2012/13 Catalogue - Metz Press

New title
9
Vanishing flora
A photographic tribute to South Africa’s endangered wild flowers
Anneke Kearney
South Africa has lost 116 indigenous flower species to three extinction categories:
‘Extinct’, ‘Extinct in the Wild’ and ‘Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct’.
Mindful of the fact that extinctions are mainly due to people, Cape-based photographer
Anneke Kearney compiled this photographic record of endangered plants to make people
aware of the dire future of our beautiful plants, so that nobody can say, ‘I didn’t know’.
Cape Town has more threatened species than any other area in the country. The most
important other hotspots are Coega, Albany, Pondoland, KwaZulu-Natal midlands and
Drakensberg, Magaliesberg, Sekhukhuneland-Drakensberg and Barberton.
978 1 920479 55 8
Renowned botanist and conservation campaigner, Dr Tony Rebelo, says in the Foreword
that a call to action is not just for us. “It is for our children. It is not just for esoteric
and idealist reasons. Thousands of visitors come … every year just for the biodiversity.
Hundreds of thousands more have it as one of the reasons for their visit. Our health, our
relaxation, our existence is enhanced by living in a biodiversity showcase. The Littlest
Kingdom on earth must retain its splendour … there is space for everyone, including the
biodiversity that occurs nowhere else on earth.”
This book, with its spectacular photographs of rare and little seen plants, is sure to make
a huge contribution to raising awareness of and spreading critical information on our
indigenous flora.
Anneke Kearney’s passion for indigenous plants developed gradually through spending
many hours photographing them in Kirstenbosch and while hiking in the wild. In addition
to spending as much time as possible in the great outdoors, studying and photographing
wild flowers, she uses her own garden to experiment extensively with indigenous plants.
Anneke is one of the few remaining old-school photographers who takes her time to get
the perfect shot, and insists on shooting transparencies. Her work has graced the pages
of most local magazines and the Botanical Society used a selection of her photographs
for their official calendar for 2002. The calendar was then continued annually as Flowers
of South Africa, sold countrywide and much sought after by locals and tourists alike.
Anneke’s previous book, Indigenous Beginnings has sold thousands of copies locally and
continues to be a popular choice for both gardeners and nature enthusiasts.
250x250mm • 176pp illustrated • Hardcover • October 2012 • rights: world