Together investing in the future of South AFrica’s Marine and Freshwater ecosystems

The WWF Sanlam Living Waters Partnership, launched in August 2007, leveraged R67 million to implement aquatic conservation initiatives in South Africa. Key achievements include the SASSI programme, which influences 60% of the seafood retail market, and the declaration of 120,000 hectares of Marine Protected Areas. The partnership also focused on capacity building, training 2,248 people and creating 332 jobs. Future goals include integrating ecological infrastructure with hard engineering development and improving the social support for inshore Marine Protected Areas.

• The Partnership leveraged a total investment of R67 million for its work, based on a core investment of R11.6 million from Sanlam, representing a leverage factor of nearly 6:1.
• The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) has significantly influenced the seafood supply chain, with over 60% of the South African seafood retail market committing to support the programme.
• The partnership influenced the declaration of 120,000 hectares of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and worked with the government to pioneer a potential MPA of approximately 18 million hectares around the Prince Edward islands.
• The Water Balance Programme secured corporate commitments to rehabilitate 1,500 hectares of critical freshwater habitats, which is estimated to secure an additional 4.5 billion litres of freshwater annually.
• The Sustainable Sugarcane Farm Management System (SuSFarMS) was adopted by the South African Sugar Association for a complete industry roll-out to improve practices for one of the country's most water-intensive crops.
• The partnership focused on human capital development, training 2,248 people in the marine and freshwater sectors and providing 332 employment opportunities through various projects.
• Sanlam set internal environmental targets for 2011–2015 to reduce its carbon footprint by 15%, electricity use by 20%, and water consumption by 10%.

APA

WWF South Africa (2012). Together investing in the future of South AFrica’s Marine and Freshwater ecosystems. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/living_waters_5_yr_review_web.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. Together investing in the future of South AFrica’s Marine and Freshwater ecosystems. 2012. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/living_waters_5_yr_review_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=Together investing in the future of South AFrica’s Marine and Freshwater ecosystems |date=April 2012 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/living_waters_5_yr_review_web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafrica2012together, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{Together investing in the future of South AFrica’s Marine and Freshwater ecosystems}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2012}, month = apr, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/living_waters_5_yr_review_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }