Ecological infrastructure: landscape features that support ecosystem services. Their functions: Buffering the system against disturbances, e.g. riparian and wetland vegetation; soils; floodplains; coastal dunes. Nature’s infrastructure has a positive impact on human resilience by : Protecting human lives Protecting engineered infrastructure Enabling multiple land uses When EI is degraded, land use options reduced, resulting lock-ins into single land use options Navigating a new, sustainable future for the catchment Developing a shared vision with stakeholders Supported by good science Developing and implementing a local management plan Collaborative governance through a Catchment Forum Adaptive co-management: learning, experimentation, reflection, adaptation “Getting our act together for sustainable catchment management for resilient ecological infrastructure”

1. Nature’s Infrastructure and its
implications for the management of
our Wilderness catchments
Christo Fabricius
with Abigail Crisp, Onno Huyser, David Le Maitre, Samantha Mc Culloch,
Jeanne Nel, Patrick O’Farrell, Chantel Petersen, Dirk Roux, Klaudia
Schachtscheider and Lindie Smith-Adao

2. Social-Ecological Systems
Actions
Interventions
Social-system
Feedbacks
Ecosystem
Services
Ecosystem

3. Nature’s Infrastructure
• The physical structures in the
landscape that support ecosystem
services:
– Riparian and wetland vegetation
– Soils
– Floodplains
• Functions:
– Buffering the system against
disturbances
– Regulating sediments and nutrients

4. People and Ecological Infrastructure
• Nature’s infrastructure has a positive impact
on human resilience by :
– Protecting human lives
– Protecting engineered infrastructure
– Enabling multiple land uses
• When EI is degraded, land use options
reduced, resulting lock-ins into single land use
options

5. Sedgefield 2006

6. Glentana 2006

7. Heidelberg 2007
(Photo: EDM)

8. Don’t we learn?
Sedgefield 2013
Wilderness 2013

10. If we do not clear invasive alien plants …

11. YIELD per Hectare
“Threshold”
COSTS (Chemicals; fuel; labour; ALIEN PLANT MANAGEMENT)

12. Degradation of Ecological Infrastructure
• Development decisions use mostly social and
financial considerations
• Responses may result in short term
‘maladaptations’
• Unintended consequences

13. River Catchments
Socio-economic
Erosion
Farming, Forestry,
Urban
Voting
Clearing of Palmiet
Floods,
Drought
Monitoring
Local, Regional,
Provincial, National International
Water
Hard engineering
solutions
NEMA, Roads,
Impoundments,
best practice
Lack of capacity
Climate change

14. Eden Coastline
Socio-economic
Property Owners
Property Developers
Coastal erosion
Voting
Coastal stabilization
Sea surges
Monitoring
Local, Regional,
Provincial, National International
Foredunes
Hard engineering
solutions
NEMA, ICMP,
SPLUMA
best practice
Lack of capacity
Climate change

15. Where to from here?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Navigating a new, sustainable future for the catchment
Developing a shared vision with stakeholders
Supported by good science
Developing and implementing a local management plan
Collaborative governance through a Catchment Forum
Adaptive co-management: learning, experimentation,
reflection, adaptation
“Getting our act together for sustainable catchment
management for resilient ecological infrastructure”