Background:
For the past 25 years I have been involved in various horticultural and nature conservation projects.

I was privelaged enough to start my career in horticulture at the Botanical Research Institute at the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens (today, the South African National Biodiversity Institute - SANBI). As Garden Utilization Officer for the Department of Economic Botany I was involved in some interesting projects:

- heading a Cucurbitaceae pure seed propagation
project for the South African National Seed Bank
- research assistant on a genetic analysis on
Eragrostis curvula
- planning and designing Karoo and Grassveld biomes
- research on and documentation of African
indidgenous food plants for cullinary use
- design of flower exhibits for the PNBG

Other interesting projects I have also been involved over the years, include:

- designing a botanical garden at Melkhoutfontein
(Southern Cape, South Africa) as part of a tourism
marketing strategy for a rural community
upliftment project
- During the years that I was chairperson of Pauline
Bohnen Nature Reserve (Southern Cape, South
Africa) alien vegetation control was one of my
focus areas.
- As chairperson of the Goukou River Protection
Society (Southern Cape, South Africa) I initiated
the compilation of an ecological structure plan for
the estuary in the years before EIA's were
enforced by law and was the first of its
kind in the 1980's in South Africa.
- Serving on the Stilbaai Nature Area Advisory
Board, my key interest was the protection of the
fragile Goukou river estuary which stretches 20 km
inland.
- One of the recent projects I really enjoyed, was
the planning and development of a small residential
estate in an ecologically sensitive area in Stilbaai,
South Africa.

Seeing Geoff Lawton's "Greening the Desert" was a tipping point in my career. In the 80's I studied Bill Mollison's manuals and have strived to incorporate some of his ideas in main-stream horticultural practices, but have since come to the realization that doing the Permaculture Design Certificate is essential to be able to fully apply permaculture in my designs.

I truly believe that permaculture in a God-concious society is the only way forward.

If all developments are based on permaculture ethics and design principles development can be sustainable.