EAST OF THE CAPE Conserving Eden

The story of East of the Cape: Conserving Eden is one about nature and people in a region located on the south-eastern coast of Africa where nature’s diversity is manifest: rainforest, Karoo, fynbos, grassland and savannah are juxtaposed in complex and intriguing ways. This region is also home to thicket, a Lilliputian forest of great antiquity that harbours the ancient stock of many plant lineages found in southern Africa’s contemporary ecosystems. 'Eden' is also home to a diversity of human cultures, each of which left its mark. From some 150 000 years ago to the present day, the footprint of Eden’s inhabitants has become progressively heavier. For the past 150 years, since the onset of South Africa’s industrial age, a growing population and increasing demands on nature have ravaged 'Eden', especially its thicket. But just as people have been the cause of this degradation, so too can they provide the solution. In East of the Cape, authors Richard Cowling and Shirley Pierce present a blueprint for conservation that seeks to engender a culture of managing natural resources wisely and safeguarding nature and its services for a sustainable future.