As pressures mount on land intensify from ecosystem degradation, habitat fragmentation, and climate change, a growing consensus emerges: all landowners have a critical role to play in safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring ecological resilience. This call to action was made as South Africa’s forestry sector marked International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22 under the United Nations theme “Acting locally for global impact.”
Dr Ronald Heath, the Director of Research and Protection at Forestry South Africa (FSA), said “biodiversity stewardship must extend beyond the boundaries of protected areas.” He said nature conservation must occur within entire landscapes, enabling productive land uses and natural ecosystems to coexist and sustain one another.
According to a recent survey, members of the FSA collectively manage to preserve more than 300,000 hectares of natural ecosystems within forestry landholdings – an impressive 20% of the total forestry area in South Africa. This commitment encompasses over 170,000 hectares of grasslands and wetlands, 61,000 hectares of indigenous forests, and 10,000 hectares dedicated to fynbos, all of which support extensive riverine ecosystems.
Importantly, these natural lands are actively managed, monitored, and maintained as part of responsible stewardship practices. By creating ecological corridors and interconnected habitat networks, these efforts facilitate species movement, climate resilience, and robust ecosystem functioning across broader landscapes.
The commendable environmental stewardship prevalent in the forestry sector is backed by internationally recognised certification systems that independently verify these practices. This not only provides assurance of credibility, but also highlights the sector’s commitment to preserving biodiversity.
However, Dr Heath notes that true biodiversity stewardship goes beyond merely protecting individual species. “It is about preserving functioning ecosystems and the ecological processes that sustain life,” he said, highlighting the essential services provided by healthy wetlands, grasslands, forests, and river systems. These ecosystems contribute vital services like clean water, healthy soils, carbon storage, pollination, and erosion control, while also supporting a myriad species.
A prime example of effective stewardship can be seen within the landholdings of MTO Forestry. Conservation initiatives here are safeguarding one of the world’s most critically endangered amphibians, the Hewitt’s Ghost Frog. Yet, the focus of their conservation efforts is not solely on the frog. It is about protecting the wetland ecosystem essential to its survival and the multitude of critical ecosystem services it offers.
At MTO’s Longmore plantation, approximately half of the landholding remains as unplanted natural habitat, with substantial areas designated as high conservation value. The revenue generated from the planted sections funds crucial conservation management activities — including the removal of alien invasive species, controlled ecological burning, and ongoing maintenance of the environment.
Similarly, NCT Forestry is dedicated to preserving and managing natural conservation areas within its plantation landscapes, which simultaneously protect rare endemic species and sensitive ecosystems.
Ultimately, the future of biodiversity conservation hinges on a collaborative, landscape-scale stewardship — fostering partnerships among landowners, industries, conservation organisations, and local communities. One notable initiative exemplifying this collaborative spirit is Sappi’s Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species Programme, which demonstrates how joint efforts can help restore endangered species and address the biodiversity crisis.
Equally important is the water stewardship partnership between WWF South Africa and Sappi, which focuses on the uMkhomazi catchment — a region encompassing globally significant biodiversity and wetland hotspots, home to endangered species and one of South Africa’s few remaining free-flowing rivers.
“South Africa needs connected landscapes where ecological corridors run through multiple land uses, and landowners work together toward shared biodiversity goals,” Dr Heath said. “The forestry sector has demonstrated that productive landscapes can also sustain living ecosystems, a model that will be increasingly crucial for ensuring biodiversity and ecosystem services for future generations.”
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