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South Africa: Using Culture to Save Wetlands
JOHANNESBURG - Wetland conservation projects in South Africa have to take into consideration the culture, traditions and needs of local communities, according to Donovan Kotze of the University of KwaZulu Natal. He believes that the key to proper wetland management lies within communities living in and around these wetlands.

The government’s Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, a conservation group known as Working on Wetlands and the private sector Mondi Wetlands Project, have joined forces for a number of research projects aimed at gathering valuable indigenous knowledge to help in the management and preservation of the country’s wetlands.

One such project is the Mbongolwane Community Wetland Project in KwaZulu Natal, about 80 kilometres north of the port city of Durban.

The local tribal authority is responsible for allocating land and controlling the use of wetlands resources. It does this by drawing on the community’s traditional belief system to regulate the harvesting of reeds and the usage of water.

Kotze, the lead researcher on the project, says: "Communities have rules about the harvesting and uses of plants in the wetlands. The most common rule being that these plants cannot be harvested before a certain time of the year. This allows the plants to grow and recover from harvesting seasons."

For example, sedges used to make sleeping mats are only harvested from December to June. Reeds used for making thatched roofs, are only gathered after April. This controlled harvesting of the plants has only a minimal effect on the wetland.

Village elders use traditional legends to reinforce discipline about harvesting times. A story about a seven headed water serpent is invoked to ensure that the community does not pick plants out of season. If anyone disobeys the rules, the serpent will get angry and cause all the other plants to die.

In order to prevent water pollution, elders reinforce an ancient belief that anyone who urinates in the water would immediately be transformed into the opposite sex.

Villagers were not allowed to hunt or eat crocodiles because these ancient animals protected the communities’ ancestors.

Stocks of fish endemic to the wetlands were maintained because it was widely believed that if too many were taken, the ancestors would get angry and cause all the fish to die.

In the Mbongolwane project, only ten percent of the area is cultivated and no part of the cultivation is mechanised.

This pilot project has demonstrated the effectiveness of wetland management through cultural management.

But Kotze warns: "Social economic pressure is making it increasingly difficult to sustain wetland management through cultural beliefs. With communities westernising, people tend to forget their traditional beliefs. Increasing human population increases the demand for property and food, there is no more room to spare to preserve wetlands through the traditional ways."

He argues however, that by collecting relevant data on traditional management techniques, researchers will be able to incorporate useful traditions into modern conservation strategies.

The intricate composition of wetlands means that they need careful management to ensure their long-term sustainability. Destroying or even over-exposing a single part of the area could lead to the destruction of the whole wetland.

Historically, communities living next to wetlands have protected these areas because they have a vested interest in their sustainability. If communities manage cultivation efficiently they will help prevent erosion.

Many wild plants provide edible fruit at different times of the year. Madumbes for example, is a plant that grows between one and two meters tall, has elephant-ear shaped leaves and fruit that look something like potatoes. Their starchy corn can be boiled, baked roasted or fried. It is low in fat and protein and can be used as baby food.

Beside madumbes and hyacinths, the arum lily, blue water lily, fruits from swamp trees, and raw stems are also foods that can be eaten directly from the wetlands.

The fibrous stems and leaves of many wetland plants, particularly sedges and rushes, are used for weaving a wide range of household items such as sleeping mats, baskets and even traditional beer strainers.

While some communities are gradually losing weaving skills that previously were handed down from one generation to the next, there has been a concerted effort in other areas to maintain, and even develop traditional techniques.

Kotze believes that that by promoting weaving and other related crafts, the community will be encouraged to protect the wetlands. Traditional weaving requires a variety of plants so the community will always make an effort to guarantee supplies.

Plants with straight stems are used for weaving sleeping or sitting mats. Other plants have stems that may easily be split into fine strands which are rolled together into twine and then used in the weaving of beer strainers.

These are only a few examples of how wetlands can be managed by integrating traditional belief systems into modern everyday life. There are many other methods that can be utilised to achieve this objective, but it is clear that pro-active management plans are required in order to achieve this goal.

(END/2008)

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