UNDP-GEF Grasslands Project: Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Productive Landscapes: The Southern African Grasslands Programme

This is an exciting new initiative under the second strategic priority for the Global Environment Programme (GEF)\u27s Biodiversity Focal Area: Mainstreaming biodiversity into productive landscapes and sector. The rationale is that whilst grassland biomes cover some 30% of South Africa, (within montane, coastal and high-veld systems) less than 3% is formally protected at national, provincial or private land-owner levels. Over 40% of the grasslands have been totally converted to other land usages and 30% is degraded. Forces of degradation and conversion (cultivation, forests, urban spread) continue. The issues of conservation are of land use and putting in place incentives to encourage beneficial use patterns (open grazing land and set aside areas) and using a set of disincentives to discourage negative land usages in sensitive areas