Saving the land 3 August 2006

Biodiversity and Wine Initiative gets more members

More wineries are setting aside more of their land for conservation. Now 56 producers have joined in the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) – the movement which confronts viticultural monoculture and aims to build a partnership between the wine industry and the conservation sector, in order ‘to minimise the further loss of threatened natural habitat and contribute to sustainable wine production’

Now a total of nearly 30 000 hectares is declared as conserved – ‘some 29 percent of the current 100 000ha vineyard footprint in the Cape winelands’, says Sue Winter, extension officer of the BWI. She was speaking at a function held at Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch on 1 August to give certificates to the 34 newest members.

The highest level of members have ‘champion’ status, which means ‘demonstrating exceptional conservation land management’, including external audit, having a conservation management plan in place, and conserving at least 10 percent of the member farm’s natural area. A second champion (after Vergelegen) has been announced. Graham Beck Wines in Robertson, amongst other achievements, are conserving and restoring 1 885ha of natural vegetation including succulent Karoo and the endangered Breede Sand fynbos.

Biodiversity is a central platform of Wosa, the export marketing organisation, and CEO Su Birch spoke at the awards function of the Wosa biodiversity positioning being rolled out through the ‘Variety is in our nature’ campaign in key markets including the UK, Germany and USA. Initial market research, she said, shows broad consumer support of South Africa's ‘eco-friendly’ wines. 

• More details about the BWI are available on their website

New BWI members (showing the area of land conserved)

Champion: Graham Beck Wines,1885 ha

Co-op member: Perdeberg Winery,1,764 ha