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© Gerry Weber
RAFF - Heal the land framework - SHORT_v2-b
15:36

RAFF - Heal the land framework - SHORT_v2-b

Shepherds of the Soil 2: Smallholder Conservation Agriculture in South Africa
06:27

Shepherds of the Soil 2: Smallholder Conservation Agriculture in South Africa

A Grain SA & Maize Trust Production CA Smallholder Farmer Project: Bergville, KZN
Shepherds of the Soil 3 | Conservation Agriculture
03:10

Shepherds of the Soil 3 | Conservation Agriculture

Shepherds of the Soil 4: Conservation Farmer
03:58

Shepherds of the Soil 4: Conservation Farmer

A Grain SA & Maize Trust Production Ascent Conservation Agriculture Project: Vrede, Free State Province
Shepherds of the Soil 9 | Bertie Coetzee
16:14

Shepherds of the Soil 9 | Bertie Coetzee

CA Farmer: Bertie Coetzee (Full version)
ARC | About CA Part 1
05:06

ARC | About CA Part 1

ARC About CA Part 1
ARC | About CA Part 2
04:55

ARC | About CA Part 2

ARC | About CA Part 2
ARC | About CA Part 3
04:23

ARC | About CA Part 3

ARC | About CA Part 3
Conservation agriculture - plant the water
50:56

Conservation agriculture - plant the water

An introductory talk about the benefits of conservation agriculture and restoration to stop soil erosion - and that as an economic development imperative. This is illustrated with examples. Talk given by James Blignaut on request of William Bakunda in Rwanda - 29 March 2019

Relevant Academic Articles

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Restoration is an investment, not a cost:

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Restoration pays big time:

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  • De Groot, D., Blignaut, J., Vander Ploeg, S., Aronson, J., Farley, J. and Elmqvist, T. 2013. Benefits of investing in ecosystem restoration. Conservation Biology, 27(6):1286-1293, DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12158.

  • Elmqvist, T., Setälä, H., Handel, S., van der Ploeg, S., Aronson, J., Blignaut, JN., Gómez-Baggethun, E., Nowak, D.J., Kronenberg, J and de Groot, R. 2015. Benefits of restoring ecosystem services in urban areas. COSUST, 14:101-108, doi. 1016/j.cosust.2015.05.001.

  • Crookes, D., and Blignaut, J.N.   Investing in natural capital and national security: a comparative review of restoration projects in South Africa. Heliyon, 5(5):e01765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01765.

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Restoration can contribute greatly to local economic development in various ways:

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  • Blignaut, J., Mander, M., Schulze, R., Horan, M., Dickens, C., Pringle, K., Mavundla, K., Mahlangu, I., Wilson, A., McKenzie, M. and McKean, S. Restoring and managing natural capital towards fostering economic development: Evidence from the Drakensberg, South Africa.  Ecological Economics, 69(6):1313–1323, doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2010.01.007.

  • Stafford, W., Birch, C., Etter, H., Blanchard, R., Mudavanhu, S., Angelstam, P., Blignaut, J.N., Ferreira, L., and Marais, C. The economics of landscape restoration in South Africa and Namibia: benefits of controlling bush encroachment and invasive plant species with opportunities for biomass utilisation. Ecosystem Services, 27:193-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2016.11.021.

  • Mander, M., Jewitt, G., Dini, J. Glenday, J., Blignaut, J.N, Hughes, C., Marais, C., Maze, K., van der Waal, B., Mills, A.   Modelling potential hydrological returns from investing in ecological infrastructure: case studies from the Baviaanskloof-Tsitsikamma and uMngeni catchments, South Africa.  Ecosystem Services, 27:261-271.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.03.003.

  • Stafford, W. and Blignaut, J.N.   Reducing landscape restoration cost: Feasibility of generating electricity from invasive alien plant biomass on the Agulhas Plain, South Africa. Ecosystem services, 27:224-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.04.008.

  • Nkambule, N.P., Blignaut, J.N., Vundla, T., Morokong, T., Mudavanhu, S. The benefits and costs of clearing invasive alien plants in northern Zululand, South Africa.  Ecosystem Services, 27:203-223. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.04.011.

  • Mudavanhu, S., Blignaut, J.N., Vink, N., Crookes, D., and Nkambule, N. 2017. An economic analysis of different land-use options to assist in the control of the invasive Prosopis (Mesquite) tree. African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 12(4):366-411.

  • Bester, R., Blignaut, J.N., and Crookes, D.   The impact of human behaviour and restoration on the economic lifespan of the proposed Ntabelanga and Laleni dams, South Africa. Water Resources Economics. In press.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wre.2018.08.002

  • Preston, I.R., Le Maitre, D.C., Blignaut, J.N., Louw, L., and Palmer, C.G. 2018. The impact of invasive alien plants on water provision in selected catchments. WaterSA, 44(4):719-729. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v44i4.20.

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The financial and economic value of natural capital should be accounted for as an asset on the balance sheet of firms:

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  • Mudavanhu, S., Blignaut, J.N., Stegmann, N., Barnes, G., Prinsloo, W., and Tuckett, A. 2017. The economic value of ecosystem goods and services: the case of Mogale’s Gate Biodiversity Centre, South Africa.  Ecosystem services, 26:127-136, doi. 1016/j.ecoser.2017.06.005.

  • Turpie, J.K., Forsythe, K.J., Knowles, A., Blignaut, J.N. and Letley, G. 2017. Mapping and valuation of South Africa’s ecosystem services: a local perspective. Ecosystem Services, 27:179-192.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.07.008.

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