Agri Kultuur January/ February 2015 | Page 57

(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