Who We Are?

WHO WE ARE

Environmental and Rural Solutions (ERS) is a non-profit social enterprise established in 2002 by visionary women leaders, Sissie Matela and Nicky McLeod, fondly known as Mme Sissie and Nicky. ERS is at the forefront of transformative conservation that is inclusive of and benefits local communities. For over two decades, ERS has championed ecosystem health, intertwining traditional knowledge with modern techniques to protect water resources, restore degraded rangelands, support expansion of protected areas, and foster a local conservation economy. We espouse an integrated landscape approach that incorporates all socio-ecological systems supporting livelihoods and promoting restoration of the degraded ecosystem. Operating within and alongside the Drakensberg Mountains, ERS is dedicated to restoring biodiversity, improving livelihoods, and enhancing local governance of natural resources.

ERS works in the Umzimvubu Catchment, which spans over 2 million hectares, of which two thirds is under communal ownership. The catchment region is a source of the last undammed free flowing rivers and tributaries in South Africa, such as the Umzimvubu River. The catchment is of critical global importance containing six Key biomes; Forest, Fynbos, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Succulent Karoo and Thicket vegetation within the catchment. These biomes support over 2 000 plant and animal species that provide ecosystem services such as water provision, carbon sinks, erosion control, and livestock grazing. Also, the landscape is a source of materials for household use, which are crucial for poverty alleviation in the predominantly rural and peri-urban settlements. When these habitats remain intact, they play a vital role in carbon sequestration. Approximately 2 million people, mostly rural communities and peri-urban residents, directly benefit from water sourced from the catchment. 

 

Like other key catchments in the country, Umzimvubu is earmarked by the South African government for advancement of 30 x 30 targets under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The whole catchment is a part of the Umzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area, within which are two Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) critical for water supply in the province and beyond. The area contributes to Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), advancing conservation in areas that do not fit the traditional criteria but are mixed-use landscapes, protecting people’s rights and self-determination in managing their surroundings.

 

ERS has exhibited remarkable growth and resilience over the years, and we are uniquely positioned as a hub for learning and values dissemination for other organizations. Our model has attracted attention from both local and international universities, such as the University of Kwazulu Natal, Utrecht University. demonstrating the organization’s contribution to broader conservation science. While the common pathway to scaling is done by the same entity, the unique opportunity for ERS is to become a hub for learning, sharing their successful model as a way to scale. Due to its impactful work, ERS has received funding from a longstanding collaboration with WWF, through various corporate donors for initiatives such as spring protection and grazing management. In addition, funders such as the Lewis Foundation and the World Bank have approached ERS with potential funding opportunities. ERS’s impactful work has also attracted attention from local media outlets such as SABC, solidifying ERS’s position as an important actor in sustainable and meaningful conservation in the landscape.

 

ERS co-founded and serves as the secretariat of the Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership (UCP). UCP is a coalition of local and international non-profit and for-profit organizations, as well as traditional authorities working in conservation and community development within the catchment. Inside the partnership, ERS serves as Secretariat, collaborating with stakeholders, including government, traditional leadership, and other conservation organizations. ERS’s commitment to building capacity and collaboration has solidified our reputation as the go-to organization in the region for conservation and community development work, and crucial for preserving freshwater systems and catchments for people and nature.

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