Biota Africa (Hamburg)
25 September 2008
press release
The head of the BIOTA South steering committee in South Africa, Dr. John Donaldson, speaks about the chances of conservation in agricultural areas and the threats of land use, climate change, and invasive species.
Prof John Donaldson, 49, is the head of Applied Biodiversity Research at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, and chairs the steering committee for BIOTA activities in South Africa. Among other issues, his scientific work aims to determine whether combining the needs of humans and nature can provide benefits for conservation. The South African ecologist and conservation biologist is convinced that such an approach is necessary for sustainable development – 'the interaction between production and conservation has many facets, some good, some bad, but we are most likely to balance production and conservation if natural assets also have value from an economical point of view'.
Professor Donaldson, what does fascinate you personally the most about Africa?
For me, Africa is synonymous with diversity. Take a look at the variety of landscapes, the richness of life forms, which inhabit the continent – in hardly any other place of the world can you find such an array of life. After years of field research, I am still very impressed by the diversity of different species existing in South Africa.
When did you decide to choose protection of biological diversity as your profession?
During my post graduate studies I worked mainly in evolutionary biology but I started to realise that the species I was working on were disappearing and that we needed scientific studies to support decision making that would protect species and ecosystems. After my graduation, I wanted to contribute to closing this gap.
What is the biggest threat for the diversity of fauna and flora in Southern Africa?
I think that human land use presents the biggest immediate threat but that the combination of land use, climate change, and invasive species will be the greatest threat in the near future. There is nothing profound in this conclusion because many scientists have the same view, but dealing with this set of issues is going to be very very challenging especially in developing countries where you have high levels of biodiversity, an increasing demand for greater use of natural landscapes for production, and a growing number of invasive species. Climate change will make it harder for species to survive in the natural habitats that remain and will also increase the spread of invasive species, while land use will make it more difficult for species to migrate in response to climate change.
An example?
The South Western corner of South Africa has a very high number of threatened species, one of the highest in the world, especially in lowland areas that are good for crop cultivation. There are more than 17,000 remnants of natural vegetation in among the farmlands, and many species occur only in these fragments. Such small natural areas are also vulnerable to invasive species, such as grasses, that often come in with crop plants and grow faster because of the fertilisers that farmers put on their crops. We still don't know exactly how climate change will affect these areas, but its probably going to be difficult for species to move across croplands in response to climate change.
What is your research objective?
In my own research projects, I work mainly with species in agricultural landscapes and species in trade, first to understand the impacts of land use and harvesting on species, but also to understand how ecological functions may provide benefits for humans. Clean water, healthy soils, crop pollination, and pest control all rely to some extent on ecological interactions and we need to make the connections between biodiversity and these benefits.
How does your research support the slowing down of species decline?
The primary aim is to gain a better understanding of how ecosystems work, the functions of different species, and the way species respond to land use and harvesting. In the context of BIOTA, we collect data through long term observations, which we then interpret to obtain information about the dynamics of plants and animals under different forms of land use. This knowledge serves as a basis for policy recommendations.
Can you elaborate on that?
For example, if a farmer wants to make money out of his land, his first step would usually be to consider different agricultural options such as what crop to plant. But is this the only factor the farmer should consider. If natural assets provide benefits to people, then it may be advantageous to leave some parts of the land in their natural state, either to provide benefits for the farmer (e.g. pest control) or benefits to the community (e.g. clean water production). Globally, there are many projects looking at payments for these ecosystem services to make it possible for farmers/ land owners to benefit from maintaining healthy ecosystems. In our research, we want to draw attention to the value of biodiversity and we want to find the most biodiversity friendly form of land use.
Hence, you try to reconcile the needs of a growing population with the conservation of nature?
Yes, as far as this is possible. Our aim is to find out under what circumstances farmers can do both: protecting nature and simultaneously earning money. Of course, this works best if the preservation of natural vegetation can compete financially with full cultivation of the land but sometimes farmers also want to preserve the wild areas on their farms for their own sake.
And this can be done in a larger scale?
In think so: We have the advantage in South Africa that only 13 to 15 percent of the land is cultivated land to produce crops like wheat, maize, sunflowers, fruit. However, 80 percent is still natural shrubland or grassland that is used mostly for grazing. In these grazing lands, there is a much bigger chance for finding nature friendly and sustainable forms of land use. In places where this is not possible, other solutions will have to be found, such as buying land for conservation areas..
BIOTA AFRICA (Biodiversity Monitoring Transect Analysis in Africa) is an African-German research network.
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