‘Biodiverse economy can bring jobs’

South Africa’s rich biodiversity faces numerous threats, including habitat loss through human activities such as agriculture, urbanisation and resource extraction, leading to the extinction of plant and animal species.

In addressing these challenges, President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday emphasised the pivotal role of previously disadvantaged individuals and rural communities in harnessing the benefits of the biodiversity economy.

“We must put rural communities at the centre of every decision-making process, and ensure we are empowering and equipping them for the new opportunities in the biodiversity sector,” he told delegates at a biodiversity economy and investment indaba.

CEO of Eden Honeybush Tea Werner Thomas said leveraging the biodiversity economy to promote conservation, as well as species and ecosystems management, will also promote growth and transformation.

“We have taken up this opportunity to reintroduce honeybush tea to South Africa, so local communities can gain from this.

“We want be able to grow employment in those areas that need it the most,” he said.

Thomas said due to the limitation of land, the company has for the past year 20 people in the harvesting sector, and four more in the packaging section, “but now that we’re here, having these important conversations around land and investment, we can hope to increase employment”.

Ramaphosa has emphasised job creation as a cornerstone of efforts to transform South Africa’s biodiversity economy, amid increasing global emphasis on sustainability.

He also shed light on the groundbreaking benefits sharing agreement between the South African Rooibos Industry and indigenous communities, demonstrating a commitment to ensuring that communities directly benefit from the commercialisation of natural resources.

However, Thomas said as big as rooibos was at the moment, “that is what we should be seeing with honeybush tea, especially in our community, because that is what we can train people to harvest and sell”.

Ramaphosa also stressed the vital role of the biodiversity economy in generating sustainable livelihoods – both in rural and urban areas.

“Four years ago, the first industry-wide benefits sharing agreement was launched between the South African Rooibos Industry and the Khoi and San Councils,” he said.

“This agreement has to date distributed a total amount of R28 million to the two councils in recognition of the communities’ indigenous knowledge of the Rooibos species.”