Congress information
Dates and venue
The conference dates are 21 to 28 July 2029.
The venue is the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
Theme
The theme of the conference is ‘A celebration of diversity’. Plants form the basis of most ecosystems, and are critical for maintaining diversity of other life on earth. It is therefore extremely fitting to celebrate botanical diversity in one of the most diverse and unique botanical assemblages on earth, i.e. the Greater Cape Floristic Region. This celebration of diversity also transcends the plant world to the international botanical community, and celebrates the diversity of people that practice botany. South Africa is culturally rich and boasts 11 official languages. The city of Cape Town provides a snapshot of this diversity, which delegates will experience firsthand.
Congress host and support
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is the host institution for the Congress. The UWC is a research-led, African university with a strong local and global presence in various fields.
The congress is supported by an extensive number of sources, including the Premier of the Western Cape, the Mayor of the City of Cape Town, the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau, the South African Association of Botanists, the Phycological Society of South Africa, the Dendrological Society of South Africa, the Southern African Society for Systematic Biology and the Grassland Society of Southern Africa.
Committee
Congress President
Prof. Stephen Boatwright (University of the Western Cape)
Vice-President
Prof. Annah Moteetee (University of Johannesburg)
Secretaries General
Dr Shakira Shaik (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Dr Madeleen Struwig (North-West University)
Scientific Committee Chairs
Prof. Muthama Muasya (University of Cape Town)
Prof. Anusha Rajkaran (University of the Western Cape)
Steering Committee Chair
Prof. Adeyemi Aremu (North-West University)
Scientific Committee
Prof. Sjirk Geerts (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)
Prof. Stefan Siebert (North-West University)
Mr Luvo Magoswana (Sol Plaatje University)
Dr Anthony Magee (South African National Biodiversity Institute)
Ms Aarifah Jakoet (South African National Biodiversity Institute)
Dr Nicola Bergh (South African National Biodiversity Institute)
Mr Leslie Powrie (South African National Biodiversity Institute)
Prof. Nokwanda Makunga (Stellenbosch University)
Dr Syd Ramdhani (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Prof. Samson Chimphango (University of Cape Town)
Dr Ashton Ruiters (University of Johannesburg)
Prof. Christopher Cupido (University of Fort Hare)
Dr Ashwell Ndladla (University of Limpopo)
Dr Kenneth Oberlander (University of Pretoria)
Prof. Nigel Barker (University of Pretoria)
Dr Vincent Clarke (University of the Free State)
Dr Lize Joubert (University of the Free State)
Prof. Sandy Steenhuizen (University of the Free State)
Prof. Gavin Maneveldt (University of the Western Cape)
Prof. Glynis Goodman (University of the Witwatersrand)
Dr Kelsey Glennon (University of the Witwatersrand)
Prof. Peter Tshisikhawe (University of Venda)
Prof. Nontuthuko Ntuli (University of Zululand)
An International Advisory Group will be established to assist the Scientific Committee in preparing and developing the scientific program.
Scientific programme
Provision will be made for the scientific program to accommodate all aspects of botanical science, especially around the following core areas:
- Physiology, structure, development and cellular biology
- Ecology and the environment, including plant-animal interactions
- Taxonomy, phylogenetics and evolution
- Genomics, genetics and bioinformatics
- Biodiversity informatics and databases
- Plants and society, including ethnobotany
- Conservation, restoration biology and resources
- Global change and invasion biology
- Phytochemistry and pharmacology
- Economic botany, including agriculture, biotechnology and plant breeding
The scientific program will incorporate general as well as invited symposia on all topics, especially those that aim to cover novel or high impact topics. A call for symposia will be sent out well in advance of the congress.
The Nomenclature Section meeting will be hosted by the University of the Western Cape before the main conference.
