Biodiversity Conservation Comes of Age in South Africa

Cape Floral Kingdom is the world’s richest floral kingdom with the highest known concentration of plant species

Whether it’s shark-cage diving off the southern coast, hiking in the spectacular mountain ranges, game spotting in the Kruger National Park or delighting in the splendour of the botanical riches, South Africa is a treasure trove for nature-lovers.

The Cape Floral or Fynbos Kingdom , one of the world’s six floristic kingdoms, is found nowhere else except in the southwestern region of South Africa . The botanical kingdom is not only the smallest, but also the richest floral kingdom with the highest known concentration of plant species: 1300 per 10,000 km2. Its nearest rival, the South American rain forest, has a concentration of only 400 per 10,000 km2.

The country ascribes this richness to its unique physical features. Flanked by two different oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic , the country enjoys an astounding marine diversity. Atmospheric systems and the topography of the country further contribute to the resultant mosaic of landscapes, stretching from lowland fynbos and lush forests to grasslands and semi-deserts which boast one-third of the world’s succulent plant species.

Biodiversity as an Economic Strategy 

Biodiversity conservation is not only a key issue in the South African environmental arena, but the use of biological resources has been identified as a key economic strategy of millions of rural dwellers in South Africa .

Biodiversity refers to the diversity of life on Earth and incorporates the wide variety of plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as the ecosystems within which these living organisms interact with one another and with the natural elements around them, like water, air, sun and soil. Thus we find a variety of ecosystems such as forests, deserts, coastal areas, mountains and agricultural landscapes to which living organisms have adapted.

In the 20^th century, environmental concerns have indeed come to the fore and several conferences, treaties and agreements have been concluded. Among these is the United Nation’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international treaty that focussed on the conservation of biodiversity and to which South Africa is a signatory.

The three key objectives of the Convention are the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of biological resources, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The CBD established an International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22^nd. This year the theme is Biodiversity and Poverty Alleviation – Challenges for Sustainable Development. This theme encapsulates the debate in South Africa where biodiversity concerns have shifted from the realm of conservation to that of politics, economics and culture.

Apartheid Gives Mistrust to Conservation Programs

With an astounding conservation history, South Africa is seemingly one of the world’s conservation leaders. However, coloring this   achievement is the ideological framework within which much conservation activities were undertaken in the 20^th century – apartheid.

Viewed with suspicion and mistrust, conservation officials in South Africa adopted a “wildlife-centered, preservationist approach, which appealed almost exclusively to the affluent, educated, mainly white minority.” Amid forced removals in the name of conservation, black poverty, as well as lack of access to protected areas, conservation efforts received little support. These perceptions underwent a shift with the widespread political changes of the 1990s.

The wave of political changes that swept the country also resulted in a shift in the environmental movement. From a narrow, preservationist approach the movement has since adopted a holistic approach in which the boundaries between the environment and socio-political and economic concerns are transcended.

Policy Shifts Accompany Post-Apartheid Government 

Biodiversity conservation in South Africa was initially regarded as synonymous with nature conservation. While a key outcome of this approach was the establishment of an impressive network of national parks, recent efforts are broadening biodiversity conservation to incorporate developmental concerns. 

These efforts are an outcome of significant policy and institutional shifts initiated with the inception of the post-apartheid government. Noteworthy among these was the consultative process that resulted in the establishment of a comprehensive policy on biodiversity conservation in South Africa . 

This policy incorporated the following key principles (Table), in line with the objectives of the Convention of Biological Diversity. 

The commitment to an integrated approach to the environment, essentially encapsulated in the term sustainable development, has since been demonstrated in several initiatives explicitly linking economic and social development objectives with biodiversity conservation.

The internationally acclaimed Working for Water Programme, launched in 1995, is an example of this.

This inter-departmental programme aims to “sustainably control invading alien species, to optimise the potential use of natural resources, through the process of economic empowerment and transformation.” It achieves these goals by awarding alien vegetation removal contracts to contractors, to whom training is provided, thereby tackling the growing problem of unemployment in South Africa .

Invading alien plants are one of the major threats to biodiversity as they are excessive water users (as opposed to indigenous plant species), cause erosion and result in the siltation of dams and estuaries. The Working for Water Programme has achieved international recognition for its integration of biodiversity conservation and economic empowerment.

Several other initiatives in which biodiversity conservation, community participation and economic empowerment objectives are interlinked, have been developed. These are scattered across various sectors, such as agriculture, conservation, energy, forestry and water. 

One sector in which headway has been made is community-based conservation where partnerships are being established between local communities, government as well as private sector partners. These joint management enterprises are often nature-based tourism initiatives in which natural assets are utilized to create opportunities for local economic development.

With the recent development of a Biodiversity Bill, pressing concerns related to mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into developmental planning, are also being addressed.

Notwithstanding the steady progress that has been made, efforts to eradicate poverty and unemployment will have to be stepped up. According to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Valli Moosa: “The gap between the poor and the rich is widening by the day. This poses a great threat to all nations as the instability, conflict, disease and environmental degradation associated with poverty threaten the overall socio-economic fibre of our planet.”

Moving Towards Extinction 

Biodiversity conservation faces several threats. Chief amongst these is the transformation of habitats. This has resulted in a substantial amount of plant and animal species being threatened with extinction. Resultantly, “ South Africa now has the dubious reputation of having the highest known concentration of threatened plants, and the highest extinction estimates for any area in the world.”

The commercial exploitation of South Africa ’s extraordinary plants and animals also point to the need for legislation relating to benefit-sharing and intellectual property rights of local people. Too often local communities’ knowledge (cultural) and natural resources have been exploited with little benefit accruing to them.

A further threat to biodiversity conservation is the rapid introduction of genetically engineered crops into the South African environment, with limited public consultation. South Africa has adopted the technology faster than any other country in the world and several non-governmental organizations are appealing to the government to assess the full impact of this technology on the livelihoods and biodiversity of South African ecosystems, before endorsing it.

Biodiversity conservation in South Africa has matured from the narrow preservationist approach to the environment, the Save-the-Rhino approach, to one that constitutionally provides every South African with the right to a clean and healthy environment. One of the foremost challenges of our time is the eradication of poverty while protecting this invaluable natural asset, South Africa ’s biological diversity.

Rich Biodiversity, Poor People 

In South Africa , a land surface area of 1,1 million km2, barely 1% of the earth's total land surface, close to 10% of the world’s total known bird, fish and plant species, and over 6% of the world's mammal and reptile species can be found. Yet equally staggering are statistics on unemployment, housing shortages, inadequate water supply and sanitation.

The country has made notable strides in taking biodiversity conservation from the domain of conservation management to that of development planning. Consequently, healthy, diverse and rich ecosystems are counted as an asset that could enhance access to economic opportunities and improve the quality of life of all South Africans.

South Africa faces the challenge of poverty alleviation and the provision of clean water, housing, land, jobs, health and education to millions. Hopefully this will not occur at the expense of the unique biological resource of this exquisite country.

Sources:

• Convention on Biological Diversity. Biodiversity and its importance.
• Botany Department. Biodiversity in South Africa. University of the Western Cape.
• Delta Environmental Centre. Biodiversity in South Africa.
• Government of South Africa, 1997. White Paper on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa 's Biological Diversity.
• Khan, F. Reconstructing the history of South African environmentalism, 1910-1990. World History Network.
• South African Tourism Authority. Two oceans and biodiversity.
• Wynberg, R, 2002. A decade of biodiversity conservation and use in South Africa : Tracking progress from the Rio Earth Summit to the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. South African Journal of Science: 96.

Najma Mohamed is a freelance environmental researcher and writer residing in Cape Town, South Africa. She completed her M.Sc. in Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town and has been involved in both print and broadcast media. She can be reached at najma_mohamed@hotmail.com