Fynbos Programme

SANBI’s Fynbos Programme hosts the coordination unit of the Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE) partnership programme, which unites government and civil society in a strategy to conserve biodiversity, while creating benefits for all the people of the Cape Floristic Region.

What we do

CAPE is a partnership programme of 23 signatory partners which includes non-governmental organisations, municipalities, national and provincial government departments and conservation agencies.

SANBI’s Fynbos Programme convenes the partnership, providing opportunities for sharing; learning and working together and thereby breaking down institutional silos.

The programme partners work together strategically and collaboratively in the following areas:

• landscape or corridor initiatives
• protected area management
• conservation stewardship
• business and biodiversity
• resource economics
• biodiversity planning and land use decision making
• biodiversity information
• integrated catchment management
• urban biodiversity
• institutional strengthening
• learning networks
• conservation education and
• capacity development.

In addition to a number of large landscape or corridor initiatives, some 200 smaller projects have been cataylsed through the CAPE programme.

The following strategic objectives guide the work of the programme.

CAPE:

• Strengthens institutional capacity, governance and communication for coordinated action
• Enables local level engagement and coordination through landscape initiatives
• Integrates biodiversity into land use planning and environmental management
• Secures biodiversity through protected areas including biodiversity stewardship
• Protects biodiversity through sustainable production initiatives
• Promotes ecosystem based adaptation to climate change through integrated catchment management
• Delivers sustainable socio-economic and cultural benefits to local communities
• Develops innovative approaches through research and knowledge networks

The implementation of the CAPE programme has over the last decade been made possible through the support of international donors, including the Global Environmental Facility (through the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme), Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and the Table Mountain fund, as well as through funds committed by government and other programme partners.

Where we work

The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) aka fynbos biome stretches from the Cederberg in the north-west, around the Western Cape coast and into the Eastern Cape up to the Nelson Mandela Metropole.

The biome is world famous for its dramatic and varied land- and seascapes and its astonishing diversity of plant and animal life. As one of only six floral kingdoms in the world and with 9 600 recorded plant species, 70% of them found nowhere else on the planet, the region is a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot. With 80% of the region in private hands, it is imperative that any action for the conservation of the CFR would need to involve the people of the region.

The partnership has nine landscape initiatives that provide essential, mountain to coast corridors necessary to support the diversity of the CFR and protect against the effects of climate change. These are the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor, the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve, the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, the Gouritz Initiative, the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative, the Garden Route Initiative, the Baviaanskloof Mega-reserve, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve and the Upper Breede Collaborative Extension Group.

Reason for our programme

The Fynbos Programme is one of six bioregional programmes located within SANBI’s Biodiversity Planning and Mainstreaming Division, the purpose of which is to ensure that SANBI:

• responds appropriately to biodiversity-related global policy and national priorities
• makes systematic contributions to the development of national biodiversity priorities
• demonstrates the value of conserving biodiversity and the relevance of biodiversity to the improvement of the quality of life of all South Africans

The rationale of the CAPE partnership is to create vertical and horizontal linkages between partner organisations so that they all work together towards a common strategy, avoiding duplication, addressing gaps and uniting to leverage resources and to tackle agreed common priorities in terms of a shared vision.

What we have achieved

Some of the achievements of the programme include:

• Transforming the approach to conservation in the CFR through its strategic and collaborative nature
• Bringing together a wide range of role players, from the conservation sector as well as sectors which impact upon biodiveristy, such as development planning and agriculture
• Developing a common purpose that secures resources required for implementation, and creates resilience in the face of institutional change
• Creating spaces where participants come together in conferences, coordination structures and tasks teams to share their experiences and plan for the future, enabling resilience and maintain momentum through a number of institutional and funding changes
• Over US$34 million has been invested in the region by international partners, with the South African government providing nearly three times this amount to co-funding
• Leveraging significant resources to address key priorities thereby enabling the partnership to make significant progresss during its first 10 years
• Strengthening key institutions: South African National Biodiversity Institute, CapeNature and Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency have all taken on new areas of work initiated through the CAPE partnership as part of their long term mandate
• Strategic capacity development training targeting all levels of expertise from the development of specialised tertiary level courses in stewardship and environmental education to support for accredited entry level training for flower harvesters and field guides

The CAPE partnership has also produced a suite of resources which can be downloaded from the CAPE website, resource page (http://www.capeaction.org.za/index.php?C=resources).

Who we are

• Dr Mandy Barnett, Director: Fynbos Bioregional Programme and CAPE Coordinator
• Ms Azisa Parker, Programme Developer
• Ms Eleanor Marks, Financial Manager
• Ms Marilyn Martin-Vermaak, Communications and Coordination Officer

Partners

• BirdLife South Africa
• Botanical Society of South Africa
• CapeNature
• City of Cape Town
• Conservation South Africa
• National Department of Agriculture
• Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries
• Department of Water Affairs
• Development Bank of South Africa
• Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs
• Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development and Environment Affairs
• Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency
• Fauna and Flora International
• Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
• Open Africa
• South African National Parks
• Table Mountain Fund
• Western Cape Department of Agriculture
• Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
• Wilderness Foundation
• Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa
• WWF-South Africa

How to contact us

Tel: +27 21 799 8790
Email: info@capeaction.org.za
Web: www.capeaction.org.za