Events for conservation and sustainable land use

UWC’s Nature to Nurture exhibition opened in May 2025, connecting biodiversity observation with creative learning. PLAAS’s dated masterclasses, Living Landscapes training and October 2025 Land, Life and Society conference bring conservation, land rights and livelihoods into public and professional discussion. The full accounts retain advertised and confirmed activity separately. [E29] [E31]

Evidence and context

Learning about biodiversity through art and community access

Nature to Nurture: from a 2024 learner visit to a 2025 exhibition

The UWC Nature Reserve Unit and the Zeitz MOCAA BMW Centre for Art Education linked biodiversity learning with photography in a collaboration launched in 2024. MOCAA Art Club learners visited the Cape Flats Nature Reserve later that year, recording their encounters with the natural environment using disposable cameras. For some, this was their first experience of a nature reserve. Their photographs were exhibited alongside work by UWC students at Zeitz MOCAA, where the inaugural exhibition opened on 10 May 2025. The university’s nature-photography competition attracted more than 90 entries, with 24 selected for exhibition. Images of a carpenter bee, a snail shell and a dragonfly placed everyday encounters with wildlife at the centre of the project. The collaboration created a route into biodiversity awareness for school learners, students, families and museum visitors, connecting close observation of living species with creative expression. [E29, Article body, launch chronology and MOCAA learner paragraph; article PDF]

A visitor views photographs at the Nature to Nurture exhibition at Zeitz MOCAA, which opened on 10 May 2025. The photograph’s exact capture day is unspecified. Credit: Photographer not credited; UWC source credits “Supplied”. Image source.

Documenting the school learners’ experience

The collaborators’ 2025 EEASA conference abstract dates the school learners’ reserve visit more precisely to December 2024 and records 99 competition submissions. It describes the exhibition as a joint environmental- and art-education activity that introduced learners to species and habitats they had not previously encountered. [E30, Physical PDF page 79, abstract beginning Nature to Nurture]

Practical conservation skills and community education

UWC’s 2025 Fynbos Forum contribution describes conservation education that connects the Cape Flats Nature Reserve with students and communities. Annual student practicals combine alien-vegetation clearing in designated areas with long-term monitoring of alien-vegetation density, supporting an active volunteer skills-training programme. Partnerships with the South African Education Programme and Zeitz MOCAA provide school learners with environmental education and career guidance. The reserve’s nursery encourages indigenous planting in gardens, while guided walks support public appreciation of local biodiversity. [E28, Printed page 88, abstract by Laurenda van Breda]

Continuing land and conservation education in 2025

Conservation, rights and access masterclass

PLAAS advertised an online Living Landscapes masterclass for 12 June 2025 with Professor Thembela Kepe of the University of Toronto. The planned session addressed conservation, land rights, livelihoods and access in Southern Africa. It invited participants to reflect on efforts to address exclusionary conservation histories and to bring examples from their own settings into discussion. The programme linked international academic expertise with practical questions facing communities and conservation professionals. [E23, Article body]

A 2025 masterclass connecting biodiversity and climate

PLAAS held a Living Landscapes in Action masterclass with Kumi Naidoo on 15 October 2025. In a reflection published after the event, Naidoo discussed ecological farming, agroecology and equitable land-based conservation as responses to connected biodiversity and climate pressures. The publication extends public access to his perspectives on conservation and livelihoods. [E35, dated article and closing event note]

Further Living Landscapes training

For 27–31 October 2025, PLAAS offered a further five-day, in-person Living Landscapes course in Cape Town. The advertised programme covered conservation history, political ecology, alternative conservation approaches and the relationships between biodiversity, livelihoods and rights, with a proposed field visit to connect discussion to local landscapes. It invited applicants from government, conservation organisations, community-based organisations and related professional settings across Africa. The call described the course as fully funded for a limited, selected group and required a learning portfolio and field report for completion. [E24, Article body]

Land, Life and Society: an international conversation in 2025

Thirty years of PLAAS research and public engagement

PLAAS marked its thirtieth anniversary with the Land, Life and Society conference from 7 to 9 October 2025. More than 250 academics, researchers, civil-society partners and supporters gathered to examine land rights, inequality and environmental change. Discussions connected land redistribution and Indigenous land struggles with the effects of industrial farming and extraction, small-scale fisheries, critical minerals and the green economy. The programme included ten simultaneous discussions and a field trip for international delegates. South Africa’s Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development and Colombia’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development contributed to the event, placing the exchange within an international policy conversation. Delegates debated a Cape Town Declaration, with a final version drafted on 10 October. The conference provides a substantial example of UWC convening research and public dialogue around the relationship between land, livelihoods and ecosystems. [E31, Article body, participant count, themes and final paragraphs; article PDF]

Delegates at the PLAAS Land, Life and Society conference, held from 7 to 9 October 2025. The photograph’s exact capture day is unspecified. Credit: Jesi Townsend / UWC. Image source.

A public archive for continued learning

PLAAS’s conference archive extends access to the 2025 Land, Life and Society discussions through public plenary recordings, daily summaries, newsletters and the Cape Town Declaration. These materials provide a continuing resource for readers interested in agrarian change, land governance and environmental justice. Public access to these resources should be distinguished from participation in the conference’s closed discussion sessions. [E25, Article body]

Back to the overview

Sustainable campus food: procurement context

UWC’s Procurement Policy includes environmental preservation, pollution minimisation and improved use of natural resources within its purchasing principles. The complete selected provisions retain the March 2025 amendment and its separate commencement qualification. The campus garden and community-growing accounts appear in the agricultural-learning section. [PX01]

Evidence and context

Environmental principles in purchasing

The Procurement Policy amended on 27 March 2025 includes environmental preservation, pollution minimisation and improved use of natural resources among its purchasing principles. Clause 3.2 replaces the September 2020 policy, while clause 3.1 leaves commencement to Council. A separate commencement date for the March 2025 amendment is not stated in this edition. [PX01, Cover; section 2 SHE principle; section 3.1 commencement; physical pp.1,12–13]

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Maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity

UWC manages the Cape Flats Nature Reserve, protecting threatened lowland vegetation and seasonal wetlands. Its wider research examines wildlife connectivity, genetic diversity, regional biodiversity and rangeland change. The complete evidence distinguishes documented observations, ecological planning and research recommendations from completed restoration or population recovery. [B01] [B09]

Evidence and context

Protecting a living landscape on campus

A reserve in the city

UWC owns and manages the 34-hectare Cape Flats Nature Reserve, a remnant of two threatened lowland vegetation types: Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. Its dunes, flatlands and seasonal wetland provide habitat within an urban campus. Established as a reserve in 1977 and declared a National Monument in 1978, the site is now described by UWC as a Provincial Heritage site. The Nature Reserve Unit combines conservation management with an indigenous nursery, environmental education and ecological research. [B01, Overview: reserve history, ecosystems and unit role]

Tracking biodiversity carefully

UWC’s February 2025 report recorded a reserve species inventory of 769, compared with 558 documented in 2023. Its category totals were 130 birds, 270 plants, 62 fungi/lichens/mosses/liverworts, 246 insects/arachnids, 27 mammals and 34 reptiles/amphibians. These are records of documented diversity, rather than evidence that animal populations grew or that 769 species were seen during one event. The article identifies two Endangered, three Vulnerable and nine Near Threatened plant species. Keeping these categories distinct matters: Near Threatened species are of conservation concern but do not belong to the formal threatened categories. [B02, Article PDF, p. 1; category list and conservation-status paragraph]

Southern masked weaver beside its woven nest, published with UWC’s February 2025 biodiversity-inventory story. The photograph’s capture date is unverified. Credit: UWC Nature Reserve; individual photographer not credited. Image source.

Managing habitat, water and fire

Seasonal wetland habitat

Heavy winter rain in 2024 brought the reserve’s seasonal wetland into prominence again. UWC’s February 2025 account describes aquatic and semi-aquatic habitat, including frogs, waterbirds and the flowering bulb Gladiolus angustus. A camera trap recorded a marsh mongoose in November 2024, adding evidence of wildlife use of the site. The reserve’s wetland was created in 1977, and its conservation team links protection and environmental education to the habitat, flood-buffering and groundwater functions of wetlands. Seasonal filling and individual wildlife detections are valuable observations, rather than measurements of restored area or population recovery. [B05, Wetland history, winter 2024 description and camera-record chronology]

Seasonal wetland habitat at the Cape Flats Nature Reserve, accompanying UWC’s February 2025 account of earlier observations. The photograph’s capture date is unverified. Credit: Photographer not credited on source page; supplied by UWC. Image source.

Planning ecological fire management

A prescribed-burn plan prepared for UWC by the Cape Peninsula Fire Protection Association on 20 February 2023 proposed a 6.5-hectare ecological burn in Cape Flats Dune Strandveld. Its objectives included removing ageing vegetation, lowering fuel loads and encouraging indigenous vegetation to re-establish. The plan describes regular alien-plant clearing, perimeter vegetation clearing and firebreak preparation. It also sets weather limits, smoke considerations and go/no-go checks. The accompanying UWC notice explained that the selected area had not burnt for nearly 40 years. These documents show site-specific ecological and safety planning; the published plan leaves the actual burn date and after-action review blank and does not establish that the proposed burn was completed. [B06, pp 1,4,6–8,13–15] [B07, Announcement dated 31 March 2023]

Conserving wildlife across working landscapes

A 2025 leopard record on the West Coast

A camera-trap survey involving the Landmark Foundation, SANParks, UWC and participating landowners recorded a leopard in West Coast National Park, reported by UWC in November 2025 as the first sighting there in 170 years. Principal investigator Dr Jeannine McManus is a research fellow in UWC’s Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Department. The partnership studies ecological connectivity and leopard occurrence across landscapes where conservation areas sit alongside farming and development. UWC’s contribution centres on scientific evidence that can inform conservation action and policy. The record is evidence of a leopard’s presence; longer-term monitoring is needed before drawing conclusions about residency, breeding or population recovery. [B09, Article; camera-trap partnership and McManus statements]

A camera-trap photograph of a leopard at West Coast National Park. The camera overlay records 23 May 2025 at 23:10; UWC reported the sighting in November 2025. Credit: Landmark Foundation. Image source.

Learning from natural recolonisation

A 2024 study by UWC-affiliated researchers and conservation partners examined the return of leopards to the Piketberg after a long local absence. Camera-trap surveys ran from August 2020 to April 2021 and August 2022 to May 2023, alongside analysis of historical destruction permits. Researchers used coat patterns to identify individual adults and spatial capture–recapture models to estimate density. The findings connected recolonisation with a changing landscape: less lethal predator control, changes from livestock to crop production, and increased tolerance of carnivores. The study stresses the importance of private land, connected habitat and non-lethal coexistence approaches. Participating landowners provided access and CapeNature shared records and access to managed areas. Its recommendations support conservation planning; they are not proof that every proposed corridor or intervention has been implemented. [B10, Methods 2.2; discussion 4.1–4.2; acknowledgments, pp 276,282–284]

Two camera-trap views of the same leopard and matching coat markings in Figure 2 of the Piketberg study, published in 2024. The surveys ran in 2020–2021 and 2022–2023; the photographs’ capture dates are unspecified. Credit: Jeannine McManus and co-authors, 2024. Figure 2, CC BY 4.0. Unchanged. Image source. CC BY 4.0.

Genetic diversity beyond visible differences

UWC research fellow Jeannine McManus also co-authored a leopard-genomics study published online in December 2024 and in Evolution’s March 2025 issue. Comparing red, captive black and normally coloured leopards, the researchers explored how coat-colour variation relates to genetic diversity. The sampled captive black leopard showed strong signals consistent with inbreeding, while the red leopards carried potentially harmful variants. The work adds genetic evidence to conservation discussions and illustrates why visible colour differences alone cannot define separate conservation populations. These findings apply to the sampled animals and should not be generalised to all wild leopards of a given colour. [B11, Abstract and author affiliations; online and issue dates]

Research for effective biodiversity management

African expertise in biodiversity data

The 2024 bii4africa dataset brought together 200 experts to estimate how major land uses affect terrestrial vertebrates and vascular plants across sub-Saharan Africa. UWC’s Bryan Maritz coordinated reptiles and amphibians; Andrew A. Turner also contributed with a UWC affiliation. The structured process asked specialists to estimate abundance relative to an intact reference population and refine their judgements through discussion. The resulting dataset represents approximately 5,400 vertebrate and 45,000 plant species and can support ecosystem-condition assessment, conservation prioritisation and restoration research. Its openly published methods and data help address geographic and taxonomic gaps in biodiversity knowledge. [B13, Abstract, Methods and author contributions]

From data to regional conservation choices

A subsequent Nature assessment published online on 3 December 2025 combined this expert knowledge with spatial land-use data. It estimated that indigenous plant and vertebrate populations in sub-Saharan Africa retained an average 76% of their reference abundance, with substantial variation among species groups and landscapes. This is an abundance-based index, not a count of species lost. The study highlighted the importance of relatively untransformed rangelands and natural forests outside protected areas, alongside formal conservation areas. The journal issue is dated January 2026; the research was publicly available during 2025. [B14, Abstract; regional results; publication history]

Recognising overlooked species

UWC’s December 2025 account of the project describes Maritz’s coordination of experts assessing 799 amphibian and 1,481 reptile species. Bringing these groups into the assessment broadens the evidence available for conservation planning beyond large mammals. The emphasis on working landscapes also connects biodiversity research to agricultural land use, community stewardship and the practical choices that determine whether people and wildlife can coexist. [B15, Maritz role and expert-network description]

Research to guide land and species management

Mapping long term change in savannah rangelands

A 2024 study involving UWC researchers examined bush encroachment in southern Kruger National Park and neighbouring communities using satellite records from 1992 to 2022. The team combined climatic and terrain information with machine-learning classification to investigate changes in vegetation cover. The work provides a spatial evidence base for rangeland management and biodiversity conservation across protected and community landscapes. Its contribution is the identification and mapping of ecological change; the study does not demonstrate that UWC implemented a clearing programme or restored the mapped land. [T01]

Anticipating future pressure on protected and communal land

Research published in February 2025 brought UWC scientists together with colleagues from other universities and South African National Parks to model woody-plant encroachment in protected and communal landscapes. The study considered locations in Kruger National Park and the Bushbuckridge area, comparing present conditions with alternative future climate scenarios. Models indicated greater areas suitable for encroachment under the high-emissions scenario. These projections help identify where proactive land management may be needed, while retaining uncertainty about future conditions. The study focuses on native woody species spreading within savannah rangelands. [T02]

Back to the overview

Community education about ecosystems

The reserve’s annual surveys involve learners, specialists and local communities in biodiversity recording. UWC also connects ecology and place with community arts and documentary storytelling. The retained accounts identify the distinct 2024 and 2025 activities, participant groups and observation methods. [B03] [B04]

Evidence and context

Community science that strengthens conservation

The 2024 survey

From 14 to 19 October 2024, the Cape Flats Nature Reserve’s annual survey brought together 198 participants. UWC staff and students from 10 departments worked alongside biodiversity specialists from the Endangered Wildlife Trust, Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Biodiversity and Development Institute, together with experienced community members. Learners from Nature Connect’s Conservation Leadership Programme and Meridian Pinehurst High School also participated. The event generated 3,143 photographs: 2,374 in a shared collection and 769 through iNaturalist. The unit reported 273 species seen during the six days. Combining expertise, photographs and public participation helps update the reserve’s biodiversity records while giving learners direct experience of conservation fieldwork. The newsletter describes 162 Sherman traps used over six nights, with four small-mammal species recorded, including a new reserve record of the greater red musk shrew. Camera monitoring confirmed a caracal after the event. [B03, Opening four paragraphs and 2024 survey newsletter, p. 1; posted 11 February 2025]

The 2025 survey

The next survey ran from 13 to 18 October 2025, with 108 participants drawn from schools, clubs and local communities. The unit reported 1,425 camera downloads from 10 observers, plus 207 iNaturalist uploads from 12 observers documenting more than 115 species. Its December 2025 account connects this collective recording effort to protecting the reserve’s threatened Strandveld and Sand Fynbos. These figures describe different observation channels and should not be interpreted as a like-for-like biodiversity trend against 2024. [B04, Opening report; posted 12 December 2025]

Making biodiversity records accessible

The Nature Reserve Unit publishes a species-resource hub covering plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and several invertebrate and non-flowering groups. Downloadable lists and linked photo collections support identification and public engagement. The resources are updated over time, so their current versions do not necessarily reproduce the lists available during 2024 or 2025. [B08, Species-list hub and downloadable flora filename]

Arts, place and environmental understanding

Rural arts education and community partnerships

UWC’s Centre for Humanities Research works with community arts partners to connect cultural learning with questions of ecology and place. At Boschendal’s Heritage Day festivities on 24 September 2024, learners took part in puppet-making activities and a giant-puppet parade. Workshops involved children from Languedoc and Pniel and drew on collaborations with Boschendal Education, Net vir Pret and Ukwanda Puppets and Designs. The programme is part of a longer network of public arts work that explores conservation, ecology, community and culture, bringing university-based creative practice into conversation with rural communities. [E12, Article body]

Documentary storytelling about land and environmental justice

UWC researcher and filmmaker Dr Jacob Cloete’s documentary Steek My Weg / Hidden Away explores the relationship between environmental conservation and social justice in Barrydale. In December 2024, UWC announced Cape Town TV broadcasts of the film. The project grew from conversations with the Hessequa community about land displacement and the environmental effects of large agricultural developments. Its origins were connected to the community’s River and Redfin puppet parade, supported by UWC’s Centre for Humanities Research and local arts partners. The film offers an additional route for public learning about land, history and ecological relationships. [E13, Article body]

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Learning about sustainable agricultural land use

UWC’s community gardening partnerships share planting, propagation and worm-farming skills, while the Dietetics garden supports practical food-system learning on campus. PLAAS’s pan-African land-governance education and research on farming and pastoral livelihoods extend the discussion to land rights, agroecology and management. Their dates and audiences remain explicit. [E05] [E26]

Evidence and context

Growing food and knowledge with local communities

An accessible community garden in Gugulethu

UWC supported hands-on gardening education at Thembalethu Protective Workshop in Gugulethu in 2024. At the project launch on 25 June, the Cape Flats Nature Reserve Unit supplied plants, tools and visual teaching aids and demonstrated planting techniques. The initiative brought together UWC’s Dr Gerard Filies, the workshop and the Khoi-San-E Foundation, with the aim of building members’ gardening skills and self-sufficiency. Partners introduced worm farming to produce compost and supported plans for accessible raised beds. The project connects sustainable growing practices with community participation and inclusive access to gardening. [E05, Article body]

Plant propagation, worm farming and shared practical skills

The project partner’s account adds detail to the Gugulethu workshop. UWC donated indigenous plants and demonstrated plant propagation, while the Khoi San E Foundation provided vegetables and herbs. The foundation demonstrated how kitchen scraps, cardboard and shredded paper could be used in a worm farm to produce compost, and explained how participants could establish additional worm farms. These activities combined practical plant-growing skills with resource reuse, supporting the centre’s ambition to develop a productive garden. [E06, Article body]

A campus garden for food and nutrition learning

In October 2024, UWC’s Dietetics Department opened a vegetable and herb garden outside the Dietetics Building. Third-year Dietetics and Community Development Nutrition students developed the space with lecturer Elsabe Nel and the Gardens and Grounds Department. The garden emphasised indigenous edible and medicinal plants and gave students experience in growing food, identifying plants and applying nutrition-programming principles. It provides a practical setting for learning about nutrition and sustainable food systems on campus. The launch also highlighted opportunities for future community involvement and a potential contribution to student food support. [E07, Article body]

Building African land-governance knowledge

A no-fee 2024 course for selected land professionals

PLAAS offered its accredited online short course on the Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa from 22 to 26 July 2024 with the African Land Policy Centre. Teaching addressed natural-resource access and management, customary and statutory tenure, women’s land rights, rural and urban land administration, large-scale land acquisition and the climate crisis. Selected participants paid no course fees, with support from GIZ and UNECA through NELGA, although they needed their own reliable internet connection. The programme was designed for experienced land professionals and policymakers, extending university learning beyond enrolled students. [E03, Article body]

A pan-African learning network

PLAAS’s August 2024 account describes land professionals from across Africa taking part in its NELGA course. Participants represented civil society, government, the private sector and academia. Eighteen lecturers and facilitators contributed to the five-day online programme coordinated by Professors Moenieba Isaacs and Ruth Hall. Discussions connected land tenure, rural and urban administration, women’s land rights and climate pressures. This combination of professional learning and regional exchange strengthened opportunities to discuss how land governance can respond to the needs of communities and future generations. [E04, Article body]

Food systems, agroecology and land rights

For World Food Day 2024, PLAAS advertised a three-hour online NELGA masterclass on Food Systems and Land Governance with Professor Mamadou Goïta. The session linked agricultural production and food sovereignty to land rights, tenure and changing food systems. Its scope explicitly included agroecological approaches as a route towards more sustainable land use and farming. The public invitation connected research on food systems with practical questions about the people who live on and work the land, and supplied reading materials for further learning. [E08, Article body]

Climate responses and rural land governance

PLAAS’s NELGA lecture series offered a September 2024 masterclass with Dr James Murombedzi on the connections between climate change and land governance. The advertised online session examined how climate finance, carbon credits, forestry and renewable-energy investment affect rural landscapes and access to land. It invited participants to consider the consequences of climate responses for communities whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. The advertised programme brought questions of land degradation, sustainable development and equitable resource governance into professional education. [E09, Article body]

Evaluating professional learning

PLAAS commissioned an evaluation of its land-governance short course, completed in December 2024. The study drew on 163 alumni survey responses, five focus groups and six key-informant interviews across several course cohorts. Respondents reported gains in understanding and confidence, and described using course learning in research, project work, policy and advocacy. These are self-reported professional outcomes, rather than measured ecological changes. The evaluation also identifies access and language biases and calls for continued learning opportunities, providing a basis for improving future provision. [E21, Executive summary pp vii–viii; printed pp 2, 4, 7]

Research for sustainable farming and pastoral livelihoods

Recognising pastoral knowledge in Southern Africa

A 2024 study involving UWC’s Khululiwe Primrose Ntombela and Igshaan Samuels documents how pastoralists in South Africa and Namibia respond to climate and resource pressures. Based on fieldwork undertaken from 2014 to 2016 in eight communal areas, it identifies 46 coping and adaptation strategies, including supplementary feeding, livestock mobility and income diversification. The research also highlights constraints such as restricted grazing access, land degradation and declining transmission of traditional knowledge. Its contribution is to make locally developed knowledge visible in policy debates, so that adaptation support can build on existing skills and practices rather than overlook them. [E19, Article body]

Exploring supplementary fodder in water-limited areas

UWC and Agricultural Research Council researchers investigated hydroponic fodder as a supplementary feed source for livestock in water-limited Northern Cape communities. Their July 2025 Water Research Commission report records practical training in Paulshoek and engagement with Concordia farmers. An included invitation dates the Paulshoek demonstration to 2 December 2023. The team subsequently presented its barley-fodder work at the Grassland Society of Southern Africa and Arid Zone Ecology Forum conferences in 2024. The research explores feed quality, water sources, growing structures and costs, while identifying contamination and seasonal-management challenges that need to be addressed before wider adoption. [E20, Executive summary v; printed pp 76–80 (physical 92–96)]

Learning from experienced livestock farmers

A 2025 study involving UWC and Agricultural Research Council researchers explores what can be learned from experienced livestock farmers about sustainable rangeland management. Interviews with 100 purposively identified “champion” farmers across South Africa’s nine provinces, conducted between 2020 and 2022, examined how farmers assess grazing resources, livestock condition and their own practice. Farmers commonly used forage quantity and plant species to judge rangeland condition, alongside records of rainfall and animal health. The authors propose using this practical expertise to strengthen farmer-to-farmer learning through extension services. The study provides a research foundation for education; it does not document an already delivered training programme. [E22, pp 10–13, 18–20]

Study farms and South African biomes in Figure 2 of the champion-livestock-farmer study, published in 2025. The study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2022. Credit: Ngoako L. Letsoalo and co-authors, 2025. Figure 2, CC BY 4.0. Unchanged. Image source. CC BY 4.0.

Continuing pan-African land-governance education

The 2025 NELGA course, advertised for 31 March–4 April, continued PLAAS’s partnership with the African Land Policy Centre. Its curriculum explicitly linked conservation, food systems and the climate crisis with land governance, alongside women’s land rights, land administration and pressures on the commons. Selected online participants were offered places without course fees, supported by GIZ and UNECA. This continuing professional programme connects land-management debates with a broader African network of practitioners and policymakers. [E26, Article body]

Completing the 2025 land governance course

At the virtual graduation on 24 June 2025, UWC’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor celebrated the successful conclusion of the seventh pan-African accredited short course and welcomed 74 graduands. His address identifies the continuing partnership with the African Land Policy Centre and GIZ-supported land-governance networks. Together with the course curriculum and no-fee offer for selected online participants, this provides a dated record of professional learning completed in 2025. [E33, pp.1–2] [E26, curriculum and fees]

Back to the overview

Learning and exchange on sustainable tourism

UWC’s Leisure and Tourism Conference opened on 3 October 2024, bringing sustainability into professional exchange among researchers, educators and practitioners. The full account retains the advertised fees and themes, the retrospective confirmation of the event and the local-government and international partnership. [E14] [E15]

Evidence and context

Professional exchange on sustainable tourism

UWC’s Leisure and Tourism Conference

UWC’s first Leisure and Tourism Conference, scheduled for 3–4 October 2024, brought sustainable tourism into a broader programme for researchers, educators and practitioners. The advertised themes also included outdoor and adventure recreation, community recreation and inclusive tourism. Participation was charged: the published early-registration rate for academics and practitioners was R3,500, rising to R4,000 after 15 July; student and one-day rates were also offered. The programme offered a forum for professional exchange on tourism sustainability. [E14, Article body]

A local-government and international partnership

The World Leisure Organization’s retrospective account confirms that the Leisure and Tourism Conference opened on 3 October 2024 and included international presentations. The organisation’s visit also continued its collaboration with UWC and the City of Cape Town. This confirms that the advertised conference took place and situates it within a local-government and international partnership. [E15, Article body]

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Institutional commitments to terrestrial conservation

Council’s natural-environment statement recognises sustainable natural-resource practices and protection of campus biodiversity, specifically the Cape Flats Nature Reserve. The complete subsection approved on 26 June 2025 and the separate earlier Council commitment remain visible below, with reporting titles and approval dates distinguished. [P03] [PX07]

Evidence and context

Council commitment to the natural environment

Council’s Statement on Transformation and Sustainability in the Annual Report 2024 recognises sustainable natural-resource practices and protection of campus biodiversity, with specific reference to the Cape Flats Nature Reserve. The statement was approved on 26 June 2025. Its complete natural-environment subsection follows, from the 77-page spread edition. The 2024 reporting title does not backdate the approval of this statement. [P03, Natural environment: physical p.27 / printed p.53; approval: physical p.28 / printed p.54]

Earlier commitment to campus biodiversity

UWC’s earlier Council statement, approved on 23 June 2022 in the 2021 Annual Report, committed to sustainable natural-resource practices and protection of campus biodiversity, specifically the Cape Flats Nature Reserve. This provides an earlier record of Council’s commitment to the campus’s natural environment. [PX07, Natural-environment subsection: printed pp.47–48; Council approval: printed p.48]

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Species of conservation concern

The reserve’s records identify plants of conservation concern, including a historical record of Lessertia argentea, classified as Endangered in SANBI’s national assessment. The full account preserves the 2018 observation date and the distinction between historical occurrence and a current population estimate. The 2025 inventory is retained under Maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity. [B17] [B20]

Evidence and context

Species of conservation concern

A plant recorded in the reserve

The reserve’s published overview records the green-snakestem pincushion, Leucospermum hypophyllocarpodendron subsp. hypophyllocarpodendron, among its Cape Flats vegetation. This botanical record forms part of the Nature Reserve Unit’s account of the habitats and plants it conserves. [B01, Cape Flats Nature Reserve ecosystem description]

A documented refuge for threatened plants

A 2018 UWC survey reported several Lessertia argentea plants within the reserve. SANBI’s national assessment classifies this coastal-dune plant as Endangered and identifies urban development and invasive plants among its threats. The historical record explains the value of retaining small habitat remnants; it does not provide a current reserve population estimate. [B20, Floral survey results] [B17, National Status, habitats and threats]

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Biodiversity in campus planning and development

UWC’s Infrastructure Management Policy covers land holdings, environmental compliance and alignment with the Campus Development Plan. Its spatial principles address land and water, indigenous vegetation and green space. The complete selected provisions and document-control table remain below, alongside the separately reported 2024 landscaping project and environmental-risk oversight. [P01] [P03]

Evidence and context

Land stewardship and biodiversity in campus planning

UWC’s Infrastructure Management Policy was approved on 22 September 2022 and implemented on 23 September 2022. It covers university land holdings and makes environmental compliance part of infrastructure and land management. New infrastructure must align with the Council-approved Campus Development Plan. Its spatial principles call for working with land and water, appropriate use of indigenous vegetation, green space, local engagement and efficient land use. The policy also requires sustainability in projects while preserving practical, financial and whole-life planning conditions. The selected provisions below set out these responsibilities and conditions. [P01, Cover; sections 1–2,4.2,4.3,4.5; Annexures A–C]

Indigenous, waterwise campus gardens

In the third quarter of 2024, UWC’s Campus Landscaping Project introduced indigenous, waterwise gardens intended to reduce water use and improve biodiversity. This was a reported campus intervention; the Annual Report does not quantify resulting water savings or changes in biodiversity. [P03, Annual Report 2024, Rector and Vice-Chancellor’s report, Campus Safety; 77-page spread edition: physical p.15 / printed p.28]

Environmental-risk oversight

The Annual Report 2024 identifies the Council Safety, Health and Environmental Risk Committee as dealing with health, safety and environmental-risk issues. This places environmental risk within UWC’s Council-level governance structures. [P03, Annual Report 2024, Report on Risk Exposure Assessment, The governance of risk management; 77-page spread edition: physical p.32 / printed p.62]

Source note: Annexure A(a) names the National Energy Act No. 34 of 1998. The quoted wording is retained. The official government record identifies the Act as 34 of 2008. [P01, Annexure A(a), physical/printed p.9] [PX06, Official Act title]

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Managing alien-species impacts

The Nature Reserve Unit describes continuous weeding and mechanical or chemical control of alien vegetation, with attention to Port Jackson and fire-affected areas. Regional invasive-species research and a 2025 catchment study add evidence for management, retaining their study scope and the distinction between intended applications and completed interventions. [B01] [B12] [T03]

Evidence and context

Controlling invasive vegetation

The reserve’s management approach aims to retain natural veld while minimising disturbance. Its continuous weeding programme targets woody alien plants, especially Port Jackson (Acacia saligna). Staff use mechanical or chemical control according to the density and location of seedlings, weeds and grasses, and check fire-affected areas for germinating Acacia seeds. [B01, Management section]

Testing progress on invasive-species control

A regional assessment co-authored by UWC-affiliated CapeNature scientist Andrew A. Turner examined invasive-species management in 18 protected areas covering 677,584 hectares of the Cape Floristic Region. Published online in November 2024 and assigned to a 2025 journal issue, the study combined management-plan reviews, species lists and 2010–2022 spending and treatment records. Only six of 226 regulated invasive species had species-specific control plans, while management reached 24% of protected-area land. The authors found insufficient and declining funding, incomplete monitoring and uneven effectiveness, and recommended more diversified funding, biological control, appropriate prescribed fire and outcome monitoring. This provides evidence to improve regional management rather than claiming that clearing expenditure automatically delivers ecological recovery. [B12, Abstract, Methods, Results and Discussion]

Linking invasive plants and groundwater protection

In April 2025, the Cooperation in International Waters in Africa programme profiled UWC graduate researcher Mmasechaba Lebogang Moropane’s work on groundwater-dependent invasive plants in the Western Cape’s Heuningnes Catchment. Supported by the Southern African Development Community Groundwater Management Institute’s Young Professionals programme, she was using satellite techniques to map the plants and investigate their relationship with groundwater. The stated aim was to inform environmental and water-resource managers about invasive-species clearing and native-species protection. At the time of the profile, connecting the findings with managers was an intended next step, rather than a completed management intervention. [T03]

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Community partnerships around shared land ecosystems

PLAAS’s practitioner learning and collaborative research connect conservation with community livelihoods, rights and participation. The retained accounts include Living Landscapes, community rangelands and research around conservation areas, keeping partnership roles, dates and governance proposals distinct. [E18]

Evidence and context

Connecting biodiversity conservation with livelihoods and rights

Living Landscapes professional learning in 2024

PLAAS and Wageningen University brought conservation practitioners together for a five-day Living Landscapes course in KwaZulu-Natal from 26 February to 1 March 2024. The programme connected biodiversity conservation with rights, livelihoods, gender, law and social justice, and included field learning in conservation landscapes. The organiser reports 27 selected participants, including professionals from government, conservation organisations, NGOs and community-based organisations. South African participants joined colleagues from across Africa. The course was fully funded by the Oak Foundation. It created a setting in which practitioners could examine how conservation can support both biodiversity and the people who depend on land and natural resources. [E01, Article body]

Learning from communities around conservation areas

Living Landscapes links conservation research with the lives of communities in and around protected areas. A 2024 account from project funder Oak Foundation describes PLAAS research associate Maud Sebelebele living and working alongside residents of Den Staat Farm near Mapungubwe, learning through everyday activities including cattle herding. The wider project also engages Cape Town wetland communities and communities neighbouring iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Researchers examine how people’s access to nature, livelihoods and cultural connections can be recognised in conservation. The programme has also fostered Mazingira Yethu, an alumni network that continues discussions and shares knowledge through virtual meetings. [E02, Article body]

Wetland landscape used by PLAAS for its Living Landscapes project page, first published in 2022 and updated in 2024. The photograph’s capture date and exact location are unverified. Credit: Photographer not identified on PLAAS source page. Image source.

Sharing conservation research through animation

On 15 October 2024, Professor Moenieba Isaacs hosted a screening of a Living Landscapes in Action animation alongside the International Marine Conservation Congress in Cape Town. Co-produced with Dr Lerato Thakholi, the eight-minute film introduced the project’s case for integrating biodiversity conservation with social and spatial justice. Its focus extended across Mapungubwe, iSimangaliso and Cape Town landscapes. By making research accessible through animation, PLAAS created a public-facing learning resource about how conservation decisions affect the people living in and around protected areas. [E10, Article body]

Community rangelands and collaborative research

REPAiR: linking ecology, institutions and livelihoods

PLAAS introduced REPAiR in December 2024 as a three-year research partnership examining community-led approaches to nature-based solutions in Southern African rangelands. The project connects ecological questions with the social and political conditions affecting communal grasslands and livestock livelihoods. Its dated 2024 project account describes collaborative research with Meat Naturally Africa, bringing together natural and social scientists, livestock farmers and civil-society groups to understand how landscape stewardship interacts with local institutions, policy and history. [E11, project introduction] [E27, project description and Our approach]

A partnership active in 2024

A November 2024 account from REPAiR researcher Amber Huff places the project’s work in the context of communal livestock farming and nature-based solutions. It documents a team visit to a research site in July 2024 and explains the partnership with Meat Naturally Africa, whose existing work with communal farmers includes regenerative herding, training and incentives. REPAiR studies these interventions through multiple forms of knowledge, examining how ecological conditions, local institutions, policy and history shape their effects. The approach emphasises understanding the realities of rangeland communities before assuming which conservation measures will work. [E27, Article body]

Community perspectives on ecosystem governance

Livelihoods and cultural heritage in the Mapungubwe landscape

A 2025 Living Landscapes policy brief examines how biodiversity conservation, farming and cultural heritage meet at Den Staat Farm in the Mapungubwe landscape. Maud Sebelebele, Lerato Thakholi and Moenieba Isaacs draw on prolonged community-based research, including dialogue and feedback with residents. The brief identifies tensions involving wildlife damage to crops, access to grazing, sacred places and participation in conservation decisions. It also records collaboration with Nkuzi Development Association on community rights education. The authors argue for conservation arrangements that recognise local livelihoods and cultural connections alongside biodiversity, rather than treating protected areas as separate from their neighbouring communities. [E16, pp 1–4, 7]

Social and spatial justice in urban conservation

A PLAAS policy brief published in February 2025 on urban conservation in Cape Town considers why biodiversity governance needs to recognise how neighbouring communities use natural spaces. Zina Jacobs, Mafaniso Hara and Frank Matose examine three nature reserves and a conservation area, considering resources used for livelihoods, energy, culture, spirituality and recreation. Their policy brief argues that conservation areas cannot be managed in isolation from the needs of nearby communities. It contributes a social-ecological perspective to decisions about access and urban biodiversity, grounded in ethnographic research. [E17, Policy brief pp.1–5]

Community participation around iSimangaliso

In a 2025 policy brief, PLAAS researchers Siphesihle Mbhele, Ayanda Madlala and Moenieba Isaacs examine the experiences of Dukuduku and KwaNibela communities around iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Their analysis connects conservation to grass harvesting, agriculture, fishing and access to culturally important plants and places. The authors identify barriers to meaningful participation and recommend accessible communication, the inclusion of local knowledge and clearer community roles in co-management. This research supports discussion of how conservation and local livelihoods can be governed together, while recognising that consultation alone does not guarantee shared decision-making. [E18, pp 7–11]

Conservation boundaries, access and shared benefits

A 2024 article by Bram Büscher and PLAAS-affiliated researcher Lerato Thakholi examines how conservation fences connect wildlife protection with property rights and social justice in South Africa. Drawing on historical, policy and legal debates, the authors distinguish the protective functions of fencing from the restrictions it can place on neighbouring communities. They propose approaches that would retain necessary protection while widening participation, access and the sharing of conservation benefits. Their discussion includes rights to wildlife, wildlife restitution and cross-border conservation arrangements. The article contributes a governance perspective to biodiversity conservation: decisions about ecological boundaries also shape relationships between people, land and wildlife. These are research proposals, rather than evidence of reforms already implemented. [E32, Abstract, sections 5–6 and conclusion, especially printed pages 7–10]

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Water quality and discharge: governance context

UWC’s infrastructure provisions address environmental compliance, water-sensitive planning and infrastructure responsibilities. Their full wording and practical conditions are retained under Biodiversity in campus planning and development, alongside the original document-control table. [P01]

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Campus plastic waste: policy context

The Procurement Policy’s environmental principles include pollution minimisation and improved use of natural resources. The selected purchasing provisions remain fully visible under Procurement context; the supplier requirements appear in the following waste-disposal section. [PX01]

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Waste disposal and hazardous materials: responsibilities

UWC’s published supplier terms address contractor compliance with university procedures, safety requirements and hazard reporting. Their full selected text remains below, retaining the document’s undated status and contract-scope qualification. The infrastructure policy’s environmental responsibilities remain available in the planning section. [PX03]

Evidence and context

Contractor safety obligations

UWC’s public supplier terms address contractor compliance with university procedures, safety requirements and hazard reporting. The body is undated; its filename and metadata indicate 2023. The document does not identify the individual contracts into which these terms were incorporated during 2025. [PX03, Clauses 14 and 23; physical pp. 8–9, 13–14]

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