Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE) is a partnership programme uniting government and civil society in a strategy to conserve biodiversity and create biodiversity for the people of the Cape Floristic Region.
CAPE has 23 signatory partners - government departments, municipalities, non-governmental and conservation agencies. All of these organisations and a broader base of stakeholders are united in a common strategy around biodiversity conservation. The programme is coordinated through various governance and co-ordination structures.
The 2011 CAPE Partners' Conference will be held on 23 and 24 June 2011 and focuses on the interface between Biodiversity Conservation and Agriculture. This year, the conference aims to showcase the successful collaborative interventions that have occurred between Biodiversity Conservation and Agriculture during the first phase of the CAPE programme and is jointly hosted by CAPE Partners South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and World Wide Fund for Nature in South Africa (WWF-SA) through the GreenChoice Alliance. The conference will be held at the Percheron Hall, Elsenburg Agricultural Training College at Elsenburg just outside of Stellenbosch.
The conference presents an exciting opportunity to discuss some of the emerging trends in conservation and agriculture, and also serves as an important moment for the CAPE Partnership to develop and agree on a strategic response to some of the ongoing challenges.
The programme for the conference is as follows:
Day One:
08h00 to 09h00: Registration
09h00 to 10h30: Session one: Developing a shared vision for production landscapes in the fynbos region
11h00 to 12h30: Session two: The value of natural capital
13h30 to 15h00: Session three: The shift towards more sustainable farming practices
15h30 to 17h00: Session four: Natural solutions - adapting to climate change
Day Two:
09h00 to 10h30: Session five: Diversification of rural livelihoods and land use
11h00 to 12h30: Session six: Partnerships for resource mobilisation
12h30 to 13h30: Session seven: Way forward
13h30: Lunch and closure
On 23 June, the conference programme will be followed by an evening event at Delvera Farm in Klapmuts starting at 18h30. The programme includes addresses by Minister Gerrit van Rensburg, Western Cape Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development and Minister Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, respectively.
The evening will include the presentation of the annual Fynbos Conservation Awards, which are aimed at recognising individuals' outstanding contributions and achievements to biodiversity conservation in the Cape Floristic Region and showcasing successful and innovative work.
Note: All media are invited (and strongly encouraged) to attend the conference or any session thereof and/to attend the conference or any session there of and/or the awards ceremony.
Please see the detailed programme.
Enquiries:
Petro Van Rhyn
Department of Agriculture, Western Cape
Cell: 071 231 7576
E-mail: petrovr@elsenburg.com
Marilyn Martin-Vermaak
CAPE Programme
Tel: 021 799 8790
E-mail: m.martin@sanbi.org.za
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
