External Stakeholder Support

One of the most distinctive features of the sustainable harvesting programme has been the ability of the Flower Valley Conservation Trust (FVCT) to gain donor support of various forms. Indeed, the FVCT itself can be viewed as something of a cause célèbre amongst the donor community. A range of factors have raised the profile of FVCT and its various causes. These include the obvious environmental beauty of the region together with its ecological rarity, the clear existence of opportunities for socio-economic upliftment among the local community, and the existence of a strong local pro-biodiversity activist base (the self-styled fynmense or ‘fynbos people’) who have lobbied relentlessly.

Local organisations such as the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI) and multi-lateral agencies such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have been key programme partners, especially in supporting the development of the ‘sustainable harvesting code of practice’ (SHCoP). Between 1999 and 2004, the project operated with a great deal of enthusiasm and enjoyed high levels of recognition among the international donor community. For example, it was nominated as one of the Shell Group’s ‘Legacy’ Projects to mark the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and a grant of US$100,000 was donated for investment in infrastructure on the farm. The programme was able to make significant steps forward during 2005 when the Shell Foundation and United Kingdom (UK)-based retailer Marks and Spencer joined forces to provide further inputs via the ‘Small Scale Suppliers Programme’. Through this Programme, the Shell Foundation is investing $1 million and its expertise into developing the producer end of Marks and Spencer supply chains for three flower and fruit growing schemes in Africa, including sustainable fynbos harvesting. This intervention has proven critical for Fynsa, as it enabled supply chain management problems to be ironed out.

The Flower Valley Conservation Trust website lists a range of partners / donors and outlines the various contributions that they have made.