Grahamstown (SA): Climate-Culture was active in assisting the 2009 SAARMSTE Conference in setting a great precedent for future (scientific / academic) conferences worldwide with a dedicated effort to tackle questions and issues related to environmental sustainability. As hosts of the conference, the Rhodes University Education Department delivered on their commitment to ‘green’ the conference by actively seeking creative ways to reduce their ecological footprint. The vision for SAARMSTE 2009 was to reduce the consumption of resources, avoid damage to the local and global environment, protect biodiversity and human health, and offer sustainable development options to the local people and economy. The conference organisers focused on the following themes: travel, contribution to ecosystems and community, waste, food and drink, water, and energy. Each theme aimed to raise awareness and stimulate debate about what we can do individually and/or collectively through environmental education initiatives.
Climate-Culture (part of the eyes4earth programme) was engaged to assist with the conference greening by coordinating calculations of delegates’ ‘carbon footprints’. Participants were then given the opportunity to compensate for their travel footprint by investing in trees which will be planted in order to ‘capture’ some of the carbon created by attending the 2009 conference. More importantly, this tree-planting also contributes toward restoring ‘living’ landscapes through improved vegetation cover. This in turn supports the delivery of ‘ecosystem services’ such as soil and water retention. Overall, conference delegates donated 2650 Rand which will contribute to the planting of an estimated 2945 square metres of subtropical thicket in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve.
A short video which captures the enthusiasm behind the SAARMSTE Conference tree-planting and accompanying song inspired by the ‘greening’ activities.
Background information:
In the Eastern Cape, much of the subtropical thicket vegetation has been affected by extensive overgrazing. The denuded ground leads to loss of agricultural productivity, soil erosion, reduced water supply, increased water treatment costs, and reduces the lifespan of dams. Much of subtropical thicket does not recover naturally and can
become trapped in a downward spiral towards desertification. However, initial studies have shown that this damage may be repaired by replanting vegetation. ‘Spekboom’ (Portulacaria afra) is receiving particular attention due to its ability to restore plant cover and capture carbon.
The conference greening team drew on research undertaken by the Restoration Research Group (R3G) for the Subtropical Thicket Restoration Programme (STRP) in order to establish how many spekboom should be planted in order to compensate for the travel CO2 emissions (calculated using the CAP calculator) . The R3G research is assessing the most cost-efficient way to restore ecologically degraded landscapes, while enabling employment and skills development in rural communities.
Contribution to ecosystems and community:
As initiators of Climate-Culture, EarthCollective partnered closely with organisers in realising a green SAARSMTE 2009. EarthCollective is an international network catalyzing initiatives which support understanding of the importance of healthy ecosystems to human well-being. EarthCollective – through South Africa’s Living Lands foundation – will be responsible for co-ordinating the planting of the spekboom cuttings in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and Gamtoos Irrigation Board (GIB) generously donated 100 trees of different species of subtropical thicket to further compensate the travel footprint and improve local biodiversity. Thirty (30) of these trees will be donated to a new building in Grahamstown (The Safety Zone). The Safety Zone provides a safe haven and foster care for children in need. During the SAARSMTE conference, 70 trees were planted during a ‘tree planting’ ceremony on Rhodes University campus to contribute to a network of ‘ecological corridors’ in the area. Sincere thanks also go to Rhodes University Grounds & Gardens for their valued cooperation.
Text: Ingrid Schudel & Matthew Zylstra
