We have our Wednesday talk with Mary van Blommestein, titled ‘The world of Marie Sibylla Merian: 17th century artist and naturalist.
This spring will see the first annual Pietermaritzburg Comedy Picnic held at our KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Garden on the 2nd of September 2018. The one of a kind show will feature comedians from all over the country. The list of comedians includes Celeste Ntuli, Thenjiwe (UK), Dawn Thandeka King (Uzalo), Simphiwe Shembe, TK Manjoro, Sifiso Nene and Flymotion, just to name a few. There will also be musical performances by Joocy, Zuluboy and a local traditional dance group.
Tickets are R150 per person at Computicket and R180 at the gate. Please bring camp chairs and picnic blankets. There will be food stalls and a cash bar provided therefore, food and drinks bought somewhere else will not be permitted in. Gates open at 11:00AM and the show starts at 12:30PM.
For enquiries – 033 344 3585/078 509 1314 Siphu Ngqasa or 083 343 4115 Simphiwe Shembe
Celebrate Arbor Day with us on Saturday, 1 September 2018, with a talk presented by Izak van der Merwe, author and Forest Enforcement Officer.
Do not miss this talk if you are interested in the environment, and particularly trees and forests!
Join Izak van der Merwe for a fascinating talk on trees and forests in South Africa. Topics include the state of illegal deforestation in the country and the sub-region; the impacts of habitat loss by land use change; new threats by tree diseases; the challenges of enforcement; monitoring crime syndicates and the international timber trade and more.
Details
Date: Saturday, 1 September 2018
Time: 08:30 – 12:00
Cost: R100 for adults, R30 for kids 10 years and older
Venue: Environmental Education Centre, Pretoria National Botanical Garden.
For bookings
Suzane
Tel.: 012 329 3896
Email: books@briza.co.za
Linette Ferreira
Tel.: 012 843 5053/5000
Email: L.Ferreira@sanbi.org.za
The South African Society of Artists (SASA) will be holding their 112th Annual Exhibition of members’ selected works.
“Supporting the worldwide implementation of the global strategy for plant conservation.”
Organised by the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC) in association with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).
Hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa
The Conference
This conference will bring together plant conservation scientists, policy makers and practitioners from across the world to consider the future of plant conservation, and in particular to develop ideas for a global plant conservation strategy for the post-2020 period.
The conference will attract a wide range of participants to share their experiences and further the development of plant conservation policy, practice and actions during and beyond this, the U.N. Decade of Biological Diversity.
The results of the conference and the strategic workshops will be provided to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a contribution from the GPPC and the plant conservation community in general towards future plans for the CBD in the achievement of the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
Venue
The conference is hosted by SANBI’s Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa, where all sessions will be held.
Background
In October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD adopted an updated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) for the period 2011–2020.
This updated GSPC includes 16 targets for plant conservation to be achieved by 2020. The role of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC) is recognised by the CBD in supporting GSPC implementation worldwide and this conference aims to help guide future plant conservation priorities.
The objectives of the conference will include:
- Showcasing examples and sharing experiences on GSPC implementation.
- Providing guidance and support for national and regional GSPC implementation entering into the new phase.
- Helping to build leadership amongst the participating organisations for monitoring and delivery of the GSPC targets.
- Developing and considering scenarios and priorities for the GSPC in the period beyond 2020 and the ways in which it will contribute to the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
The conference will provide an opportunity for participants to consider the ways in which they can contribute to national CBD reporting processes and inclusion of plant conservation in reviews of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).
The meeting will also help efforts made to build on and evaluate progress in implementing the GSPC and how these experiences can support enhanced implementation over the coming decade.
Expert workshops: The development of the GSPC up to and beyond 2020 will be reviewed during a series of expert workshops. Topics will include:
- Evaluation of the current GSPC targets and consideration of revised objectives and targets for the post-2020 period.
- Further alignment of the GSPC with developing scenarios for the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, including indicators adopted for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Review of opportunities to raise awareness of the importance of the GSPC and broaden its support base at all levels.
- Capacity building and measures to facilitate GSPC delivery, including supporting the work of GSPC national focal points and mainstreaming the GSPC into NBSAPs.
- Ways and means to facilitate reporting on GSPC progress at national and international levels, highlighting the contributions of the GSPC to the achievement of national biodiversity conservation targets and the Aichi Targets.
- Identification of case studies illustrating GSPC implementation and achievements and consideration of possible contributions for Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 (GBO-5).
- A special session will be held on Plant Conservation and Economics to explore issues relating to forestry, agriculture and other aspects of sustainable development.
Who should attend the conference?
- National focal points for the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- Plant conservationists.
- Representatives of GPPC partner organisations, donor agencies interested in biodiversity conservation, national biodiversity organisations and agencies, potential GPPC members and regional biodiversity conservation bodies.
Click here for GPPC conference registration form.
Suggestions for spouse activities.
Registration closes on 27 July 2018.
Enquiries:
Ms Alison Barnard
Conference Secretariat
African Kaleidoscope Events
Cell: +27 83 414 6729
Tel.: +27 21 762 2613
E-mail: alison@africankaleidoscope.co.za
This Wednesday Talk will be hosted by Sue Buchanan, who will be talking about Robert Jacob Gordon 1743 – 1794: Soldier, Explorer and ‘Man of Science’.
You are cordially invited to the joint BIMF-FBIP Forum which provides an opportunity for the foundational biodiversity information research and data community in South Africa to share information, discuss our practise and explore ways of improving the efficiency and impact of our work.
With the BIMF-FBIP Forum we aim to promote and further enhance networks, data sharing opportunities, collaboration and the development of information management practice by the biodiversity science community. The 2018 Forum will have a strong focus on the collection, analysis and use of biodiversity data in the context of global change.
This year we are very honoured to have Dr Evgeny Zakharov, Associate Director at the Canadian Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph which is responsible for the International Barcode of Life (IBOL), as our guest speaker. Dr Zakharov will also be presenting a workshop on the use of the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD).
There will also be a focus on camera trap data with a full day discussion and workshop on how we can collaborate nationally to ensure that camera trap data are archived and made accessible in an integrated way. This will be followed with a practical camera trap workshop focussing on existing systems for storing and working with camera trap data.
Apart from presentations and a poster session, the Forum will include a Postgraduate Student Forum and the core programme will be followed by training workshops on the 16th of August.
Registration and accommodation
No registration fee is charged. Accommodation (including dinner and breakfast) for a limited number of delegates is available at Cape St Francis Resort and will be sponsored by the funders. To make your registration and accommodation request, please complete the attached registration form.
Once we have received your registration and request for accommodation, you will receive an email to confirm acceptance/rejection of your accommodation application. The deadline for accommodation requests is 16 July 2018.
The Forum’s organising committee will notify applicants by the 18th of July 2018 if their request for accommodation has been approved and will make the reservations on behalf of the successful applicants. Due to space limitations and costs, students will be expected to share. To save costs, we also encourage delegates to share rooms.
Participants will be required to make their own travel arrangements to and from the venue.
Programme
The provisional programme is attached. The Forum will begin on Monday, the 13th of August with registration and lunch (12:00 – 14:00) and the opening address and talks will start at 14:00 ending with a poster and networking session at 17:30.
There will be a scientific programme of keynote addresses, oral presentations, and a Post Graduate Student Forum from Tuesday 14th – Wednesday 15th August. A workshop to develop a national strategy for managing camera trap data will run in parallel to the programme on the 14th of August 2018. On Thursday the 16th, three parallel training sessions will take place.
Oral presentations and poster session
Call for Abstracts for oral presentations is now closed and only poster submissions will be considered. The poster session is for participants to exhibit posters and/or banners reflecting their biodiversity information-related work. Viewing time will be on 13th of August from 17:30-18:30. If you would like to use this opportunity to display a poster, please let us know.
Student Post-Grad Forum
A Post-Grad Student’s Forum will be held in conjunction with the BIMF-FBIP Forum. Limited travel funding will be provided to postgraduate students who applied for funding. Successful student applicants will receive an email confirming their travel assistance.
Training sessions
Three training sessions will run parallel on the 16th of August:
- Camera trap data management – using existing systems for storing and working with camera traps data.
- Barcode of Life Database – using BOLD for DNA barcode data analysis and identification of material. This workshop will be led by Dr Evgeny Zakharov of IBOL, and will illustrate some of the key functionalities of the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD).
- SANBI-GBIF Georeferencing Training: SANBI-GBIF will be hosting a Georeferencing training event, to build skills in improving data quality. New approaches in georeferencing skills will be presented.
Important documents
Provisional programme
Registration form
Upcoming deadlines and dates to remember
- Request for Sponsored Accommodation at Cape St Francis Resort closes: 16 July 2018
- Registration (excluding accommodation) closes: 25 July 2018
- Confirm acceptance/rejection of accommodation request: 18 July 2018
- Accommodation cancellations: 25 July 2018
- Official opening of Forum: 13 August 2018 (14:00)
- Poster and Networking Session: 13 August 2018 (17:30)
- Post-grad Student Forum: 14 August 2018 (17:00 – 19:00)
- Camera Trap workshop to develop management strategy: 15 August 2018 (8:30-16:00)
- Parallel Training Workshops: 16 August 2018 (8:30-14:00)
Enquiries:
Fatima Parker-Allie
Cell: +27 (0)21 799 8698
Email: F.Parker@sanbi.org.za
Lita Pauw
Tel: +27 (0)12 843 5113
Cell: L.Pauw@sanbi.org.za
Join us for our Wednesday Talk with Eve titled “The cup that cheers: The history of tea”.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in collaboration with the University of Venda, will be hosting the 45th Annual Research Symposium on the Management of Biological Invasions in southern Africa.
The research symposium will be held from the 3-6 July 2018 at the University of Venda, Main Campus, Thohoyandou (Limpopo).
The symposium is intended for invasion experts, students, managers, and policy makers that are interested in biological invasions and their management in the region.
The main theme for the event is Invasions trans-boundary with four sub-themes:
- Invasions across protected areas and biospheres
- Invasions across national boundaries
- Invasion impacts across sectors
- Invasions across species boundaries
Details regarding registration are available here.
Documents for download
Important dates
- Abstract submission: 08 May 2018
- Early bird registration: 01 June 2018
- Standard registration: 18 June 2018
- Late registration: after 18 June 2018
- Cancellation: 18 june 2018
- Symposium registration: 03 July 2018 (late afternoon)
- Symposium closing: 06 July 2018 (after lunch).