The summary of our TNC funded international workshop on biodiversity in vineyard landscapes has been published in the attached document.

The upcoming Vinecology workshop is a follow-up to the 1st International Workshop on Biodiversity and Vines, held in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2007. That event came out of a collective recognition that vineyard conversion is a major threat to global Mediterranean ecosystems, but that within the winegrowing economic sector there is willingness and opportunity to effect positive change. Over the past 10 years a group of researchers and conservation practitioners have been investigating ecosystem services, sustainable vineyard practices and biodiversity conservation in these systems. At the same time, sustainable vineyard development and management approaches are becoming increasingly prevalent. The benchmarks of sustainability, however, remain somewhat unclear and are generally lacking in scientific basis. As a result, there is a need for the synthesis of scientific and economic data, climate change model results and best management practices in order to guide future vineyard development.

Organized by the C.A.P.E. Estuaries Programme of CapeNature, Biodiversity and Wine Initiative SA, and Vinecology University of California Davis, the 1st International Workshop on Biodiversity & Vines was held 25-27 June 2007. Nearly 60 participants gathered over three days to discuss research and education as it related to biodiversity conservation in vineyard settings.

This report is the executive summary of this workshop and a first publication for the Vinecology Research Group.

Viers, JH, TR Kelsey, P de Villiers, I Kotzé, G Haysom, R Gaigher, SD Wratten, MD Reynolds, & FC Bayly. 2008. From Wine to Whales: an Executive Summary Report of the 1st International Biodiversity and Vines Workshop, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Published by Vinecology Research Group, University of California, Davis, Davis CA USA 20 ppd.