After nearly a decade of lobbying and sustained efforts by a small committee of dedicated environmentalists, the Magaliesberg has been declared a World Biosphere Reserve.
The announcement was made today (9 June) in Paris by the International Coordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB). This is a Unesco programme that aims to build a supportive and sustainable relationship between people and their environments. In effect, this means a specific focus on safeguarding natural ecosystems through innovative approaches to economic development.
The World Network of Biosphere Reserves, which Magaliesberg now joins, counts 631 biosphere reserves in 119 countries.
“We are delighted with this final acknowledgement of the unique nature of the Magaliesberg and the powerful contribution it is making to our country, to the ecosystem services in Gauteng and the North West and the communities it nurtures over an extensive area,” said Paul Fatti, chair of the Magaliesberg Biosphere Initiative Group (MBIG) that has been lobbying authorities since 2007 to support the establishment of the Biosphere.
Vincent Carruthers, past chair of MBIG and renowned author of “The Magaliesberg”, the most authoritative study of the mountain range, said that this announcement was the culmination of a campaign that began in 2006.
Officials from South African environmental authorities were also at the MAB meeting in Paris when the announcement was made.
The Board will be made up of representatives of 16 interest groups who are involved one way or another in the Magaliesberg. These include bodies involved in conservation, education, tourism, culture/historical activities, business and religion.
The Magaliesberg is under intense pressure from urbanisation and has lacked the support of a strong regulatory framework to back its status as a Protected Area.
The Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve covers almost 358 000 ha - 58 000 making up the core area, 110 000 ha the buffer area and 190 000 ha the transition area.
Besides the range’s unique biomes - the Central Grassland Plateaux and the sub-Saharan savannah - it has a very rich biodiversity. The Aloe Peglerae and Frithia pulchra are unique to the area which has 443 bird species, almost half the total bird species of Southern Africa.
South Africa now has eight Biosphere Reserves. Besides the Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve, the Gouritz Cluster was also declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco on 9 June.