Pollination & honeybees: Who we are & contacts

Both the Global Pollination Project and the Honeybee Forage Project are implemented in close collaboration with the Plant Protection Research Institute of the Agricultural Research Council, bringing together substantial resources in research (both Ecosystem Services and honeybee research), taxonomy, practical applications of scientific research and information management.

The management of the projects is made up of:

• the Project Management Unit (PMU)
• the National Steering Committee (NSC)
• the Technical Review Group (TRG)
• the Site Teams (ST)

Project Management Unit (PMU)

The Project Management Unit is the staff and students responsible for the Global Pollination Project and the Honeybee Forage Project in South Africa.

The team comprises of:
Project Coordinator: Carol Poole
Pollination Ecologist: Dr Ruan Veldtman
Researcher: Dr Jonathan Colville
Site & Communications Manager: Mbulelo Mswazi
Part-time admin support: Rowena Stevens
PhD students: Mariëtte Brand, Annalie Melin, Tlou Masehela (Honeybee Forage Project)
MSc student: James Hutton-Squire (Honeybee Forage Project)

National Steering Committee (NSC)

The NSC meets every six months in Cape Town at SANBI. The NSC is made up of representatives from government departments (Agriculture and Environmental Affairs), and representatives from the private sector, NGOs, the research community and farmer/beekeeping organisations.

The role of the NSC is:

• To give guidance for project planning and monitoring at national level
• To review financial reports
• To review annual summary progress reports
• To provide advice to the Project Management Unit on implementation, problem solving and modifications of subsequent work plans
• To advise on mainstreaming of pollination in national policy environment and regarding interagency cooperation

The minutes of all NSC meetings are available here:

Meeting 1: 15 April 2011
Meeting 2: 4 November 2011

Technical Review Group (TRG)

The TRG corresponds via email or one-on-one discussions. The group is made up of experts concerned with scientific methodologies and protocols, pollination biology and bees, taxonomy and capacity building. The group will provide overall technical guidance, will review methodologies, protocols, reports and publications, and will assist in strengthening the projects where they have expertise.

Site Teams (ST)

The STs are made up of local experts in/near each crop/site that include representatives from local businesses, representatives of participating farmers, local NGOs, development and extension staff, and government departments. The role of the ST is:

• To build local support and understanding for project objectives - especially among farmers or interested parties
• To recommend what is needed to improve the local situation (e.g. booklets, training, etc)
• To assist in bringing the results of the project to all local stakeholders.

Contact Details

Project Co-ordinator: Carol Poole
Kirstenbosch Research Centre (Cape Town)
Tel: +27 21 799 8652 (direct)