The history and future of the South African Association of Botanists and the South African Journal of Botany

Abstract

In 1913, two Botanical Institutions developed from two foci in South Africa: the privately funded National Botanical Gardens (NBG) developed in Kirstenbosch and the government funded Botanical Research Institute (BRI — then the Division of Botany) in Pretoria. Both organisations started journals: the Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa in 1919, Flowering Plants of South Africa in 1920 and Bothalia in 1921 by BRI and the Journal of South African Botany (JSAB) by NBG in 1935. In 1968, the botanical community of South Africa formed the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) to collectively address the professional needs of botanists. In response to a government initiative, the South African Journal of Botany (SAJB) was launched in 1982 with the support of SAAB. From 1985, the JSAB and SAJB were united under the name of the latter, but continuing the numbering of the former (i.e. from Volume 51). In 2005, SAAB agreed with Elsevier that they would publish the South African Journal of Botany on behalf of SAAB. This arrangement and the efforts of the then Editor-in-Chief, Prof J. van Staden, led to the journal becoming a financial asset to SAAB and to it growing in size and international stature. As long as the arrangement with Elsevier remains favorable and persists, the future of the South African Journal of Botany is positive. The good governance guided by a wise constitution and the astute financial discipline of SAAB have secured the future and sustainability of SAAB and will assist the Association to live up to its Mission Statement. HIGHLIGHTS • Two Botanical Institutions launched South African Botanical journals. • Two were united as the South African Journal of Botany from 1985. • This journal is now published by an international publisher and publishes many papers and has a respectable journal impact factor. • Management of the journal facilitates a good future. • The South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) was formed in 1968. • The society has good governance and many benefits for student members. • The society has well-managed financial resources. • The future of the Association is secure.