Pumba Private Game Reserve

Environmental Conservation

Conservation context of the Eastern Cape:

Pumba Private Game Reserve plays an important role within the identified SANBI Albany Centre of Endemism. Numerous biomes are coming under threat from poor land use practices, as well as mismanagement. High diversity and endemism are attributed to the Eastern Cape being situated on the tension zone between, summer, winter and all-year round rainfall, resulting in maritime and continental climates and the altitudinal variation results in a variable climate. The Eastern Cape Province (totalling almost 9 million hectares) is dominated by thorny, spinescent, often succulent bush known as Succulent Thicket (Valley Bushveld). The region in which PPGR falls, is a melting pot of many phytochoria, and includes 5 of the 7 biomes found in South Africa. Over 4000 plant species found within the Eastern Cape are endemic, with a high proportion of mammalian, avian and reptilian species either being endemic, threatened or endangered.

PUMBA’S CONSERVATION RESPONSIBILITY

The Directors of PPGR have taken the strategic decision to become actively involved in conservation and socio-economic upliftment of the area and look at eco friendly means of providing visitors to PPGR with outstanding game viewing, and excellent accommodation and service, but at the same time reduce the consumptive utilisation of resources which are plundering our biodiversity. How is PPGR accomplishing this?

1. The Green Leaf Environmental Initiative:

The Wilderness Foundation, a South African conservation and environmental non-profit organisation have designed and are implementing an independent environmental measurable tool for tourism accommodation units in South Africa that highlight environmental footprint best practice and success factors in response to the ever growing pressures placed upon our environment. Pumba have grasped this tool with open arms.
As a business, PPGR have identified the need to manage our reserve and lodges through best practice. The initiative is not in conflict with other economic or social benchmarks that exist in South Africa namely “responsible” or “fair” tourism, but are rather viewed as complimentary to other benchmarks in achieving sustainable development.

What is the Green Leaf Environmental Standard?

The Green Leaf Environmental Standard is a standard that measures environmental issues with the aim of reducing the effects of consumption on our environment and improving upon environmental management and awareness in an eco friendly manner. The Green Leaf Environmental Standard has five elements, namely, water, energy, waste, product and innovation. Each element is defined by categories with sub-indicators and weightings. Targets are annualised and measured quarterly.

Main Objectives

The Green Leaf Environmental Standard objectives aim to address:

1. The direct impact of accommodation units on the environment.
2. Reducing the carbon footprint of accommodation units.
3. Environmental education of owners and consumers alike towards realising ways of enjoying the tourism product without compromising quality and experience.
4. Enhance the accommodation units marketing edge through environmental audit independence and impartiality.

2. Eastern Cape Association of Private Game Reserves (Indalo):

The Mission of the organisation is to foster a pattern of land use that is ethically accepted and that is conducive to social responsibility, biodiversity preservation and ecologically sound wild area management on privately owned land. The organisation forms a network where the sharing and providing of information takes place between the associated reserves involved. It enables the members to identify and address threats to biodiversity and ecological sustainability and identify appropriate solutions. Members all partake in identifying and developing programmes to enhance social sustainability as well as develop and get communities involved in the successes of the reserves. Over and above the association identifying the needs of sustainable development, it forms a platform from which members can be educated in biodiversity and sustainable development. Co-operative environmental strategies and plans are established as an organisation. The organisation constitutes a forum for the private game reserve landowners. Challenges that may threaten the future of the private game reserve industry are identified and strategies developed to minimise problems.

Indalo biannually commissions a socio-economic survey on behalf the thirteen member private game reserves to verify the positive impact generated by the private game reserves on the socio economic development of the area with the main emphasis being focused on the impact of conservation, economic and social activities of private game reserves in the Eastern Cape. The outcomes of the biannual studies have been extremely positive, where game reserves have been found to be improving job opportunities and rates over agriculture, as well as developing local skills amongst bordering communities, to fulfil roles in the hospitality and conservation employment sectors. Many community upliftment programs have been initiated. The results of the socio economic surveys have been very successfully used with government to demonstrate the success achieved by the private game reserve sector in the upliftment of rural communities, creation of employment opportunities, and the effective management of biodiversity in conformance with the Protected Areas Act.

MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY AT PUMBA

1. White Lion breeding programme:

PPGR is home to the second only known free-ranging population of White Lion in Southern Africa. The reserve is home to a single white male and two split lionesses that have to date conceived one litter of cubs, though none pure white. To breed these animals successfully is no easy task, due to their free-ranging habits, nature takes it course as would be in any natural environment, were it is known that 1 in every 4 cubs conceived has a chance of being white, plus a 50% + mortality rate amongst new born cubs.

Pumba’s White lion breeding project objective, is to establish a sustainable self sufficient pride of lions comprising pure white and split gene animals.

2. Leopard Monitoring and Rehabilitation Programme:

Since the opening of PPGR, signs (tracks, scats and kills) of free-ranging leopard have been noted in the area, particularly along the drainage lines of the river courses which meander through the reserve. At present it is difficult to ascertain numbers, which we hope to accomplish through the setting up motion cameras which will be randomly positioned throughout the property. The Field Guides of PPGR are researching and monitoring these animals, and are currently liaising with Quinton Martins, the Cape Leopard Trust Project Manager, who have successfully implemented projects of this nature.
Currently PPGR are rehabilitating leopard that have come from areas where they were removed due to being categorised as problem animals. What management intend to do with the project is to establish a breeding program from the problem animals to establish a sustainable population of habituated animals for release onto the reserve for guest viewing. This will not only ensure the species survival, but could also assist in our studies of the already free-ranging species.

3. Re-assessment of the Landscape of PPGR and the Alien invasive plant species clearing programme:

The reserve planning team have identified the need to work towards restoring the watershed of our area, as we form the main catchments of the Cariega River which is an important source of water in the Eastern Cape. The conservation team have currently gained support from Working for Water who are providing PPGR with herbicide to combat encroaching Alien Plant Species.
This effort has positive outcomes, as the carrying capacity of the reserve will definitely improve as a result of indigenous flora being restored, soil erosion will be reduced and the reserves water holding capacity and seeplines or vleis will be restored. Herbivore impacts and behaviour are being monitored, and management plans created around Flora and Fauna interactions.

4. Rare and endangered species introductory programme:

The reserve planning team have, currently completed a comprehensive Environmental Management Plan, which has identified the importance of PPGR which falls in an important Ecological Hotspot in South Africa, known as the Albany Hotspot of Floristic Endemism. Lists of threatened plant species have been compiled and as time prevails, the species will be GPS’d and mapped, so that monitoring methods can be put in place, this will also apply to the endemic and threatened species of mammals, birds and reptiles found at PPGR.

CONCLUSION

PPGR and its reserve planning team aim to make a difference in contributing to the future preservation and conservation of our biodiversity, within a very important ecological hotspot. Conservation efforts are not only focussed on the land but are also directed at the lodges, were sustainability of resource use is to be achieved, though not detracting from a 5 star quality standard of service which we provide within our lodges. Our bordering local and farming communities and their wellbeing are also an important factor within our conservation efforts. We will strive to continue to do our best in accomplishing our conservation objectives for the benefit of all.