wwf_mondi_report_final_web-9bf3a01a93c07951.pdf

This report by WWF South Africa documents the 25-year history and impact of the WWF-Mondi Wetlands Programme (WWF-MWP), from its inception in 1991 as the Rennies Wetland Project to its evolution into a global partnership. The programme focused on the identification, delineation, and rehabilitation of wetlands outside protected areas, particularly within the forestry and sugar industries, to improve water security and biodiversity in South Africa.

• The WWF-Mondi Wetlands Programme (WWF-MWP) evolved through three naming phases: starting as the Rennies Wetland Project (1991–2000), becoming the Mondi Wetlands Programme (2001–2012), and finally the WWF-Mondi Wetlands Programme from 2013 onwards.
• The programme played a critical role in establishing a scientifically defensible method for wetland delineation, which allowed the forestry industry to remove commercial trees from an estimated 5–6% of planted areas to protect riparian and wetland zones.
• The WWF-MWP was a catalyst for the South African government's 'Working for Wetlands' programme, which has received over R1 billion in commitment and provides approximately 2,400 annual job opportunities for previously unemployed people to rehabilitate degraded wetlands.
• The programme influenced national legislation by lobbying for a precise legal definition of 'wetland' in the National Water Act of 1998 and the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act (CARA) Regulations of 2001.
• In the sugar industry, the WWF-MWP co-developed SUSFARMS® (Sustainable Sugarcane Farm Management System®), a tool currently implemented by about 350 commercial farmers in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands to improve environmental and social practices.
• The programme developed several technical tools for the 'WET-Series', including WET-EcoServices for assessing ecosystem services and WET-Health for evaluating wetland health and trajectories of change.
• The WWF-MWP contributed to the Ntsikeni wetland achieving Ramsar Wetland Site status in 2010 by conducting health assessments, assisting in rehabilitation, and developing a management plan.
• The programme shifted its focus toward a 'landscape approach' to water stewardship, moving beyond isolated land parcels to engage all users in a catchment, including dairy farmers in the uMngeni and uMvoti Rivers catchments.
• In 2014, a global partnership between WWF and Mondi was launched to expand stewardship across ecosystem, manufacturing, and product areas, extending work to Europe and Russia, including the protection of boreal forests.
• The programme established the New Generation Plantations (NGP) platform in 2007 to share global lessons on how managed plantations can coexist with protected wetlands and high conservation value areas.

APA

WWF South Africa (n.d.). wwf_mondi_report_final_web-9bf3a01a93c07951.pdf. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_mondi_report_final_web.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. wwf_mondi_report_final_web-9bf3a01a93c07951.pdf. n.d. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_mondi_report_final_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=wwf_mondi_report_final_web-9bf3a01a93c07951.pdf |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_mondi_report_final_web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafricandwwfmondireportfinalweb9bf3a01a93c07951pdf, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{wwf\_mondi\_report\_final\_web-9bf3a01a93c07951.pdf}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_mondi_report_final_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }