Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative

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Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative is a registered Public Benefit Organisation.
Eden to Addo’s primary goal is to assist and engage with landowners and stakeholders in identifying and developing a living corridor from Eden to Addo. By applying sound land-use practices and encouraging a diversity of environmentally sustainable livelihoods, the initiative aims to link ecologically important areas for the benefit of biodiversity and the extended community.

Our vision:
To link three mega-reserves, the Garden Route National Park, The Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site and the Addo Elephant National Park by means of natural corridors to protect and restore the integrity of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and foster sustainable livelihoods.

For the love of an elephant, we are linking land, biodiversity, and people for the benefit of all life.
Eden to Addo has initiated the protection of over 50 000ha of natural corridors thus far with associated management plans to restore habitats, mitigating the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. There is little to no point in protecting species without protecting their habitat.

Our strategy:
The tangible climate change adaptation actions adopted by Eden to Addo to the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning feeds into the strategic priorities of South Africa’s National Adaptation Strategy as follows:
• Protecting and conserving South Africa’s most vulnerable ecosystems in the Nama and Succulent Karoo, the Forest and Fynbos biomes by negotiating the declaration of Nature Reserves and Protected Environments on private land. “Up to 80% of land with valuable and threatened biodiversity in South Africa lies in private hands -” Dr Kas Hamman, Cape Nature (Sub-Priority 4.1 RSA National Adaptation Strategy)
• By E2A’s careful preparation of management plans and APO’s, considering climate resilient approaches to natural resources and ecosystem goods and services, resilient ecological infrastructure is ensured. As agriculture accounts for 20-30% of greenhouse gas emissions, improved landscape management is essential for both poverty eradication and for carbon removal. (Sub-Priority 4.2, 4.3 RSA National Adaptation Strategy)
• By purchasing farmland in the E2A proposed Springbokvlakte Corridor in partnership with WWF land Program, an area increasingly affected by drought as climate changes, declaring the properties Protected Environments and restoring the biodiversity degraded by small stock and opening fences to allow movement of natural species, the reduction of genetic diversity and species richness is mitigated.
• By researching and implementing tourism industries on land no longer stock farmed due to an increasing incidence of drought, economic vulnerability is reduced for previously disadvantaged communities, an indirect result of climate change effects. (Sub-Priority 2.3 RSA National Adaptation Strategy)
• By the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of ecosystems within the E2A corridor the supply of fresh water and flood control is provided under climate variability and change, including extreme events, to the Port Elizabeth and Bitou Communities. (Groot, Braam and Keurbooms Rivers) (Population 1.37 million inhabitants)

Rhian Berning is the CEO of Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.