servation. We have a welldeveloped suite of environmental
legislation that endorses both environmental protection and wise
stewardship of our natural resources. This legislative policy is
visible from our Constitution
(section 24 [‘Environment’] of the
Bill of Rights) through to our National legislation (National Environmental Management Act [NEMA]
and our Biodiversity Act [NEMBA]),
and through to our Provincial legislation (e.g. the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board Ordinance).
Ideally, every province should have
an autonomous (to semiautonomous), functional conservation authority. In the WCP, CapeNature acts as the agency responsible
for biodiversity conservation. CapeNature is currently drafting a provincial Biodiversity Bill that will implement biodiversity monitoring at
a provincial level within the Western
Cape. It is planned that the new Bill
will align fully to the National Biodiversity Act and with South Africa’s
obligations under Articles 6
(General Measures for Conservation
and Sustainable Use) and 7
(Identification and Monitoring) of
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The male Common Opal Butterfly
(Chrysoritis thysbe) has red-brown
wings with shiny mother-of-pearl
patches and black spots on its upper
surface.
Photo: eKapa
Targets of the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) and
Protected Areas
All countries that are signatories to the CBD are required to
have 10 % of their land surface
and 20 % of their coastlines
conserved in formal protected
areas.
By the end of 2011, South Africa had incorporated 6.5 % of
its land surface and achieved
20 % of its coastline in formal
protected areas.
Source: National Biodiversity
Assessment 2011.
Despite our many scientific advances and achievements, however, we
are still running the risk of losing all
quality of life simply because we
have lost sight of our fundamental
being, namely to be in service of
our fellow beings and indeed, all
life around us! The Famous United
States environmental reporter Philip
Shabecoff, probably put it best
when he said, ‘The bulldozer and
not the atomic bomb may turn out
to be the most destructive invention
of the Twentieth Century.’ No
doubt he was referring to the destructive power of humankind to
irreversibly change our surroundings, often to that of a concrete,
manicured landscape!
The Critically Endangered White
Peacock Moraea (Moraea aristata) bears beautiful dark metallic blue and green spots on
each of its three large white
petals.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Dr Ernst Baard,
CapeNature: Executive Director Biodiversity Support, for his invaluable
contribution.
Sources and Further Reading
Driver A., Sink, K.J., Nel, J.N., Holness, S., Van Niekerk, L., Daniels, F.,
Jonas, Z., Majiedt, P.A., Harris, L. &
Maze, K. 2012. National Biodiversity
Assessment 2011: An assessment of
South Africa’s biodiversity and ecosystems. South African National
Biodiversity Institute and Department of Environmental Affairs, Pretoria.
E-Kapa: Cape Town's Lowlands - a
Global Treasure. 2007. City of Cape
Town & Botanical Society of South
Africa, Cape Town.
www.ekapa.ioisa.org.za
Pick n Pay and UWC’s Enviro Facts
Index Page. www.bcb.uwc.ac.za/
envfacts/
SANBI. 2012. Red List of South African Plants. redlist.sanbi.org
Turner, A.A. (ed.) 2012. Western
Cape Province State of Biodiversity
2012. CapeNature Scientific Services, Stellenbosch. ISBN: 978-0-621
-41407-3.
A juvenile (45mm) Endangered
Western Leopard Toad
(Amietophrynus pantherinus) bearing the characteristic large brown
patches on a yellow to yellowgreen background.