Development and future of insect conservation in South Africa

Abstract

When considering the history of insect conservation activities in South Africa, it is important to consider its biodiversity value in a global context. The country has been rated as the third most biologically diverse in the world after Indonesia and Brazil. It also has within its borders three or the world's 34 biodiversity hotspots (Mittermeier et al. 2004). In discussions of South Africa's biodiversity, it is mostly the country's flora that is recognized as being of enormous conservation value, followed by the variety of large mammals and rich bird fauna that form the basis of a large ecotourism industry. The contribution of the insect fauna to the country's biodiversity, in terms of both richness and functioning, is less well known among the public, decision makers and even some conservation scientists. Insect conservation can be considered a relatively new and possibly also a neglected discipline in South Africa, but there has certainly been some progress through various activities, at both landscape and species levels. The future of insect conservation in South Africa faces both challenges and opportunities, most of which are shared with other parts of the world with high and irreplaceable biodiversity.