SOUTH AFRICA INSPIRING CASE STUDIES FROM THE CAPE WINELANDS FARMING WITH BIODIVERSITY

The document advocates for a holistic 'biodiversity lens' in agriculture, emphasizing the role of soil health, indigenous plant restoration, and regenerative farming in the Western Cape's Fynbos Biome. It details the differences between rehabilitation and restoration, provides plant palettes for various farm areas, and presents case studies on using livestock for soil health, creating wildlife corridors, and managing riverine buffers to mitigate flood damage.

• Biodiversity is critical for agricultural resilience, as high-biodiversity systems are more resistant to pests, flooding, and drought than monocultures by maintaining essential ecosystem services like pollination and soil formation.
• Regenerative agriculture focuses on restoring soil health and biodiversity through practices such as decreasing tillage, reducing inorganic chemical inputs, planting cover crops, and integrating livestock.
• In the Western Cape, agriculture occurs primarily in the Fynbos Biome, where over 80% of the region has been altered or fragmented, leaving farmers as key custodians of endangered vegetation types like renosterveld.
• The document distinguishes between restoration, which aims to return land to its original pristine condition, and rehabilitation, which is more practical for farms as it focuses on creating a stable, functional ecosystem.
• Passive restoration, which involves removing damage sources and allowing natural succession, is more economical than active restoration, which requires the introduction of seeds and plants from local genotypes.
• Case studies at Hartenberg Estate demonstrate that integrating cattle for managed grazing in vineyards improves soil health, increases biomass, and can positively affect wine taste.
• Riparian vegetation serves as a critical tool for flood mitigation; a case study at Bergsig Estate showed that a berm planted with local riverine species survived the June 2023 floods and held the berm in place.
• The use of perennial indigenous cover crops in vineyards can reduce the need for herbicides and prevent the soil microbial ecosystem from being 'reset' by frequent ploughing.
• The Bottelary Hills Renosterveld Conservancy (BHRC) illustrates the value of collective action, growing from 18 members in 2018 to 54 in 2024 to protect endangered vegetation and create wildlife corridors.
• Research at St Kilda orchards suggests that flowering cover crops, such as white clover, can increase plum yields by attracting honeybees to the area, especially during unfavorable climatic conditions.

APA

WWF South Africa (2024). SOUTH AFRICA INSPIRING CASE STUDIES FROM THE CAPE WINELANDS FARMING WITH BIODIVERSITY. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/biodiversity-on-farms_final_2-page-view.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. SOUTH AFRICA INSPIRING CASE STUDIES FROM THE CAPE WINELANDS FARMING WITH BIODIVERSITY. 2024. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/biodiversity-on-farms_final_2-page-view.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=SOUTH AFRICA INSPIRING CASE STUDIES FROM THE CAPE WINELANDS FARMING WITH BIODIVERSITY |date=2024 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/biodiversity-on-farms_final_2-page-view.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafrica2024south, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICA INSPIRING CASE STUDIES FROM THE CAPE WINELANDS FARMING WITH BIODIVERSITY}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2024}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/biodiversity-on-farms_final_2-page-view.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }