(originally from outside of the province). Within the Fynbos Biome (79
% of which occurs in the Western
Cape) of the greater Western Cape
province, there exists the highest
concentration of plant species in the
world and an equally astonishing
diversity of other organisms. As a
consequence of so many variables
(microclimates, soil types, vegetation types, etc.), the Western Cape
province is home to:
56 % of the country’s plants;
51 % of the country’s birds;
51 % of the country’s mammals;
and
65 % of the country’s fish species.
Unfortunately, this very remarkable
place, rich in biodiversity, is also the
country’s most threatened reservoir
of plant and animal life. 1 709 species of plants in the Western Cape
are threatened with extinction; this
equates to 68 % of SA’s threatened
plants. Roughly 65 % (21 species) of
the known plant extinctions from
South Africa have been from the
Western Cape. The Western Cape
province, and Cape Town in particular, is regarded as the extinction
capital of the world; the Western
Cape is losing species faster than
any other place on the planet.
Threats to our Biodiversity
The Endangered African Penguin,
Spheniscus demersus.
Biodiversity Bill
To provide for the management and conservation of
South Africa’s biodiversity within
the framework of the National
Environmental Management
Act, 1998; the protection of
species and ecosystems that
warrant national protection; the
sustainable use of indigenous
biological resources; the fair
and equitable sharing of benefits arising from bioprospecting
involving indigenous biological
resources; the establishment
and functions of a South African National Biodiversity Institute; and for matters connected therewith.
Source: National Environmental
Management: Biodiversity Bill
2003.
The threats to our biodiversity can
be classified into either historical or
emerging threats. The three most
important historical threats are: permanent habitat loss (including urban expansion, infrastructure development and agricultural expansion);
invasive alien plant species (291 or
60 % of all naturalised plants are
invasive alien plants); and habitat
degradation (through overgrazing
and inappropriate fire regimes). The
two most important emerging
threats are the on-going impacts of
global climate change (as we have
little way of predicting its conse-
The Endangered Wine Cup
(Geissorhiza radians) grows in
damp sandy soils, flowers in
spring and produces deep blue
flowers with a red centre and
white ring.
quences), and the threat of new
diseases (associated with both climate change, and with today’s extensive global trade and passenger
movements).
Conserving our biodiversity
Global estimates suggest that we
are losing species at an unprecedented rate, estimated at 100 to
1000 times greater than that of the
‘natural’ rate of extinction. It is now
well established that human actions
are depleting Earth’s natural resources, putting such strain on the
environment that the ability of the
Earth’s ecosystems to sustain future
human generations simply is no
longer possible at our current rate
of utilisation. A global assessment
(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment,
2005) has, however, suggested that
with appropriate actions it is possible to reverse the degradation of
many ecosystem services and the
associated species loss. But, the policies and practice required are substantial and are not currently underway; as a race we are losing the battle to conserve biodiversity largely
because we simply do not have the
political willpower to effect such
change.
South Africa has had a history of
comparatively good governance
when it comes to biodiversity con-
The Critically Endangered Geometric Tortoise (Psammobatus
geometricus) is increasingly being threatened by too frequent
fires.
Photo: Margaretha Hofmeyr