Ronell R Klopper – The Conversation

Plant specimen. South African National Biodiversity Institute

August 26, 2026

Africa’s herbarium collections are a scientific treasure. They need to be digitised before more biodiversity is lost

Ronell R Klopper, University of Pretoria; Hester Steyn, South African National Biodiversity Institute, and Marianne Le Roux, South African National Biodiversity Institute

Herbarium cabinets lock away valuable plant data that needs to be mobilised through digitisation.

Proteas growing outside Cape Town, South Africa. Johann Lourens/Getty Images

February 11, 2026

Dian Spear, Stellenbosch University; Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp, Stellenbosch University; Patricia Holmes, Stellenbosch University; Ronell R Klopper, University of Pretoria, and Tony Rebelo, South African National Biodiversity Institute

The latest checklist of Table Mountain flora shows that Cape Town is still a global hotspot for threatened flowering plants.