A biodiversity primer

For the past 15 years or so, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and its partners have conducted many different projects that address the interface between socio-economic development and the natural resource base upon which we rely for our human existence. During this time, a number of outputs were produced that have practical value as implementation tools, especially with regard to the large scale, landscape approach to biodiversity conservation, both within protected areas, and beyond their boundaries.

In this short video, Caroline Petersen tells us about a book that SANBI has produced that catalogues some of these tools and perspectives under the title of "Biodiversity for Development". Underlying this collection of pragmatic and enabling formulae, many of which have been tested and are in use in South Africa, is a deep concern about finding effective ways of dealing with an uncertain future in which we will need to address not only issues of poverty, housing, education and economic growth, but also the shifting ground of climate change and biodiversity loss. How do we future-proof the ecosystems that keep us afloat in the business of living?
The book was launched to an international audience in the appropriate forum of the 10th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity during October 2010
This primer was commissioned by the Dept of Environmental Affairs and SANBI, funded by UNDP, and written by Mandy Cadman, Caroline Petersen, Amanda Driver, Nik Sekhran, Kristal Maze, and Shonisani Munzhedzi