Turning strategy into action: implementing a conservation action plan in the Cape Floristic Region

Abstract

This paper describes the history of conservation in the Cape Floristic Region, and the development of a conservation action plan for the region, arising from the Cape Action Plan for the Environment (CAPE). The plan turns the long-term strategy, which identified priorities for conservation action, into a practical 5-year action plan. The tension between protection and the use of natural resources is addressed within the context of institutional frameworks. CAPE has succeeded in bringing together previously fragmented institutions, and has ensured that they work together more effectively. It has also strategically realigned existing resources earmarked for conservation. The factors that contributed to this success include a long history of research-based management; the existence of a body of understanding and knowledge that made it possible to rapidly assess conservation priorities; a small but viable number of scientists to carry out the planning phase of the project and institutions willing to take it forward.