Janine Victor

The Red Data List status of threatened plants of Gauteng, South Africa is presented. This includes evaluations using categories and criteria adopted by the IUCN in 1994 and updated in 2000 for assessing the risk of extinction. A total of 23 taxa were found to be threatened, nine are Data Deficient and 33 former Red Data taxa are not threatened with extinction. The major threat to the continuing persistence of threatened plants in Gauteng is urban development. Recommendations for the conservation of these species are made, and suggestions are given for research needs on certain taxa for which inadequate information is available.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Water in South Africa is a critically important natural resource. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry list it as one of the most limiting resources in South Africa. South Africa is a semi-arid to arid region, receiving only an average of 500 mm of rain per annum, which is only 60% of the world average. Sixty five percent of the country receives less than 500 mm per annum, with 21% receiving less than 200 mm per annum. These conditions are further associated with highly variable climatic processes such as long periods of drought and floods, resulting in impacts on water resources that are difficult to manage. Jay O’Keeffe mentioned that the country’s rivers are often short and high seasonal flow regimes occur during the rainy season. The ecological value of wetlands is demonstrated by their physical and geological presence, shape and vegetation it supports. Wetlands control stream flow, attenuate the force of floods, store water, slowly releasing it over ti...

ABSTRACT At the 10th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), which was held in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, an updated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was adopted as part of the plan of work of the CBD. Target 1 of the GSPC aims to produce an online Flora for all the plants of the world by 2020. Governments that have ratified the CBD will have to report over the next several years on progress towards achieving this challenging target. Floras are still widely regarded as a means of providing descriptive information and identification tools for the plants that occur in a specified region. Historically, Floras have included identification keys; scientific names with authorship for all taxa known to occur in the area; synonymy; descriptions; distributions within the region in question; specimen citations; habitat; literature references; and illustrations. Of these, nomenclature, descriptions, identification tools, illustrations and distributions are critical components. The approach being taken by South Africa, a biodiversity-rich country, in working towards achieving Target 1 of the GSPC by 2020 is presented and discussed, outlining a methodology that may be of practical use to other countries. We hope this will urge other countries to consider how they might meet this challenging conservation target.