Promoting biodiversity and enhancing climate protection

The Spekboom Project
in the Eastern Cape (South Africa)

As in many other regions of the world, livestock farming has historically been the primary economic foundation for many people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. However, intensive land use over the last 200 years has led to infertile soils and an unstable groundwater level. The Spekboom Project tackles this very problem and helps to restore the damaged ecosystems while simultaneously providing a future perspective for the local population.

The project focuses on reintroducing the spekboom, a succulent shrub native to South Africa also known as the elephant bush. By replanting this shrub on degraded land, CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere and the soil can regenerate. The Spekboom Project covers around 2,390 hectares of degraded former ranchland and aims to sequester around 902,000 metric tons of CO2 over 30 years.

Supporting the ecosystem

Spekboom is widespread across South Africa and its leaf litter makes a significant contribution to the microbial revitalization of the soil. At the same time, the plant creates favorable microclimatic conditions for other thicket shrubs to thrive. It also serves as a food source for elephants and other herbivores. Once it has taken root, it enhances the water retention capacity in the soil, ultimately benefiting a variety of other organisms. Overall, spekboom supports an ecosystem of around 1,500 plant species.

Lowering soil temperatures 

An often underestimated benefit of spekboom thicket is its impact on the microclimate. This is because even small shrubs provide protection from direct sunlight, reducing the surface temperature of the soil by almost 50 percent. These lower soil temperatures provide a more stable environment for less resilient species to re-establish themselves in the damaged habitat. Since the project is located in one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots as identified by Conservation International, the introduction of spekboom benefits thousands of plant and animal species that rely on this ecosystem.

Offering opportunities to the community

However, nature is not the sole focus of the project. The project area is situated in one of the poorest districts in South Africa, which is affected by 60-80 percent unemployment. Many of the people living there are day laborers without a regular income to support their families. Through their integration into the Spekboom Project and their regular participation, the local residents receive a predictable salary and thus also an economic perspective. The local acceptance of the project is therefore particularly high. The main work includes cultivating and planting the spekboom as well as erecting fences to protect the young plants from animals during the early growth stages. In the long term, the fences are to be dismantled in favor of the creation of wildlife corridors.

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