Developing Financial Incentives: Reducing rates and taxes for those who protect biodiversity on private land

One of the key objectives of C.A.P.E is to support the development of sound policies and laws which strengthen institutional structures. Private landowners play an important role in the conservation of the Cape Floristic Region. These landowners often incur significant additional costs in managing their land for conservation. Landowners who set aside land for conservation may also incur opportunity costs in terms of lost income. A project run through the C.A.P.E. partnership therefore worked with Treasury in the development of financial incentives for conservation on private land. It also engaged with municipalities to encourage the removal of perverse incentives, and to promote the development of rates rebates for those who conserve biodiversity.