GreenMatter is a small
team of passionate
individuals working
for a more sustainable
South Africa.

Vision

Together, we work for a South Africa who’s citizens sustainably manage and protect the environment, promoting wellbeing, resilience and biodiversity for generations to come.

Mission

Our mission is to unlock South Africa's environmental, social, and economic vitality by developing skilled environmental leaders with the knowledge, skills and tools to drive sustainable transitions for people and nature.

Purpose

At GreenMatter, we believe in the immense potential of people and communities to drive positive change towards sustainability. Through innovative programs that promote mentorship and collaboration, we nurture a diverse community of changemakers committed to sustainable development and the conservation of biodiversity.

Our history is rooted in the need to address skills gaps in South Africa’s Biodiversity Sector.

The need to strengthen South Africa's biodiversity sector was identified in the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2005) and the National Biodiversity Framework (2007). In response, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) partnered with the Lewis Foundation in 2008 to focus on capacity development. Together, they put together a sector skills analysis which included extensive stakeholder consultation, leading to the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy (BHCDS), a 20-year plan (2010-2030) aimed at transforming the biodiversity sector through skills development and broad-based transformation.

The BHCDS

The BHCDS was developed at the same time as the then Department of Environmental Affairs, the Environmental Sector Skills Plan (ESSP), as well as the Department of Science and Technologies Global Grand Challenge HCD Strategy, and is therefore nationally aligned. The strategy offers a way for organizations across the sector to collaboratively address skills related issues that impact them both individually and collectively. It seeks to enhance existing efforts by fostering greater coordination and synergy while also addressing gaps in the national skills planning system through sector wide initiatives.

It does this through addressing four strategic goals:

1) To increase the number of talented black South Africans attracted to working in the biodiversity sector.

2) To improve the quality, levels and relevance of skills for the sector.

3) To improve the retention and effective deployment of suitable individuals in the sector.

4) To create enabling macro-conditions for skills planning, development and evaluation.

In 2012 GreenMatter was founded to bring together partners to implement the BHCDS.

The GreenMatter Partnership was established as the brand and implementation platform for the BHCDS, with its initiatives executed through collaborations between sector agencies and organisations. By 2017, GreenMatter registered as a non-profit organisation itself, continuing to lead active initiatives such as the GreenMatter Fellowship, Fundisa for Change, and Imvelisi Enviropreneurs.

In 2021, both the BHCDS and GreenMatter underwent an independent review process resulting in the adoption of the strategy by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) and an evolution in GreenMatter’s strategic objectives.

New look, renewed focus, same heart.

Today, while GreenMatter still continues as a key support and implementation partner for the BHCDS, we have expanded our focus to work more broadly in green skills intelligence and building capacity for a sustainable future, a goal that requires work across all sectors in South Africa. We celebrate the evolution of our objectives with a new brand, while continuing to honour our roots with appreciation to our founding partners, SANBI and the Lewis Foundation.