| Overview : The South African bioprospecting/biotrade sub-sector of the biodiversity economy has demonstrated the potential for significant development and growth, contributing to national imperatives such as job creation, rural development, and conservation of our natural resources. For the sector to achieve its full potential, a strategic partnership between the state, private sector, and communities is required. The country has thus developed national strategies and action plans to address these developmental challenges. The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy (NBES) focuses on optimizing the economic benefits from the utilisation of indigenous resources. The NBES seeks to encourage and facilitate the sharing and dissemination of information across all levels in the biodiversity economy to ensure balanced representations of all stakeholders. The NBES Implementation Plan identified and categorised gaps that hinder development of this sector; i.e. enterprise development, commercialization, and coordination gaps. One of the initiatives conceptualised during this process, is to establish a BioProducts Advancement Network South Africa (BioPANZA). By definition, BioPANZA is a coordinating network which blends partnerships to optimise development and enhance growth in the South African biotrade and bioprospecting sector. The BioPANZA aims to (i) coordinate and harness existing initiatives (ii) play a role in increasing the demand and local value addition of the country’s indigenous biological resources and (iii) promote applied research, innovation and product development, as well as to promote the use and awareness of plant species used in the sector. Phase 2 of the BioPANZA is the virtual stage, where an interactive BioPANZA website is envisaged. A BioPANZA website will serve as a centralised information hub, where interested parties and the public will have access to information such as approved studies/research, current news/information from the sector, supporting initiatives and potential collaborators, funding opportunities, market information. Services of an experienced and qualified service provider is required to use electronic information provided by the Department of Environmental Affairs to design and develop an interactive and user-friendly website for the Bio Products Advancement Network South Africa (BioPANZA). The services required by the consultant are to develop an online communication plan relevant to the BioPANZA, and to develop and design a logo and a website. |
