P Mjwara: Global Biodiversity Information Facility Science
Symposium

5 April 2006

Director of Ceremonies and Head of the GBIF Science Committee, Dr Woulter
Los, Chair of the Governing Board, Dr David Penman,
Executive Secretary of GBIF, Dr Jim Edwards,
International and local speakers,
Students and academics,
The Research Community,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen

I am particularly privileged and honoured to be with you this morning to
open the fourth GBIF Science Symposium. Many of you have travelled long
distances across Africa, from Europe, North America, Asia and South America to
attend this important event in the history of GBIF and to enjoy the wonderful
hospitality of Cape Town and South Africa.

Programme Director, allow me to use this opportunity to warmly welcome our
esteemed international and local Speakers, Mr John Wieczorek, winner of this
year’s Ebbe Nielson Prize, Dr Martin Sharman, Dr Stella Simiyu, Dr Daniel
Brooks, Dr Simon Mduma, Dr David Obura, and our own Dr Guy Midgley, Dr Emma
Archer, Dr Ed February, Dr Gavin W Maneveldt and Dr Richard Knight.

May you also allow me to extend my sincere gratitude to all of these people
for making their time to participate in this forum. I am sure that many of you
will agree that advances in science are made possible by the free flow of ideas
and debate at science fora such as this symposium.

You will recall that the previous GBIF Science Symposiums were based on
pertinent topics that underlined more than anything else, the importance of
scientific biodiversity data to society. Such themes include:
a) On the Rock of Real Data or the Sands of Speculation?
b) Biodiversity Data Users Serving Science and Society,
c) Tropical Biodiversity: Science, Data and Conservation.

Interestingly, the theme of this year’s Science Symposium is also relevant
and thought-provoking, it is: The Role of GBIF and Other New Technologies in
Conservation and Monitoring Biodiversity Change.

This Symposium will therefore demonstrate, amongst others, the fact that
monitoring the state of biodiversity now requires having access to a range of
datasets and tools, which are increasingly being driven through internet and
digital technology media. Although many parts of Africa are richly endowed with
biodiversity heritage, most countries in the continent lack appropriate
technology to access and analyse scientific data to help them manage their
‘large’ biological resources.

This is therefore the right place and right time to discuss the challenges
facing especially developing countries as this has a direct impact not only on
their ability to conserve their biodiversity, but also on their ability to
access and share information with other mega-science facilities such as GBIF
and GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems). Hence we believe that
the insights developed in this forum will facilitate Africa’s ability and in
particular, South Africa’s capacity to attain development objectives. It will
also contribute greatly with regard to our obligation to honour international
commitments to conservation and sustainable use of biological resources as well
as sharing of scientific biodiversity data.

Ladies and gentlemen, I feel proud of the tremendous effort made by the GBIF
Secretariat and Science Committee together with the Department of Science and
Technology in creating this special opportunity for you to engage in debate –
debate that will take us a step further in terms of helping us use a range of
modern technologies to help us understand our biological resources better. On
this note, I would like to congratulate the GBIF Secretariat, the Department of
Science and Technology, the SABIF Secretariat and Steering Committee for the
impeccable organisation of this historic event.

For some time there was a global pre-occupation with natural resources with
an associated economic explosion on commodity markets. There have been
subsequent revolutions in industrial production and knowledge intensive
technologies. Hot on the heels of the information and communications technology
(ICT) revolution has come biotechnology, firmly establishing that when you have
a knowledge-based economy coupled with natural resource stocks, many developing
countries can find themselves riding a huge and dynamic wave of economic
growth. Globally, biodiversity already provides an ever-increasing portion of
the wealth derived from the natural resource-base. Without doubt, the value and
potential of South Africa’s natural assets are underpinned by its exceptional
diversity and uniqueness. The country is ranked as the third most biological
diverse country in the world, containing between 250 000 and 1 000 000 species
of organisms, much of which occur nowhere else in the world.

South Africa occupies about 2% of the world’s land area, but is home to
nearly 10% of the world’s plants and 7% of the reptiles, birds and mammals. We
have three globally recognised biodiversity hotspots; the Cape Floristic
Region, which falls entirely within our boundaries; the Succulent Karoo, shared
with our neighbour Namibia, and Maputaland-Pondoland, shared with Mozambique
and Swaziland.

Our seas straddle three oceans, the Atlantic, the Indian and the Southern
Ocean, and include an exceptional range of habitats, from cool-water kelp
forests to tropical coral reefs. The southern African coast is home to almost
15% of known coastal marine species, providing a rich source of nutrition and
supporting livelihoods of coastal communities.

The rapidly growing international interest in the natural environment and in
products derived from nature provides many opportunities for a biodiversity
rich country such as ours, ranging from the consumptive use of biodiversity –
through activities such as hunting, fishing and the development of new
medicines, crops and ornamental plants through to its non-consumptive use -
activities such as tourism and the use of indigenous knowledge about
biodiversity.

Whilst we recognise the tremendous benefits available to us from our
biodiversity heritage, we are also acutely aware that human activity - we
ourselves, with our patterns of consumption and industrial and residential
spread - are responsible for severe and growing losses in biodiversity and
serious negative impacts on ecosystems.

The current rate of the world’s biodiversity loss is anything from 100 to
1000 times higher than ever before in the history of the Earth. Many species
are disappearing without ever being named. We urgently need to address the
drivers of biodiversity loss and the imminent threat of global climate change
which, in South Africa, is predicted to drive thousands of species towards
extinction in the next 50 to 80 years.

Despite the importance of the world’s plants, animals and micro-organisms,
we know surprisingly little about all the beings with which we share our
existence. Only about 1.75 million out of an estimated 10 million or more
species have been identified and the information on less than 10% of all the
collected specimens has been digitized. Much of the information that has been
compiled resides in museums and other research institutions that are willing to
share it, but have lacked the means to do so in a well-organised locally and
globally accessible manner.

Ladies and gentlemen, a key ingredient for planning, monitoring and
management of our biodiversity is having accurate and up to date information on
the location and names of species. GBIF, one of the new global enabling
technologies, will help not only South Africa but the whole world to accelerate
the inventory of species through improved information technologies. This will
certainly help make us better stewards of our environment.

Realising all the wonderful benefits inherent in GBIF, the Government of
South Africa responded and engaged in negotiations with the mega-science
facility within the early stages of its formation. This culminated in South
Africa becoming a full member of GBIF in April 2003. South Africa and my
Department in particular, engaged also in the scoping and subsequent accession
of the GBIF review process that has culminated in the adoption of the new
GBIF/Organisations for Economic Cooperation and Development Memorandum of
Agreement.

At the local level, the Department of Science and Technology has also worked
tirelessly in setting up the national node to GBIF. This national node has
taken the form of SABIF (South African Biodiversity Information Facility). The
local node, SABIF has made good progress since its establishment in 2003. It
boosts a steering committee that includes representation by a number of
national government departments. From the African Continent, South Africa is
the only voting participant contributing data (through SABIF) to the GBIF
Portal.

SABIF, working closely with GBIF will enhance the growth of capacities to
utilise and provide biodiversity data by both developed and developing nations.
In addition, the information provided freely through GBIF and SABIF, will be
vital in advancing scientific research in many disciplines, sustainable and
technological development as well as in guiding policy-formulation.

Programme Director, I would like to take a moment to congratulate the four
South African scientists and policy experts who were recently selected to serve
in the four GBIF Science Sub-committees. South Africa now has representatives
in all four GBIF Science Sub-committees. These include Dr Mervyn Mansell,
Professor Gideon Smith, Professor Conrad Mathee and Ms Renee le Roux. We send a
special word of congratulations to these great South Africans!. We believe very
strongly that their expertise will assist in fast tracking the realisation of
the GBIF mission and the advancement of agendas of developing countries in
general.

The Department of Science and Technology recognises and today fulfils the
principle role it plays in providing an enabling environment for research and
innovation and in building human capital which we require for a knowledge
economy.

In closing, I would like to say that if biodiversity informatics is what
brings the GBIF business alive, then GBIF should do everything possible to make
sure that mega-biodiverse countries are offered the necessary support to help
them break down the frontiers presented by the digital divide. This will help
position our countries on the rightful path to sustainable development in terms
of our use of biodiversity and will ultimately free humanity from the scourge
of poverty.

On this note, I declare the fourth GBIF Science Symposium opened.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
5 April 2006