01/09/205 - THURSDAY, 1
SEPTEMBER 2005 SPEECH BY MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK,
MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS & TOURISM,
OFFICIALLY OPENING THE NEW RUFFORD MAURICE
LAING CENTRE FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
AT KIRSTENBOSCH ON 1 SEPTEMBER 2005
Introduction
It is believed that about 440 million years
ago the first wave of land-based life rippled
across the surface of our world. From fungi
to insects to the ancestors of the large vertebrates,
this explosion of biodiversity brought to
our planet the prehistoric blueprint for modernity.
Some 65 million years ago that blueprint was
left in tatters by a global extinction that
wiped out an estimated two thirds of all terrestrial
species. It took another 10 million years
for our world to recover.
The terrible irony however is that biodiversity
is once again in great danger. Over the past
thousand years at least one tenth of all known
bird species have become extinct. Experts
have projected that, with the likely destruction
in the 21st Century of more than 95% of tropical
forests, two out of every three terrestrial
species that exist now may die out, or be
reduced to populations too small to ensure
their long-term survival. Changes in biodiversity
due to human activities were more rapid in
the past 50 years than at any time in history
- over the last 100 years, human-caused species
extinction has multiplied as much as 1000
times.
Renowned conservationist Professor Peter
Raven, who we are honoured to have with us
as our guest here tonight, has said: “For
every kind of organism that we lose because
of our indifference or lack of attention,
we deny to our children the ability to enrich
and improve their lives by using those organisms
as elements in their management of the global
ecosystem.”
In South Africa we are blessed by an unmatched
trove of natural treasures. Although we represent
only 2% of the Earth’s land surface we are
home to more than 7.5% of the world’s vascular
plants with an average of nearly 60 entirely
new species discovered every year. Our Southern
African region has almost double the number
of plant species per square kilometre of Brazil
and Asia . This abundance and diversity carries
with it a critical duty of care. We have the
responsibility to ensure that our country
becomes and remains a living ark. Our communities
must stand as the custodians of conservation
and the guarantors of biological diversity.
SANBI First Anniversary, Partnerships, and
R12m New Building
Today is the anniversary of a milestone in
addressing that responsibility. Exactly one
year ago President Mbeki signed into force
the Biodiversity Act and established the South
African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
As we come together this evening I can think
of no birthday gift more appropriate for this
institution than the opening of this R12 million
new building at Kirstenbosch.
SANBI is charged with driving an ever-widening
research agenda; giving effect to our responsibilities
in terms of international agreements like
the Convention on Biological Diversity; and
monitoring everything from the dynamics of
ecosystems to global climate change and desertification.
Such a wide mandate cannot easily be delivered
by a single institution - even one as effective
as SANBI. It was for this reason that the
Board of SANBI, under the leadership of Ms.
Bongiwe Njobe, adopted a managed network business
model.
Simply put this is a network of partners
sharing a common goal. From as early as 1913,
at the founding of Kirstenbosch, an alliance
was established with the SA Botanical Society.
Today SANBI has formal agreements with more
than a dozen national and international NGO’s
representing thousands of the most talented
and dedicated environmentalists and experts
across the globe.
Tonight we celebrate an important new resource
for this network. Through the tremendous generosity
of the UK-based Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation
this state-of-the-art building has been constructed
to serve as a home to the many NGO’s and conservation
partners based here at Kirstenbosch including,
amongst others, Conservation International,
the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global
Invasive Species Programme, IUCN, TRAFFIC,
the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Botanical
Society of South Africa. I understand that
the one million Pound grant awarded to SANBI
for this project was the largest ever by the
Foundation,and was approved on the basis of
the wide reach and impact that the network
of partners based here have already achieved.
These initiatives, driven by young and enthusiastic
teams who administer programmes worth more
than R20 million per year, provide our national,
provincial and local governments with invaluable
decision support services, resources and advice.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
and commend them all for the excellent quality
and relevance of the research undertaken on
our collective behalf. This evening we are
further unlocking their talents by placing
them in this inspiring building - physically
twinning them with a research force in Biodiversity
Science second to none in Africa or the Southern
Hemisphere.
R7m New Grant for Succulent Karoo Ecosystem
Programme
Also sharing the building will be the coordination
teams for the Cape Action for People and the
Environment Programme (CAPE), and the Succulent
Karoo Ecosystem Programme (SKEP). It is my
further pleasure tonight to announce a generous
new contribution to the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem
Programme - R7 million from the Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund to support its activities
for another three years. Our thanks must also
be expressed to Jorgen Thompson, the CEO of
the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund who
is also with us here tonight.
Biodiversity Time Capsule and Challenge
Many here tonight will be aware that our
fynbos and succulent Karoo biomes remain amongst
the most severely threatened in the world
- especially by the impacts of global climate
change. Our Government is actively engaged
in discussions with the G8 and our partners
in NEPAD regarding the anticipated impacts
of climate change on the socio-economic, health
and environmental futures of Africa . Throughout
this process we have received invaluable support
from SANBI’s climate change research group.
My thanks to Professor Brian Huntley, Dr.
Guy Midgley, Barney Kgope and the team for
getting such high quality Cabinet level briefings
together at very short notice.
We know that we need to act now to avert
the massive rates of extinction that have
been predicted for these and so many of our
other natural resources. With this in mind
I have requested SANBI to prepare for us a
visual reminder of the challenge that I wish
to issue tonight - to SANBI, to our partners,
and to every South African.
The challenge is this - we will later this
evening seal a Biodiversity Time Capsule into
the wall of this building to only be opened
in the year 2055. Inside the capsule will
be a range of items from data on our current
state of biodiversity, to lists of our most
threatened species, to seeds of many varieties
that may be extinct in the wild in 50 years
time like the Kokerboom, the Silver Tree,
a selection of Proteas and Vygies. The challenge
is to ensure that these seeds are never needed.
The results will depend - to a large degree
- on how well the partnerships housed in this
building work in the years ahead.We must develop
action plans and knowledge systems to guide
us in averting or at least reducing the expected
negative impacts of regional and global environmental
change.
We will also include in the capsule a bottle
of South Africa ’s finest wine - another product
of our rich biodiversity. In 2055 we will
hopefully be able to enjoy the bottle as we
celebrate two generations of conservation
success through partnerships. The biodiversity
time capsule will be our conservation covenant
with the future - a daily visual reminder
of the importance of our work.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I wish to again pay tribute
to the generosity and vision of the Rufford
Maurice Laing Foundation. We know that this
project is but one of many that the Foundation
has supported in South Africa - and the broad
impact of this support is to the benefit of
all South Africans - now and in the future.
It is my great pleasure to formally declare
the Rufford Maurice Laing Centre for Biodiversity
Conservation open.
