25 Years of foresight

104 Pages·2015·6.21 MB·English

The WWF Nedbank
Green Trust
25 Years of foresight

25 Years of foresight
Contents
Introduction / Green is embedded in Nedbank’s DNA 4
Sustainability the Nedbank way / The WWF and Nedbank Green Team 8
Message from the Author / The Story goes … 12
WWF Nedbank Green Trust Projects / A selection of
projects from 2010 - 2015 14 – 99
Environmental Leaders for the Future 14
Future Environmental Leaders: 30 WWF Nedbank Green Trust Master’s interns 18
Water for the Future 24
Water for me, water for you, water for South Africa 26
No-go areas for the future 30
The river runs through it 33
Restoring water, destroying aliens, creating small enterprises 34
A Planet for the Future 38
Doing something about climate change 41
Food for the Future 44
Developing a climate-resilient South African fruit sector 46
Food security for South Africa 49
Predators, farmers and biodiversity 52
Oceans for the Future 54
Great science, great strides: the SeaChange Project 57
South Africa’s first Reef Atlas 59
Protected Environments for the Future 62
Protecting SA’s Lake District 64
350 grassland bird species 66
Protecting one of SA’s most important estuaries 67
Wildlife for the Future 70
Three years with the Cape Leopard 73
Rhinos and rural initiatives 75
South Africa’s First People for the Future 78
New era for the Khomani San 81
Faith for the Future 84
Anglicans, Muslims, faith communities unite for conservation 87
Freshwater Fish for the Future 88
Savings SA’s most threatened freshwater fish species 91
Flowers for the Future 94
Cape flowers for pleasure, profit, jobs, the green economy 97
Years of the WWF
Nedbank Green Trust
Green is
The partnership’s
embedded in founding approach that
business, government
Nedbank’s and communities should
come together to
DNA accelerate conservation
in South Africa was
absolutely pioneering.
In 2015 the WWF Nedbank
Green Trust celebrates its Mike Brown
Nedbank CEO
25th anniversary with all
the people of South Africa.
Back in 1990, Nedbank had
recognised the signs of a
looming natural-resource
crisis, some 20 years before
sustainability became the
key global focus of our time.
4 / introduction
Towards achieving this
we asked ourselves how
projects that are approved
today would be assessed
In 1990 Nedbank realised the necessity of putting corporate clout and
capital behind conservation in South Africa, and partnered with WWF in in 25 years’ time. In the
South Africa to create the WWF Nedbank Green Trust.
same way, we assessed the
‘The partnership’s founding approach that business, government and
value of the projects over
communities should come together to accelerate conservation in South
Africa was absolutely pioneering,’ says Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown. the past 25 years. We are
proud to be able to say that
With the support of its Green Affinity clients,
overall they have delivered
Nedbank has donated more than R185 million
excellent value.
to the WWF Nedbank Green Trust over the
p ast 25 years. Augustine Morkel
Each time a Green Affinity client uses his or her credit card, cheque Executive Manager for Operations
card, chequebook or any of his or her Green Affinity accounts, a at WWF-SA and Manager of the
percentage of the spend is contributed to the WWF Nedbank Green WWF Nedbank Green Trust
Trust at no cost to the client. This contribution has been used to fund
more than 200 conservation projects.
From the early projects that included promoting solar cookers and
conserving the Kalahari lions and sea turtles to the current projects on ‘Towards achieving this, we asked ourselves how projects that are approved today
climate change, water conservation and environmental leadership, the would be assessed in 25 years’ time. In the same way, we assessed the value of the
WWF Nedbank Green Trust has pioneered the green way. projects over the past 25 years. We are proud to be able to say that overall they
‘Twenty-five years later, the focus on conservation, sustainability have delivered excellent value.’
and all matters green is embedded in Nedbank’s DNA,’ adds Brown. ‘It is
everything that we stand for.’ Going forward, the major issues of our time include climate
The WWF Nedbank Green Trust’s management committee meets change, energy, food and freshwater security, marine
several times a year to assess new-project applications. As part of the
resources and iconic species. In keeping with this, the WWF
process, external project executants must cocreate applications with
Nedbank Green Trust’s theme is: Delivering new ways for
WWF to best address the WWF Nedbank Green Trust’s conservation
priorities in order to maximise impact. Each approved project is then people and nature to thrive.
funded and monitored throughout its duration, with project leaders ‘Based on this, we are selecting projects that can achieve impact at scale so
submitting regular progress reports. that the amount invested delivers up to 10 times the value,’ Morkel explains. ‘An
‘Three years ago the management committee met to reappraise how example is the “People and the Coast” project, where recreational fishers and
the trust’s funds should be directed to ensure that we remain relevant divers are engaged as citizen scientists to record and report on South Africa’s
to current conservation and sustainability needs,’ explains Augustine marine species. This data will significantly inform marine conservation policy and
Morkel, the Executive Manager for Operations at WWF-SA who also strategy, and the investment in this project over three years (2013 to 2016) will
manages the WWF Nedbank Green Trust. unlock the support of 800 000 fishers and divers across South Africa.’
4 / introduction introduction / 5
‘It’s all about opening the doors of conservation to make it inclusive, relevant This is one of the most strategic freshwater priority areas for South Africa. It is part
and beneficial for all South Africans,’ says Rebecca Phiyega, Marketing of the 8% of the surface area of South Africa that produces more than 50% of the
Manager for Nedbank Affinities. country’s surface water. Without it, South Africa’s economy cannot survive. The
The WWF Nedbank Green Trust’s climate change portfolio includes a range of projects that the WWF Nedbank Green Trust has funded is far-reaching,
project that is partnering with government on a climate change response and WWF-SA’s CEO, Morné du Plessis, succinctly summarises the importance of
flagship programme to lay the foundation for South Africa’s practical the WWF Nedbank Green Trust’s work over the past 25 years:
transition to a lower-carbon, climate-resilient economy. This includes
integrating green-economy development plans and programmes within
‘There is an increasing realisation that we have hit the
government departments, such as Energy, Trade, Agriculture, Water
limits of our ecological boundaries, or what nature can
and Health.
provide us. It is disappointing that many key role players
To develop future environmental leaders for South Africa, the WWF
Nedbank Green Trust is funding 30 Master’s students from universities have not responded earlier, but at the same time it has
throughout South Africa on an 18-month internship with the WWF Graduate ushered in an exciting phase where new things can happen
Development Programme. This project is all about gearing up postgraduate
and where the WWF Nedbank Green Trust’s work over the
students to contribute meaningfully to conservation and sustainability
past 25 years is increasingly being acknowledged.’
leadership in South Africa.
Water conservation is a key focus area for the WWF Nedbank Green ‘Nedbank’s contribution is without a doubt one of the most substantial income
Trust. Since 2002 the WWF Nedbank Green Trust has supported water streams from business to the environmental sector. Over the past five years alone,
and land conservation projects in the Enkangala Grasslands, which span with increasing income from Nedbank we have been able to disburse R64,6 million
1,6 million hectares of privately owned and communal farms between into a range of key projects. This has an enormous impact on the environmental,
KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State. economic and social wellbeing of all the people of South Africa.’
It’s all about Nedbank’s contribution
opening the doors is without a doubt
of conservation to one of the most
make it inclusive, substantial income
relevant and streams from business
beneficial for all to the environmental
South Africans. sector.
Morné du Plessis
Rebecca Phiyega
WWF-SA CEO
Marketing Manager for
Nedbank Affinities
6 / introduction introduction / 7
Biodiversity in the Enkangala grasslands.
6 / introduction introduction / 7
Photo by Therese Brinkcate.
Years of the WWF
Nedbank Green Trust
Rebecca Phiyega
Sustainability
Marketing Manager for
Nedbank Affinities
the Nedbank
way
Coming into the green sector through Nedbank’s Green Affinity has been a long,
amazing journey for me over the past five years. The more insight I gain into the work
The WWF and Nedbank Green Team of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, the more I am humbled by what I am constantly
learning. The foresight of these projects and the long-term commitment that the whole
team shows is inspiring. Who would have thought, for example, that we would be able to
sit in a restaurant and sms the name of a fish on the menu to a hotline, and immediately
get a reply that tells us whether the fish is green-, orange- or red-listed, according to
according to the risk profile of the species. Eleven years ago the WWF Nedbank Green
Trust realised that consumer, wholesaler and retailer awareness was key to a sustainable
fisheries sector and in 2004 it funded the Southern African Sustainable Seafood
Through working with the Initiative (SASSI) to achieve this. This is just one of the many catalytic WWF Nedbank
Green Trust and the WWF Green Trust projects. Today I can say with great pride that green blood flows through
everything that Nedbank does; it is the essence of how the whole corporate is run, and
if we at Nedbank can make
we haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg. The next five, ten, twenty-five years are
sure that we leave behind a going to be fascinating. Through necessity, all people, all communities, are going to be
better planet than when we increasingly plugged into the sustainability and green space.

started out our journey
At Nedbank we will not rest until all of South Africa’s
in corporate South Africa.
59 million people choose green consciously because we
I think that it would be an
cannot build another Earth.
amazing achievement.
Mike Brown
Nedbank CEO
Mpho Sebelebele
Nedbank’s Green Leadership
Strategic Communications Manager
In 2011, when I started working in Green Leadership with Nedbank, it was a
steep learning curve to understand the business view of sustainability. But as my
interaction with the group sustainability team deepened, I gained greater clarity
8 / Sustainability the Nedbank way