A unique partnership between the South African wine industry and the conservation sector established the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) to conserve the floral splendour of the Cape Winelands, whilst developing this region's natural treasure as a unique selling point into Brand South Africa.
BWI aims to minimise the further loss of threatened natural habitat, and to contribute to sustainable wine production, through better land management practices on the farm.
BWI works in conjunction with the Scheme for Integrated Production of Wine (IPW), Cape Nature Stweardship Programme and the Department of Agriculture's Landcare Programme. One of the strategies of the BWI is to identify and enlist interested producers as members or champions of the initiative, who will implement the biodiversity guidelines, conservecritical ecosystems and incorporate a biodiversity story into their winery experience.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to all the genes, species, ecosystems and processes that allow life to persist over time. When biodiversity is intact, species and ecosystems are resilient, enabling them to adapt to environmental changes. When biodiversity is lost, nature responds unpredictably, making it difficult for growers to plan production and protect natural resources.
Why a Biodiversity & Wine Initiative?
The Cape Floral Kingdom (CFK) is the smallest yet richest plant kingdom on earth, and has earned international recognition as a global biodiversity hotspot and as South Africa's newest World Heritage Site. However, the CFK is under increasing threat from agriculture, urban development and invasive alien species, with only 9% of the unique renosterveld and lowland fynbos ecosystems remaining, and much of the succulent karoo also under threat. Since 80% of the CFK is privately owned, landowner participation in conservation efforts is essential. The most effective method of reaching landowners is through the agricultural industries that they supply.
South Africa is the world's eighth largest producer of wine, contributing 3.5% of the global wine production. Because approximately 90% of wine production occurs within the CFK, concern is mounting that some of the region's most vulnerable natural habitat might be targeted for vineyard expansion. Following an initial study by the Botanical Society of South Africa and Conservation International, the wine industry and the conservation sector have embarked on a pioneering partnership to conserve the rich biodiversity of the CFK.
The BWI presents a great opportunity to both the wine and conservation sectors. The wine industry benefits from leveraging the biodiversity of the CFK as a competitive marketing advantage, and from using the BWI as a tool to achieve sustainable natural resource management, as prioritised in the Wine Industry Strategy Plan. The conservation sector benefits from pioneering biodiversity best practices in the wine industry, and from conserving the CFK's most threatened habitats for future generations.
How is BWi being implemented?
The BWI provides extension support to producers to implement sound biodiversity management on their farms. Practical interventions include development and implementation of:
- alien clearing programmes
- wetland and riverine rehabilitation and restoration
- environmentally sensitive control measures for problem animals such as baboon, birds and buck
- fire management
- regular botanical surveys
- environmental education
- recycling and waste minimisation
- establishment of regional voluntary conservancies and contract nature reserves.
BWI Implementation Strategies
1. Establish an enabling environment:
The BWI partners have established an enabling environment to assist the South African wine industry with adopting biodiversity best practices. This process includes defining partner's roles and responsibilities, securing funding, opening a BWI office, employing a project co-ordinator and extension officer, and building capacity to meet the objectives.
2. Incorporate biodiversity guidelines into the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) Guidelines:
The BWI is working closely with the wine industry to include relevant biodiversity guidelines in the IPW environmental guidelines. The biodiversity guidelines will be practical and realistic for growers and producers to implement, with maximum conservation benefits. The first draft of biodiversity guidelines have been incorporated into the current IPW guidelines.
3. Identify and enlist biodiversity & wine champions:
Through marketing the BWI in wine industry publications, the BWI will enlist interested producers and growers to champion the initiative. These "champions" will be guided through the implementation of the biodiversity guidelines, and assisted with building a biodiversity story into their winery identity. The role of champions is to test the implementation of the biodiversity guidelines, and to demonstrate the tangible benefits to the wine industry.
4. Extend conservation stewardship to the wine industry:
Cape Nature's existing Conservation Stewardship Programme will be extended to wine grape growers with endangered renosterveld and lowland fynbos on their properties. Stewardship encourages land owners to enter into formal contracts with Cape Nature to conserve critical sites. Although this might only be a small portion of a land owner's farm, benefits to the land owner could include property rate rebates, securing the area for conservation, assistance with land management, alien plant clearing and positive media coverage.
5. Integrate biodiversity into Brand South Africa:
The BWI aims to incorporate biodiversity into Brand South Africa, thus giving South Africa a competitive marketing advantage in the global wine market. The advantage is based on the unique attributes of the scenery and biodiversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom, a recently listed World Heritage Site. The BWI will build on the fact that South Africa's complex terroir, unique in the world, results in complex biodiversity and complex wines.
6. Develop a biodiversity wine route:
The BWI aims to establish a biodiversity wine route where visitors are exposed to both the wine and the biodiversity experience of each participating producer. For example, guides from the local community will conduct tours of the natural vegetation, communicating the producer's story and the role of biodiversity conservation in sustainable wine production. The biodiversity wine route is an opportunity to create employment and develop a new ecotourism angle for South African wine tourism.
|
