Celebrating South Africa: Conservation

The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology or Centre for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) has its headquarters at Stellenbosch University and is considered to be the world’s most productive research and training unit in the field of invasion science. The Centre was set up in 2004 to do research on invasion science, a branch of science that addresses the causes and consequences of introducing organisms to new environments. It asks questions about why some species persist and spread unaided, often to the detriment of native species and invaded ecosystems. The C·I·B addresses topics such as biodiversity conservation and environmental change, but also cuts through issues such as human health, water provision, food security, tourism, job creation, agricultural economics and the habitability of certain parts of the earth. The Centre is busy converting to a Stellenbosch University supported institute and contributions from the DSI/NRF are being phased out. The newly positioned C·I·B will continue spearheading the development of indicators for assessing the status of invasions and of management initiatives in addressing problems associated with biological invasions. The C·I·B will also continue to a) publish world-class research outputs in top journals to ensure international benchmarking of research, b) convene training workshops and conferences on subjects relevant to our partners, c) contribute to all national policies and legislation pertaining to invasive species, d) maintain and grow its strong national, continental and global networks to support research, training and policy development and e) maintain its partnerships with government agencies, for example the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and its affiliates, the South African National Biodiversity Institute and the Working for Water Programme.

The Augrabies Landscape Project is an informal partnership between Millennium Trust, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) and SANParks with the aim of expanding the Augrabies Falls National Park west along the Orange River in accordance with the expansion plan set out in SANParks’s Vision 2040.

The aims of the project are to establish a research position for a fish palaeontologist in South Africa and to employ Dr Robert Gess in a contract full time position at the Albany Museum in Grahamstown; to explore and research South Africa’s globally significant late Devonian fossil heritage; and to disseminate knowledge thereof to the scientific community through publishing at least nine scientific papers in relevant ISI-ranked scientific journals. The project continues to play a crucial role in supporting exploration of South Africa’s internationally important Devonian fossil record, analysis and publication of discoveries and the development of students with a focus on Devonian studies. Growing public awareness on this aspect of our National Heritage has also resulted from this project.

The KDF was established in 2009 as a non-profit Trust, with the overarching goal of promoting sustainable development in the Karoo.

The Conservation Campaign for Marion Island is a global fundraising campaign to restore the island’s ecosystem and preserve and protect its globally significant biodiversity by eradicating invasive mice from Marion Island.

Protect the West Coast (PTWC) is a not-for-profit organisation (NPO) established in 2020 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to put a stop to the illegal and destructive mining activities which are running rampant on South Africa’s West Coast. The team comprises a collective of concerned South Africans (including scientists, journalists, activists, legal and media experts) who work for the organisation to ensure that mining on the West Coast of South Africa is conducted with the correct and proper oversight in accordance with fundamental principles of the law. These are the fundamental environmental rights enshrined in our Constitution, the applicable environmental and mining statutes, and the correct fulfilment of authorisations granted to companies that mine in this sensitive and biodiverse region.

The Sugarbird Project’s mission is to protect and restore the unique biodiversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom (fynbos and Afromontane forest) by removing the invasive alien plants (IAPs) that are threatening this precious natural heritage. Almost all of their work is currently in the Table Mountain National Park, in friendly collaboration with SANParks. They are a registered public benefit organisation funded entirely by donations from the public.
While contracted teams do the work of clearing the IAPs, all oversight and administration is undertaken exclusively by volunteers who give freely of their time and effort for the sheer love of forest and fynbos.

The Table Mountain Fund (TMF) is an independent trust founded and managed by WWF South Africa and dedicated to the conservation and protection of the globally significant biological diversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom. The Table Mountain Fund develops and funds projects to protect and restore the world-famous natural heritage of the Cape, known as the Fynbos.
Millennium Trust supports a project with the aim to protect (and legally secure) critical biodiversity areas contained within privately owned lands. This objective will be achieved through supporting landowners of high priority biodiversity with the conversion of their private nature reserves into Private Nature Reserves, compliant with the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act.

Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) was officially registered as a non-profit organisation in late 1972 and has become a recognised African-based conservation organisation that protects and sustains landscapes through its agile and innovative approach to conservation. Whether it is landscape wilderness management, developing young leaders from disadvantaged communities, direct action anti-poaching, advocacy at a government level or the incubation of emerging non-profit organisations, Wilderness Foundation Africa focuses its fifty years of experience on lasting impacts.