Laserfiche WebLink
Protecting Biodiversity and Creating <br />Economic Alternatives in South Africa <br />Since the Endangered Species Act took <br />effect, it has prevented the extinction of <br />more than 99 percent of listed species. One <br />study in the journal Annual Review of <br />Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics found <br />that 192 listed species might have gone <br />extinct between 1973 and 1998 had it not <br />been for the Endangered Species Act. But <br />because of the protections the Act provides, <br />only seven species have been declared <br />extinct in the last 30 years. <br />The success of the Act is due in large <br />measure to the partnerships that the <br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has built <br />with States; other government agencies; <br />environmental groups and other <br />non-profit organizations; the hunting <br />and fishing community; and especially, <br />with private landowners. <br />"In order for the Endangered Species Act to <br />build on its success, the Service must keep <br />finding ways for landowners to benefit from <br />their conservation efforts," said Gary Frazer, <br />Assistant Director of Endangered Species <br />for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. <br />"We must find more and better ways to <br />collaborate and cooperate with those who <br />live and work on the land. <br />"For the past 30 years, the Endangered <br />Species Act has helped us to safeguard the <br />future of the nation's diverse plant, fish and <br />wildlife species, and to demonstrate that <br />endangered means there's still time," <br />he added. <br />Betsy Lordan, Public Affairs, <br />Washington, DC <br />John Damara and cousin Henry Basson <br />personify both the challenges and <br />opportunities faced by local communities in <br />South Africa. In the early 1970s, apartheid <br />relocation policies split their mixed-race <br />family; Damara's side left for Namibia, while <br />Basson's went to a segregated community in <br />Namaqualand in northern South Africa. <br />Twenty years later, they and their neighbors <br />finally reclaimed their homes, thanks to <br />the new government of Nelson Mandela. <br />However, their struggle continues, as they <br />work to recreate a local economy in this <br />tough, semi-arid region with a staggering <br />60 percent unemployment rate. <br />Both subsistence farmers with a love for <br />nature, the cousins eagerly participated in a <br />Nature Guide Training Program conducted <br />by RARE Center for Tropical Conservation <br />and funded through an interagency <br />agreement with the United States Agency <br />for International Development (USAID) <br />to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. <br />Graduating in 2001, the duo formed a small <br />company providing tours within Augrabies <br />Falls National Park close to their hometown <br />Their training was part of a larger joint <br />venture of RARE and South African <br />National Parks to launch two conservation <br />initiatives protecting Namaqua National <br />Park, a new reserve. Formally open range <br />land used by local residents, Namaqualand <br />is now protected by its park status. <br />Nevertheless, the land outside park <br />boundaries continues to be threatened by <br />mining, overgrazing, and illegal plant and <br />animal trade. <br />Henry Basson urith <br />his mother, proudly <br />displays this <br />diploma having <br />completed nature <br />guide training. He <br />nill help run tours <br />in a national park. <br />RARE's Nature Guide Training Program <br />works globally to provide residents in <br />or near threatened ecosystems with <br />economically viable skills in ecotourism. <br />Fifteen residents from the Namaqualand <br />region, including Damara and Basson, <br />successfully completed an intensive <br />ten-week course focusing on natural <br />history, interpretation, and conversational <br />English. Most of the students' first language <br />is Afrikaans. <br />Graduates of the training used their skills in <br />a variety of jobs, including field guide <br />apprenticeships in Augrabies National Park, <br />laboratory assistants in West Coast Fossil <br />Park, and local tour leaders. Most also <br />continued their studies after graduation <br />to earn official accreditation from South <br />Africa's Field Guide Association. <br />The guides represent an important first step <br />toward reshaping Namaqualand's tourism <br />industry to benefit local communities <br />challenged by hardships from the apartheid <br />years. These students-who earned their <br />slots out of a pool of 150 applicants- <br />graduated with some of the highest scores in <br />natural history knowledge and guiding skills <br />the program has ever seen. <br />"In South Africa, the general perception has <br />been that the government is responsible for <br />the protection of the environment, but this is <br />not the case anymore," explained Damara. <br />"It is up to all of us." <br />Continued on page 16 <br />