As both South Africa and China are among the most biodiversity-rich countries in the world, they can share many things in this sector, from restoration experience to technological advances, a senior member of the Botanical Society of South Africa said on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity.
The two countries can share a lot of things, especially experiences with restoration, collection of material for biodiversity purposes as well as technological advances that have been made, and such knowledge transfer and learning from each other's lessons would be "an excellent place" to start biodiversity collaboration, the organization's Conservation Manager Rupert Koopman told Xinhua in an earlier interview in Cape Town.
The Botanical Society of South Africa was founded in 1913 to help develop and support the country's national botanical gardens. Its mission has since grown to supporting plant conservation across South Africa through its branches and by working with key partners.
As China is scheduled to host the second phase of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) later this year, after hosting the first phase last October, more collaboration between African countries is expected at the meeting, which brings their experiences together from across the continent, Koopman said.
According to official figures, while the southern African country occupies only 2 percent of the world's land surface area, it is home to 10 percent of the world's plant species and 7 percent of its reptile, bird and mammal species.
South Africa also has around 15 percent of the world's marine species, and is ranked among the top three countries globally in terms of plant and marine species endemism, the government said.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
