.E. strategy is using a landscape-level approach to biodiversity conservation, through "landscape initiatives" that take various forms, including corridor initiatives, megareserves and biosphere reserves.
Many parts of the fynbos biome are dominated by agricultural production or urban development, and it is no longer possible to set aside large, pristine areas to conserve biodiversity and sustain ecological processes. It is also not affordable for conservation agencies to purchase all the land identified as high priority in terms of habitat or threatened ecosystems to add it to our system of state-owned protected areas.
Instead, a landscape-scale approach looks at sustainable management of a mosaic of land uses, where people live and work in harmony with nature and within the natural resource limits of the landscape. Central to this approach is the creation of corridors of continuous natural habitat across the landscape. These corridors include formally protected areas as well as valuable biodiversity on privately owned land protected through
biodiversity stewardship agreements (Contract Nature Reserve, Biodiversity Agreement or Voluntary Conservation Area). Corridors can maintain or restore connectivity across the landscape, preserving biodiversity pattern and habitats; acting as passages for plants, animals, insects, birds etc. to move from one region to the next and providing them with food and shelter. Corridors also play a vital role in the survival of species in the context of climate change, since species are enabled to move from a warmer to a cooler region, or vice versa, along an established corridor.
The Landscape Initiative Knowledge Exchange (LIKE), was created to provide a platform where representatives of the landscape initiatives can come together to support each other and encourage the sharing of lessons, information and experiences across the landscapes. Held annually, the LIKE covers various themes aimed at aiding the participants in their respective areas of work. Click
here for information on the most recent LIKE.
Read more about these landscape initiatives across the
Cape Floristic Region:
