Guiding principles for reserve management - NCC Environmental ...

The co-management agreement further provides for the establishment of a ‘Wonderkop NatureReserve Management Committee’ to represent the interests of the parties to the agreement in theongoing management and development of the WNR. The management committee has beenconstituted - with representation from the Tale Ga Morudu community, the Mogalakwena LocalMunicipality and LEDET – and meets quarterly.In terms of the co-management agreement, the executing agency pays a conservation levy (R5/ha,adjusted annually for inflation) into the community trust account and shares the proceeds of ‘net profit’from reserve activities with the community on a 50:50 basis.A land claim in terms of Section 10 of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act No. 22 of 1994) wassubmitted by the Bakone BagaMatlala community over the following properties that form part of theWNR: Steilwater No. 385 LR, Elim No. 383 LR, Groot Bosch No. 384 LR, De Draai No. 374 LR andPlatteklip No. 346 LR. This land claim is currently still in process.Table 3 details the current staff complement of the WNR.2.4 Reserve description2.4.1 HistoryTable 3: The current staff complement of the Wonderkop Nature ReservePOSTNUMBERReserve Manger 1Field Ranger 15Total 16The farms comprising the WNR were initially used for cattle farming and, to a lesser extent, irrigatedcrop production. The area was severely overgrazed for an extended period of time, which resulted inpoor grass cover, erosion and extensive bush encroachment, especially in flat areas with fertile soils.The cultivation of crops in such a low rainfall area further contributed to the degradation of the veld.The properties comprising the WNR were subsequently purchased by the State for the purpose of there-establishment of a black community that was re-located from Makgorang. The farms used for thispurpose became known as the Steilloop group of South African Development Trust farms (Steilloopfarms). This piece of land was kept in trust in order to be prepared and developed for theestablishment of the farmers from the Makgorang community, during which time it was still used forcattle farming under the management of the South African Development Trust Co-operation (STK) onbehalf of the former Department of Development Aid.In the 1980’s a planning committee was appointed by the former Department of Development Aid withthe task of evaluating the suitability of the Steilloop farms for the re-establishment of the Makgorangfarmers. The committee concluded that a large portion of these farms was not suitable for cattlefarming as a result of its low carrying capacity, a history of overgrazing and the presence of Poison Leaf.The committee went on to recommend that the area be developed as a nature reserve, which couldlater be transferred to the then Lebowa Government.An area of 3 950 ha located in the northern section of the Steilloop farms was initially earmarked as apotential nature reserve by the former Department of Development Aid. This area was managed by theconservation division of the said department, which was responsible for the fencing of the area in 1991.Game, including approximately 300 head of Impala, 80 head of Kudu and a number of Warthog, wasonly introduced to the area in 1993. The numbers of these species were, however, strictly controlled inLEDET Reserve Management Documents: Wonderkop Nature Reserve (Strategic Plan) 15