Human well-being of the people in the corridor is of great importance for the GCBC. This strategy is closely linked with local economic development. Through projects the GCBC strives to ensure that projects get implemented that promotes, among others, capacity building, job creation and awareness raising.
GCBC SMALL GRANTS PROJECTS - RELATING TO HUMAN WELL-BEING
A GCBC Small Grants Project:
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT – School resource package
Contact Person: Clanwilliam News Agency
Project background
The project follows in the footsteps of successful Rare Education and Awareness campaign that was implemented from 2003-2005. During this project the rare and endangered Clanwilliam cedar were used to create awareness and promote participation in conservation activities. This was however only focused on communities and learners in and around the Cederberg Wilderness. With the aim to implement a wider reaching environmental education strategy, it is was decided to focus on school visits within the GCBC. This project aims to develop and produce materials that can assist learners to understand this rather complex GCBC concept and to induce participation by making use of an activity booklet, a GCBC booklet and a puppet show.  The puppet show will introduce the concept to the learners while the GCBC booklet will make use of cartoons to tell the story of the GCBC. The activity booklet will focus on threats, issues and challenges facing the GCBC and how learners can actively learn more about nature. This project will supplement the media awareness campaign.
This project aims to
- educate learners and educators about the significance of the corridor concept, and why their participation is crucial to its success
- garner support from educators and learners
- instil pride in the region’s natural heritage and foster respect for nature
- highlight threats, such as fires, introduction of alien species, poaching and habitat loss, and its impact on the viability of local species.
A GCBC Small Grants Project:Facilitating knowledge exchange for community participation in the conservation of the Clanwilliam cedar and the Willowmore cedar
Contact Person: Botanical Society of South Africa
Project background
The endangered Clanwilliam cedar tree (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) is endemic to the Cederberg Mountains, and has become an icon for community involvement in conservation. The idea to “twin” such conservation efforts with a similar project in the Baviaanskloof area which has its own unique Willowmore cedar (W. schwarzii), was conceived. As a result it was decided to share information and lessons learnt through informal workshops attended by representatives of communities in the Baviaanskloof and Cederberg respectively.
This project aims to
- share lessons learnt regarding cedar tree conservation and community involvement
- plan the way forward for Willowmore cedar conservation and benefits thereof to the community
A GCBC Small Grants ProjectExpanding the CAPE LEOPARD TRUST community involvement opportunities in the Succulent Karoo region of the GCBCOrganisation: Cape Leopard Trust
Project background
The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) was established with the primary objective of facilitating and promoting research in support of conserving predator diversity in the Western Cape. The leopard currently fills the role of apex predator in the Cederberg and the rest of the Western Cape. However, its conservation status remains uncertain. The species is regularly removed or exterminated from farms with little knowledge of population or genetic status, whether these removals are sustainable, or whether the factors giving rise to conflict are established. The project has been underway since May 2004. The first year’s official surveys have been completed in October 2005.
The project aims to
- furnish the data necessary to alleviate leopard-farmer conflict and foster co-existence between both
- provide a comprehensive understanding of the conservation status and needs of the leopard in the Cape and Cederberg region
- train a local community member as a research assistant, potential tour guide and educational officer and offer longer term appointment to the trainee
- highlight the leopard as a “flagship” species in the southern and western Cape, using the Cederberg Conservancy as a high priority conservation area.