biological sciences 5
B I O L O G I C A L S C I E N C E S
datasets, will together contribute strongly 1900s, South African research in this as
and very positively to effective handling of yet unrecognised discipline, dealt mainly
high- volume sequence data. with agricultural applications such as soil
conservation, range degradation and inva-
5.4.6 Biocatalysis and industri-
sive alien plant control (see section 5.2.6).
al enzymology
Considerable attention was given also to
the description and mapping of botani-
cally characterised communities, later to
S
outh Africa’s contribution to this huge
become entities for assessing conserva-
international field of research and
tion goals. Concern about the extirpation
commerce is surprisingly small in spite
of game, already raised in the mid-1800s,
of the enormous local biodiversity and wide-
led to the proclamation of several game
spread commercial use of enzymes in local
reserves in the northern and eastern parts
industry. In a global industrial enzyme mar-
of the country and, concomitantly, there
ket worth in excess of US$2 billion, South
was a marked growth in research for the
Africa’s research activities are restricted to
scientific management of wildlife popula-
the extensive research and development at
tions, mainly large or rare mammals. How-
CSIR Biosciences and to a limited number of
ever, the main focus of research was on
university laboratories. Industrial enzymol-
managing ecosystems for the services they
ogy is generally underpinned by gene dis-
provide for humans, namely livestock pro-
covery, a field most active in the UWC and
duction, game products and water yields.
UFS metagenomics platforms. Leading uni-
Management for ecosystem service deliv-
versity enzyme application laboratories are
ery is now a highly fashionable branch of
restricted to CPUT, UFS and UCT, although
conservation biology in which South Africa
there are valuable contributions from oth-
er laboratories at RU, SU and the Durban
is a leading participant.
University of Technology (DUT). Commer-
cially, several South African firms, such as at
The vulnerability of the world-acclaimed
Faizyme Laboratories and BBI Enzymes SA
Cape flora to inappropriate fire regimes
(previously Seravac) in the Cape, produce
and invasive alien plants was highlighted
small quantities of enzymes for niche or lo-
in a landmark publication by Wicht in 1945,
cal markets.
which was the first comprehensive conser-
vation assessment of a South African biome.
Ken Tinley was a pioneer of the landscape-
5.5 Conservation biology
ecological approach to conservation, both
in South Africa and globally, by highlight-
South Africa has a long history, starting in ing the linkages between watershed condi-
the early-20
th
century, of scientific research tion and the conservation status of coastal
and application in what today is known as ecosystems and species. Under Brian Hunt-
conservation biology. Conservation bio- ley’s leadership, the 1977-1987 decade wit-
logy emerged as a self-standing discipline nessed a surge of co-operative ecological
only in the late 1970s. In the early- to mid- research, much of it with a conservation an-
159
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