Over 20 000 wild plant species have been assessed for conservation status.
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In one of the continent’s largest collaborative conservation projects to date, South Africa has become the first of the world’s mega-diverse countries to fully assess the status of its entire flora – a staggering 20 456 species.
The assessment, which has now been published in a book entitled the Red List of South African Plants, was launched by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in Cape Town on Earth Day, April 22, 2010.
Funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ development branch Norad, the assessment uses the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List system, an internationally endorsed scientific approach to assessing the risks of extinction to species.
Says Domitilla Raimondo, SANBI Threatened Plants Programme Manager and lead author of the South African list: “South Africa is one of the world’s mega-diverse countries in terms of its species richness and high levels of endemism. South Africa not only contains one of the world’s six floral kingdoms, but three of the world’s biodiversity hotspots are located mainly within its borders.”
Emphasising the significance of South Africa’s floral diversity and underscoring the global significance of this assessment, Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List programme based in Cambridge England, explains: “The Red List of South African Plants is a landmark publication that doubles the number of plants on the IUCN’s Global Red List. Compiling this list has been an enormous multi-partner conservation project. More than 200 professionals as well as members of the public have contributed.”
The publication sheds light on several previous unanswered questions – the most crucial of which is “How threatened are South Africa’s plant species?” The Red List reveals that:
- 2 577 of South Africa’s wild plant species, or 13%, are threatened – these are species in danger of extinction.
- A further 2 232 plant species are listed under other categories of conservation concern. Combining the number threatened species with those listed under other categories of conservation concern brings the proportion of the South African flora that we urgently need to conserve to 24%, or one in every four species.
- The proportion of threatened species in South Africa is much higher than other mega-diverse countries such as Australia and Brazil. While their assessments have not been as comprehensive they estimate only 6% and 3% of plants as threatened respectively. South Africa’s higher proportion of threatened species is due to the fact that when only selective assessments are done, many threatened species can be overlooked. With the new Red List of South African plants we have, for the first time, a complete picture of the extent of threat to our flora.
- South Africa has 40 plant species that are extinct, and a further 76 are probably extinct (listed as Critically Endangered Possibly Extinct). Extensive field surveys of the last remaining pieces of natural habitat of all Critically Endangered Possibly Extinct species are required before they can be officially listed as extinct.
- 5 species have been listed as extinct for the first time in this list. As the previous Red List was produced in 1996 this shows that South Africa is losing plant species at a rapid rate.
Medicinal plants
The trade in medicinal plant species plays an important role in contributing to livelihoods of South Africans. With this in mind, the assessment of these plants is of unique economic significance. It has been estimated that there are 27 million indigenous medicine consumers in South Africa with a large supporting industry. The trade in traditional medicines forms part of a multi-million rand ‘hidden economy’ in southern Africa. The Red List exposes the status of these plants at a national level.
- Less than 20% of South Africa’s 322 heavily traded medicinal plant species are threatened with extinction.
- The majority of medicinal plants that have been assessed on the Red List are considered not threatened and have the status Least Concern.
Looking ahead, SANBI has committed to working with conservation agencies to help conserve the handful of medicinal plant species that are highly threatened due to over harvesting.
Why are South Africa’s wild plants under threat?
In order to fully understand how to mitigate loss of species it is important to understand why South Africa’s wild plant species are threatened. Again, the Red List of South African Plants offers insight.
- Loss of natural habitat is the most significant threat, affecting twice as many species as any other threat. Forty-three plant species have become extinct or are listed as possibly extinct due to crop cultivation and 26 due to urban development. Over the past decade there has been a tendency to low density urban sprawl and coastal ribbon development both which have caused significant habitat loss to restricted plant species. Most of South Africa’s large cities are situated in zones of high plant endemism, making it all the more important to encourage dense urban development rather than urban sprawl while protecting key natural sites as part of urban open space systems.
- The second largest threat is habitat degradation. Overgrazing by livestock is the main cause of habitat degradation, followed closely by incorrect fire regimes.
- Encroachment by invasive alien plants is the third most severe threat and has become more severe in the past decade. This trend can be expected to continue.
How can you help?
For those who want to take action and play their part, SANBI involves members of the public in threatened plant conservation. The Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers programme (CREW) is an extensive civil society network. CREW volunteers gather information on the status of threatened plant populations in the wild and provide valuable data for monitoring and conservation purposes. Groups of volunteers engage local municipalities in conservation projects to conserve critically sites for threatened species. To join CREW write to
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Your decisions at the till-point also make a difference. Says Raimondo: “We encourage people to be conscious about the impact of their purchases, and to favour products with a conservation ethic. The bottle of wine you choose can make a difference”.
Why is a Red List important?
- Red Lists inform national, provincial and municipal conservation plans.
- They inform interested parties on trends in biodiversity management and so influence policy and decision making.
- Red Lists can help streamline decision making about the location of urban and agricultural development.
Where can you find the Red List?
The publication is available at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden’s bookshop. There is a limited print edition of only 1000 copies. More information on SANBI’s Threatened Species Programme and the plant Red List is available on www.sanbi.org.za.
