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SAEON launches Fynbos Node to coincide with International Year of Biodiversity
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What made the recent launch of the SAEON Fynbos Node at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in Cape Town even more auspicious is that it happened in the International Year of Biodiversity.
As expected, the launch attracted people from different scientific backgrounds but with a common appreciation and passion for Fynbos, as a unique vegetation type.
In his opening address Derek Hanekom, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology said the launch of the Node came at the right time, not only because of South Africa having successfully hosted a memorable Soccer World Cup, but “most importantly because of the spring season we are in now which helps give the floral kingdom an even more majestic beauty”.
Also present at the launch was Marjorie Pyoos, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, President of the National Research Foundation (NRF), Carmel Mbizvo, Head of Research and Knowledge Management of the South African National Biodiversity Institute, and Johan Pauw, Managing Director of SAEON.
Cape Floral Kingdom
Our extraordinary plant diversity is of critical importance as it helps to rank South Africa as the country with the fifth highest number of plant species in the world, Hanekom said.
He stressed the importance of Fynbos to South Africa, noting especially that Fynbos is contributing fundamental socio-economic products such as rooibos tea and buchu and has for many years supported the region’s tourism efforts.
Fynbos has stood out among other vegetation types worldwide and has been long regarded as unique in terms of its biodiversity. It has been defined as “the Cape Floral Kingdom” - one of only six plant kingdoms world wide, and the smallest so far. Other names for the area where Fynbos occurs are Capensis, Cape Floristic Region or the Fynbos Biome.
“…I want to emphasise the fact that by working together we can achieve much and benefit from leveraging on each other’s expertise, resources and diverse specialities in bringing about desired research outputs that will benefit the people of South Africa,” Hanekom added.
The launch, which followed two days of SAEON Summit presentations and discussions, ended with a majestic fire lighting ceremony, symbolic of the role of fire in ensuring the renewal of life in Fynbos.
In her introduction to the fire lighting ceremony, Dr Nicky Allsopp, Manager of SAEON's Fynbos Node said:
"Fire plays an ambiguous role in our lives. The harnessing of fire by humans was one of the main tools that allowed human society to develop. But it is also feared for its destructive nature that endangers human life and property. In Fynbos, fire in its natural condition, is the keystone to the continued survival and renewal of Fynbos. It is through fire that moribund vegetation is released from the trap of too few nutrients, or resources, to regrow on the rich ah beds left after the fire. In Fynbos fire represents renewal and rebirth. So here we use fire symbolically to represent the birth of a new environmental monitoring and research platform in the fynbos region, the SAEON Fynbos Node."
