With a tiny team and shoestring budgets, Manuel was tasked with safeguarding a treasure trove of invaluable digital data . The Compton Herbarium at Kirstenbosch, for example, contains over a million specimens spanning 11,000 Southern African plant species. At first glance the herbarium’s nondescript rows of locked cabinets are underwhelming. But within each manila folder is a painstakingly dried, pressed and labelled sample of an individual plant specimen. All the information captured from the specimen allows scientists to study geographically diverse specimens under one climate-controlled roof. With permission, they can even extract some DNA or remove a seed. “It’s like a living library,” says Manuel, “And it’s never been more relevant.”

The Compton Herbarium is just one piece of the puzzle. In total, SANBI collates and manages plant, animal, geospatial and ecosystems data from more than 20 different institutions provided by hundreds of individual contributors. It goes all the way down to exactly where and when each plant in Kirstenbosch may have been planted! “We aggregate a massive amount of data on behalf of the public sector,” says Manuel explaining that they endeavour to make this data accessible to the public wherever possible. Only very sensitive information, such as the location of rhinos or endangered succulents, is not shared with the public – but the processes behind these decisions are always transparent.

Over the years, SANBI has developed several tools to make managing biodiversity easier. One such tool allows customs officials to easily identify commonly smuggled species like succulents, lizards and scorpions. But because each tool was created on a project basis and on a shoestring budget, Manuel is the first to admit that there was “no coherence to the system.”