Our Partners
Key to the success of the Flower Valley Conservation Trust is the involvement of our partners and funding partners: the Cape Action for People and the Environment (C.A.P.E.), the Table Mountain Fund, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Fauna and Flora International (FFI), the Shell Foundation, Fynsa (Pty) Ltd and the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI).
Other funders include The Wildlife Land Trust of the Humane Society of the USA, EarthVoice, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Amicus and The Learning Fund.
Click below to read more about each partner's contribution to biodiversity conservation and to link to their websites.
Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative
The Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI) is one of several landscape initiatives in the Cape Floristic Region. It integrates and coordinates efforts to minimise the further loss of threatened natural habitat on the Agulhas Plain, and supports C.A.P.E.
ABI is implemented by a number of partners who have agreed to work together and pool their resources to conserve the biodiversity and ecosystems on the Agulhas Plain. Through their efforts they want to make sure that benefits flow to the local economy through activities such as responsible nature-based tourism and the sustainable harvesting of the natural veld.
Some landowners have conserved their land and veld for many years, but at the start of ABI only 14 per cent of the Agulhas Plain was conserved under legally binding arrangements. Through stewardship agreements with landowners and the expansion of the Agulhas National Park, this figure now stand at 37 per cent (102 000 hectares). At least 40 per cent of the area is privately owned, which reinforces the important role that landowners and the agricultural sector play in conservation.
ABI is managed by a Project Coordinator, who reports to a committee with representatives of all the partners. Plans are being made to continue with the Initiative, as its first phase will end in March 2010.
Ackerman PnP Foundation
In 1997, at the 30th anniversary of the founding of Pick n Pay, the Board of Directors of Pick n Pay Stores Limited set aside a substantial sum of money to create a fund for philanthropic purposes. The Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation was established as a corporate foundation to make a measurable contribution to sustainable development skills by:
· enhancing and developing skills,
· supporting projects which encourage entrepreneurship, self-reliance and provide employment opportunities.
The Flower Valley Conservation Trust’s activities are aligned with the Foundation’s mission and the Trust has benefited from the Foundation’s generosity through a grant from the Foundation in support of the research and social development programmes of the Trust and CapeNature. As part of the grant agreement Pick n Pay also has an agreement with the Trust’s commercial partner, Fynsa, to sell its sustainably harvested fynbos bouquets in Pick n Pay stores.
AusAID
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is responsible for managing Australia's overseas aid programme, in line with Australia's national interest. The objective of the aid programme is to assist developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development.
Thanks to AusAID, the Flower Valley Early Learning Centre was moved from a small dark corner into a light, newly built classroom.
C.A.P.E.
Cape Action for People and the Environment (C.A.P.E.) is a partnership of government and civil society aimed at conserving and restoring the biodiversity of the Cape Floristic Region and the adjacent marine environment, while delivering significant benefits to the people of the region.
In addition to coordinating and providing strategic direction to conservation functions, the C.A.P.E. programme has also enabled donor funding to be channelled into new areas of work and exciting new approaches to conservation.
The C.A.P.E. partnership programme is coordinated through the C.A.P.E. Coordination Unit which is hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and its fynbos biome programme. The C.A.P.E. Co-ordination Unit is located at the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.
EarthVoice™
EarthVoice™ is a not-for-profit centre for restoring human relationship to the environment through education. It has provided the Flower Valley Conservation Trust with invaluable technical assistance in programme development.
Fauna & Flora International
Founded in 1903, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) was the world’s first international conservation organisation and the pioneering work of its founders in Africa led to the creation of numerous protected areas. Expanding beyond its African origins, FFI succeeded in giving conservation a voice on the international stage, drawing worldwide attention to the plight of rare and endangered species.
The organisation is renowned for its innovative, landmark programmes, many of which have come to be regarded as classic examples of conservation practice. A distinctive feature of FFI is its focus on working with local communities to help them develop the capacity to conserve their own biodiversity whilst also improving their wellbeing long into the future.
Arcadia Fund
FFI established the Arcadia Fund in 1998 to purchase non-protected areas of high biodiversity value that are under immediate threat. In 1999, a major donation from the Arcadia Fund, with support from The Conservation Foundation, The Countryside Restoration Trust and a concerned individual, enabled FFI to help purchase Flower Valley. Through FFI's partnerships, Flower Valley has received invaluable funding and technical support.
Business partnerships
The FFI Global Business Partnership aims to work with leading multinationals in the commercial and industrial sector that have a significant impact on biodiversity. Flower Valley has benefited greatly through the FFI/British American Tobacco Biodiversity Partnership, which is founded on a mutual interest in exploring and developing the role of business in conservation and management of biodiversity.
Friends of the Fynbos
Generous donations have been received from members of FFI and from Friends of the Fynbos. These personal 'votes of confidence' help to inspire and encourage us in our everyday work, reminding us that what we are doing in our own small valley on the southern tip of Africa, is important to people all over the world.
Fynsa (Pty) Ltd
Fynsa (Pty) Ltd, a private company, was set up in 2003 with capital from private investors to source local certified product and market sustainably harvested wild flowers to overseas and domestic markets. At the outset, Fynsa entered into a partnership agreement with the Flower Valley Conservation Trust in support of its efforts to sell product directly to retailers to maximise price returns at the farm level. As a direct result of the increased business through Fynsa, employment figures amongst certified flower picking operators and Fynsa's packsheds have doubled in the last three years.
Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a global partnership among 178 countries, international institutions, non-governmental organisations and the private sector to address global environmental issues, while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. Today the GEF is the largest funder of projects to improve the global environment. It provides grants for projects related to the following six focal areas: biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants.
National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund
The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) is the agency that distributes Lottery funds to registered non-profit organisations in South Africa. It is managed by the National Lotteries Board in accordance with the Lotteries Act.
Thanks to a grant from the NLDTF, Flower Valley has been able to support new independent harvesting teams who wish to participate in the sustainable fynbos harvesting programme, to buy equipment and to develop infrastructure.
By helping new entrants, Flower Valley and the NLDTF are promoting small businesses and black economic empowerment amongst disadvantaged communities.
Open Gate
www.opengatetrust.org.uk/contact.html
Established in July 2000, Open Gate is registered as a grant-making trust in the United Kingdom. The trust supports small-scale environmental, technological and educational projects in Derbyshire and the surrounding conurbations as well as in developing countries.
Open Gate, with the assistance of Fauna & Flora International (FFI), is supporting the Flower Valley Early Learning programme.
Shell Foundation
Shell Foundation was established by the Shell Group in 2000 as an independent, UK registered charity operating with a global mandate. Its mission is to develop and promote enterprise-based solutions to the challenges arising form the impact of energy and globalisation on poverty and the environment. The Foundation acts like an investor, identifying financially sustainable solutions to these challenges that can be taken to scale and easily replicated to achieve global impact.
Recognising the importance of a strong trading operation to support the conservation and community initiatives of Flower Valley, Shell Foundation donated the funds to vastly improve working and living conditions for the community, to support niche market development and upgrade operational equipment. Most importantly, these improvements have allowed Flower Valley to become a strong player in the marketplace for sustainably produced goods.
Table Mountain Fund
The Table Mountain Fund (TMF) is a capital trust fund designed to provide a sustainable source of funding to support biodiversity conservation within the Cape Floristic Region (CFR). The main objective of TMF is the conservation of biodiversity of the Cape Peninsula and the CFR as a whole, including the adjacent marine systems. Established in 1998 by WWF South Africa, TMF is governed by a board of trustees.
The Wildlife Land Trust
The Wildlife Land Trust of the Humane Society of the USA protects wildlife by preserving natural habitats and permanent sanctuaries. The Trust supported the participatory development of a conservation management plan for Flower Valley.
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nation's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is active in more than 160 countries, working with each on its own solutions to global and national development challenges. As these countries develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and its wide range of partners.