History

The Grasslands Forum

The importance of protecting the grasslands, both from a biodiversity and economic development perspective, was recognised many years back as a result of various projects undertaken by NGOs and government. A Grasslands Forum, which brought together government role-players from across provincial boundaries, was initiated in 2002 by Gauteng Province’s department responsible for environment and conservation.

This body requested that the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) lead the development of the Grasslands Programme. In 2004 SANBI submitted a proposal to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) requesting funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to support the detailed design of a programme of conservation action and its initial 5 year phase.

Implementation of the Grasslands Programme

The detailed design commenced in May 2005, and was completed in June 2007 when news was received that funding to the value of US$8,3-million had been approved by the GEF Council for the implementation of a mainstreaming strategy during the first 5 years of the Grasslands Programme, which began in January 2008. And it will strive to meet its conservation targets beyond this initial phase as securing and sustaining the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the grasslands biome is a long-term goal