Biodiversity and Life
| Wessa’s vision: … to help to conserve our biodiversity to ensure we have sustainable, sustaining and beautiful life-support systems. |
Biodiversity and Life-support Systems
‘Local landscape initiatives’
"A society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy."
— John Sawhill, former president/CEO of The Nature Conservancy
The concept of biodiversity celebrates the beauty, variety and abundance of life on Earth but it also recognises that every species, no matter how insignificant it may seem, plays a critical role in the finely-tuned balance of life.
Biodiversity includes species, their habitats and the genetic differences between individuals which drive adaptability and evolution. While biodiversity and healthy ecosystems provide for aesthetic, cultural, spiritual and recreational needs of humans, at a basic level, biodiversity is the core requirement for human survival.
| South Africa’s living wealth: South Africa is one of the world’s most biologically diverse countries. Although it occupies only 2% of the world’s land surface, it is home to nearly 10% of the planet’s plant species and 7% of the reptile, bird and mammal species. The country’s coasts are home to 15% of the world’s coastal species. - source: SAEO (2006) |
Thus, biological activity interacting with the environment provides the essential requirements for life: air, food, fresh water and shelter. It drives water, element and nutrient cycles, underpins functioning agricultural systems, influences climate and provides protection from extremes of heath and cold, flood and drought.
Biodiversity also provides the earth with an enormous gene pool which is of importance to humanity for food, clothing, shelter and overall health.
Despite its significance, South Africa’s biodiversity and life support systems are increasingly threatened by our consumption-driven lifestyles, high population growth, pollution and inefficient technologies. Ironically, the people who feel the impact of this degradation are likely to be rural and marginalised communities who depend more directly on natural systems for food, water, medicines and energy.
WESSA understands that even though loss of biodiversity or degradation of life-support systems is most visible at a local level, these have broader underlying causes and effects. Therefore, the organisation takes a holistic ecosystems approach and tries to work collaboratively and build consensus with as wide a range of stakeholders as possible.
WESSA’s “Stop the Spread” of invasive alien species
Stop the Spread is a programme designed to raise awareness of and action against invasive alien species threatening our biodiversity and life-support systems. It does this through interactive promotions; accessible resources such as booklets and pamphlets as well as working with organizations and individuals to increase their participation in managing and controlling invasive alien species.
Stop-The-Spread works to:
- raise awareness of the nature and extent of the threat through promotion in all forms of media and through interactive promotional activities;
- increase the participation of all stakeholders and to build relationships between role players;
- train adult groups in awareness, understanding and practical skills;
- train learners in a school or tertiary environment;
- encourage the public and stakeholders to become actively involved in the identification and control of the spread of invasive alien species.
- Act as a centre of information and communication
Invasive alien species (IAS) are plants and other species that have been introduced, either accidentally or intentionally, outside of their natural environment or country of origin. They have the ability to spread, without the direct assistance of people, into natural or semi-natural habitats causing significant or even devastating changes in terms of composition, structure, and ecosystem processes. IAS out-compete, transform and overtake indigenous species by challenging them for space, light, food, water, and nesting places.
Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are the single biggest threat to South Africa’s biodiversity, to water security and the productive use of land. They also threaten ecosystem services like water purification, soil generation, waste decomposition and nutrient cycling which are critical for human survival.
They can intensify flooding and fires, increase soil erosion, and contribute to the destruction of rivers, siltation of dams and estuaries and poor water quality. They waste our water resources by diverting water from more productive uses, affecting agriculture, fisheries, transport, recreation and water supply. IAPs can also cause a mass extinction of indigenous plants and animals.
It is estimated that invasive alien plants cover about 20 million hectares of the country and the problem is escalating with new invasions still occurring. It has been conservatively estimated that invasive control would cost South Africa R34 billion over the next 25 years (according to the ARC report 2010 commissioned by the Department of Water Affairs). The spread of invasive alien plants impact largely on the poor as the spin offs from these biological invasions result in increased costs for basic supplies like water and food. Climate change will add to these impacts and together climate change and invasive alien species will form a lethal cocktail altering natural systems and further impacting on our life support systems.
The link between man and the impact of invasives on the environment needs to be demonstrated in such a way that the matter becomes a concrete concept in the mind of the public. Therefore, the Stop the Spread campaign aims to engage with the public and to get individuals and organizations asking, “What can I do to stop the spread?”
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Broad objectives:
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