"It was a long but wonderful day", said Tandios Mashile, Chairperson of the Moletele Community Property Association after a 24h bio-inventory of biological diversity and ecological quality. The Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (K2C) was chosen as the 2008 location for the Bday, because of its exceptional variety of landscapes and ecosystems. The K2C extends over the Grassland, Forest and Savanna Biomes and includes a diversity of land uses ranging from wildlife and conservation based activities through commercial agriculture and forestry, subsistence agriculture and mining. The basic idea was to increase the awareness of the importance of the Biosphere Concept as an engine for sustainable regional development for the different stakeholders.
18 sites were surveyed by 282 participants form all walks of life with each team led by specialist teams, and joined by broad national and international media coverage. After the completion of the 24h bio-monitoring activities, all teams met for a feed back gathering, in the form of a drumming session, at the venue of the Sustainable Living Festival. The 2008 Biodiversity Days participants drummed up a common understanding of the K2C's biodiversity and the eco system services it is providing.
The Event ended with a Gala Dinner where the preliminary results were presented. Formal speeches reinforced the Key Message of the Event: the biosphere concept as an engine for sustainable regional development for all stakeholders. The need to integrate biodiversity concerns with economic and development programmes and policies while engaging in key sectors such as agriculture and food, energy, trade (policies) and poverty alleviation, was highlighted by the Deputy Minister, Ms. Rejoice Mabudafhasi.
