REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN THE GRASSLANDS OF THE EASTERN CAPE SOUTH AFRICA

This WWF South Africa fact sheet outlines the ecological importance of South African grasslands and details a regenerative agriculture project funded by the H&M Group (2022–2025) focused on wool production in the north Eastern Cape.

• South African grasslands are critical for water security and biodiversity, covering nearly one third of the country and containing most of its strategic water source areas. These landscapes include high-lying mountainous areas where many main rivers originate and where the majority of the country's rain falls, with wetlands serving as natural sponges for filtering and storing water.
• Intact and well-managed grasslands can mitigate climate change because plant roots absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it in the soil. However, this stored carbon is released if the land is overgrazed by livestock or cleared for croplands.
• Between 2022 and 2025, WWF is implementing a regenerative agriculture project in the north Eastern Cape funded by the H&M Group. The initiative works with commercial and communal sheep farmers to improve biodiversity, store carbon, and regenerate rangelands through activities such as mapping biodiversity hotspots, enhancing RWS certification compliance, and implementing invasive alien plant clearing of at least 10 hectares per year.

APA

Burns, A. (2022). REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN THE GRASSLANDS OF THE EASTERN CAPE SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/regenerative_wool_production_in_the_eastern_cape_grasslands.pdf

Chicago

Burns, Angus. REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN THE GRASSLANDS OF THE EASTERN CAPE SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa, 2022. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/regenerative_wool_production_in_the_eastern_cape_grasslands.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Burns |first1=Angus |title=REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN THE GRASSLANDS OF THE EASTERN CAPE SOUTH AFRICA |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2022 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/regenerative_wool_production_in_the_eastern_cape_grasslands.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{burns2022regenerative, author = {Burns, Angus}, title = {{REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN THE GRASSLANDS OF THE EASTERN CAPE SOUTH AFRICA}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2022}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/regenerative_wool_production_in_the_eastern_cape_grasslands.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }