Wild species used in significantly modified habitat (e.g., oil palm plantations, rice paddies)
Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site (e.g., cultivated wild specimens, eggs/juveniles from the wild)
Stage of the value chain covered by the record
Entire value chain
Record Source
Scientific publication (e.g., journal articles and book chapters independently peer-reviewed)
Intensification and Sustainability in South African Rooibos: exploring the conditions for marketled sustainable development in a biodiversity hot-spot
Unknown/not recorded
Is the species endemic HIDE
Yes
Population Status
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
National Level
Unknown/not recorded
Population Trend
Unknown/not recorded
Sub-national Level
Unknown/not recorded
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Aspalathus linearis
Common Name(s)
Rooibos
Type of Use
Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)
If extractive, for the target species, is this use
Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of
Only parts or products of the organism (e.g., feathers, leaves, branches, eggs, nuts)
Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?
Unknown/not recorded
Purpose of Use
Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Additional Details (if available)
Rooibos is sometimes harvested from the wild, but up to 99% of all Rooibos is cultivated. 95% of all Rooibos is produced on large farms or plantations. Rooibos production for tea and pharmaceuticals is one of several agricultural enterprises in the Fynbos biome.
What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National / local private sector
International private sector
If more than one box ticked, please provide more details
In the Rooibos sector, various value chain configurations exist, ranging from direct sale from producers to shops or consumers locally and overseas, to chains containing many elements before the product reaches the consumer;
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Yes, negative (e.g., it destroys/ degrades it due to over-use)
Additional Details (if available)
Such farms, in the Fynbos biome have a large impact on the ecosystem, especially because large areas have been cleared in the past for their establishment. For instance, ‘an average of 2.7 hectares of virgin land has been cleared for farming every day in the past 15 years’, in the Northern Sandveld
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
No
Contribution to GDP
Unknown/not recorded
If financial benefits accrue disproportionately toward some actors, please explain why
most Rooibos is exported in bulk leaving most valueadding to overseas buyers.
Currently there is oversupply of Rooibos and decreased prices but most stakeholders expect steadily growing demand. In reaction to changing market condition, enterprises address issues of economical sustainability by attempting to increase valueadded in addition to bulk trading. The most frequently explored value adding is packaging. Importers and international packers have quality concerns and also make profits on the packaging. Social sustainability is often not an issue to be specifically tackled according to the producers, processors and exporters, as social criteria are already met in their operations, either through the minimum wage, or through social development and skills development programs for their workers.
Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?
Unknown/not recorded
Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Support from NGOs
Present
Support from Government
Present
Biological characteristics of target species
Absent
Effective private sector approach engagement through certification
Please provide details below of how these factors have contributed to the success OR lack of success of the SU initiative
Between 5 and 10% of all Rooibos is sold as certified organic Rooibos; Fairtrade Rooibos originates from 2 cooperatives and 3 larger scale farms (FLO 2008). Volumes of Fairtrade Rooibos are still small but growing; A few Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are actively working together with smallholder Rooibos producers to support the sustainable development of their enterprises;
The Western Cape provincial nature conservation institution, CapeNature, launched the RBI (Rooibos Biodiversity Initiative) in 2007 to increase sustainable land management practises in the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor (GCBC), by working with Rooibos producers and developing guidelines for sustainable land management.
Source Reference(s)
Waarts and Kuit (2009) Intensification and Sustainability in South African Rooibos: exploring the conditions for marketled sustainable development in a biodiversity hot spot. Available from: https://edepot.wur.nl/15298
Is there any gender/age specificity in the various roles
Unknown/not recorded
How many of these local jobs accure to the following categories?
Other genders or demographics
Some 450 producers grow Rooibos, the majority of these are large scale plantations, the remainder is composed of smallscale producers work in cooperatives; Of the 450 producers the majority are larger scale whiteowned farms, a small minority consists of smallholder cooperatives of mostly coloured farmers;
How many people outside the local area are employed
Is there any evidence of other economic benefits associated with this use beyond direct income and jobs