On 3rd and 4th October 2016, Overberg District Municipality (ODM) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI Africa) co-hosted the “LAB: Wetlands SA: Overberg District Municipality Wetlands Strategy and Action Planning” Workshop in Bredasdorp as part of ODM’s involvement in the Local Action for Biodiversity: Wetlands South Africa (LAB: Wetlands SA) project.

The workshop aimed to facilitate the development of the Overberg Wetland Strategy and Action Plan. To this end, the workshop had two main objectives: (1) identify and prioritise actions for improving wetland management within ODM and (2) initiate the process for the development of a holistic strategy and action plan to mainstream wetland management into land use planning. The workshop also provided an excellent opportunity to increase stakeholder engagement across the municipality.

The workshop was structured and conducted by means of presentations, break-away group activities and discussions between the attending participants. The discussions were facilitated by Ingrid Coetzee, a highly experienced facilitator who has worked extensively throughout South Africa. The workshop was highly focused and limited to 10 key stakeholders including the National Department of Environmental Affairs, Overberg District Municipality, Department of Agriculture, South African National Parks (SANParks), Agulhas National Parks, Whale Coast Conservation and the Special Management Area (SMA), an association representing several private landowners within ODM.

The Strategy and Action Planning Workshop was a highly successful workshop and a clear vision, strong values and focus areas as well as long term goals and associated actions were established during the process. These will feed directly into the Overberg Wetland Strategy and Action Plan going forward.