Biodiversity conservation through awareness
With the new year in full swing, it is time for the first Western Cape Field Guides Association of South Africa (WC FGASA) meeting, facilitated by Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve. This is an event wherein people from all disciplines of conservation and tourism have the opportunity to get together to listen to talks, network, and have discussions.
At this meeting, Dr Tony Rebelo will speak about the app iNaturalist and Dr Don Pinnock will speak about his latest book The Last Elephants.
The event will be in February and take place in Cape Town.
If you are interested in attending the event, please email: cwbioreserve@gmail.com for details and rsvp
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Dr Tony Rebelo is a scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). He obtained his PhD in Zoology at UCT in 1992 on the topic of the Preservation of the Cape Flora. He has co-authored books on Pollination Ecology, Proteas and Vegetation types of South Africa, as well as numerous scientific publications on these topics. His special interests are conservation planning, protea ecology and encouraging amateurs to get involved in scientific research. To this end he has championed the design of user-friendly field guides, the use of common names for plants, the Protea Atlas Project and iNaturalist. He recently won the Regional Award for work towards the restoration of the unique Cape Flats Sand Fynbos habitat at Tokai Park and its critically endangered plant species at the 8th World Conference on Ecological Restoration which was held in Cape Town in September 2019.
About the app: One of the world’s most popular nature apps and website, iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you. Get connected with a community of over 750,000 scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What’s more, by recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. iNaturalist is a joint initiative by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society and in southern Africa by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Dr Don Pinnock is an investigative journalist and photographer who, some time back, realised he knew little about the natural world. So he set out to discover it. This took him to five continents – including Antarctica – and resulted in five books on natural history and hundreds of articles. The Last Elephants, published last year with Colin Bell, is his 18th book and has a Foreword by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. He and his wife, the novelist Patricia Schonstein, live in Cape Town.
About the book: The Last Elephants, compiled with Colin Bell on the state of elephants in Africa, has been called the 'elephant bible'. This book tells the stories of the continent's elephants and the dangers they face through the eyes of over 40 experts, researchers, writers, conservationists, poets and park rangers throughout Africa. They cover most of the prime elephant ranges from Timbuktu to South Africa; from Nigeria to Tanzania and are supported by images from some of the continent’s finest photographers.
In partnership with
PROGRAMME
8h30 Tea & Coffee
9h00 Welcome and introduction
9h15 Dr Tony Rebelo
10h15 Tea & Coffee break
10h45 Dr Don Pinnock
11h45 Latest FGASA News
12h00 Lunch and networking
13h30 End of meeting