Biodiversity: A Valuable Ally For The Farmer

Caring for the indigenous vegetation on a farm not only helps protect plant species from extinction, but benefits the production of crops in several crucial ways. Glenneis Kriel spoke to Cape Nature botanist Rupert Koopman and Stellenbosch University researcher Rhoda Malgas.

While farmers generally see themselves as custodians of the land, the conservation of indigenous plant species is not always high on their list of priorities. This is understandable, as most farmers already struggle to make ends meet.

But urbanisation, changes in land use, agricultural expansion and climate change threaten the future of many species and habitats, and, ultimately, human existence.

According to an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report released in May, approximately 85% of wetlands worldwide have been lost since the 1970s, and about 25% of species in assessed animal and plant groups are under threat. This suggests that about one million species will face extinction within decades.

PLANTS USED AS FOOD ALSO IN DECLINE

The assessment, compiled by 145 experts from 50 countries over the past three years, found that local varieties and domesticated plants were also disappearing fast, with at least 559 of the 6 190 varieties used for food production reported extinct in 2016 and 1 000 more now under threat.

While the value of crop production has increased almost threefold and raw timber production by 45% since the 1970s, land degradation has seen a 23% reduction in productivity. At the same time, a loss in pollinator diversity is threatening the sustainability of annual crops valued at up to US$577 billion (about R8,8 trillion).

Despite this, competition for land for conservation and agricultural production is expected to rise as population growth continues to drive higher food demand.