BACKGROUND and Vision

Wildlands Vision

Our VISION is simple: A Sustainable Future for All

Working on the philosophical understanding that human well-being is dependent on environmental health, Wildlands has adopted a CEBA (Community Ecosystems Based Adaptation) model as philosophical construct and organising principle for where we work and what we do. CEBA moves beyond the more traditional concept of Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EBA), mainstreaming it into the green economy as an adaptation tool that promotes social inclusiveness and sustainable development. CEBA highlights the interconnectivity between local communities and their supporting ecosystems.

Wildlands’ growing footprint focuses on Ecosystem Service Areas (catchments, forests) and the communities that depend on these areas and the services they deliver. Working at a community level, Wildlands partners with communities to develop the tools that enable them to strengthen their ecosystems; making them more robust through activities such as the removal of waste from rivers and other natural systems, re-forestation of degraded forests, maintenance of healthy grasslands and the management of conservation areas as vital links in adaptation and mitigation corridors.

In doing this, Wildlands has developed a network of ‘Green-preneurs’ across four Provinces in South Africa. These are individuals marginalised from conventional economic activities due to a lack of skills and training or demand for their services. Wildlands enables their participation in the green economy by creating a platform for them to barter indigenous trees (Tree-preneurs) and recyclable waste (Waste-preneurs) for livelihood support goods such as food, building materials, bicycles (Bike-preneurs), solar panels and rain water harvesting tanks. Through this model, community ecosystems are restored and alternative modes of transport and energy introduced into communities.