Panorama
 
 
 
 

THE DEPARTMENT APOLOGISES FOR ANY INCONENIENCE CAUSED


Environmental Panorama
International
September of 2006

Address By The Deputy Minister Of Environmental Affairs And Tourism Rejoice Mabudafhasi - 16 September 2006

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

Programme Director
Bill Naude from the Plastic Federation
Distinguished guests
Our school kids
Volunteers
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am very much excited to join you here today as one of the volunteers to participate in today’s Coastal Clean up campaign. As a country we are joining millions of other volunteers across the globe to clean up our beaches and coastal lines.

According to Ocean Conservancy, an organisation that started this programme back in 1986, last year during the International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers picked up over 8 million pounds of trash from our beaches and waterways. This could be enough picnic supplies for a family of four to have a picnic every day for the next 60 years.

Programme Director, the clean up is unique in many ways, not only because it is an international effort involving so many people from a variety of countries – but also because the volunteers actually categorize the waste they find. This waste is captured into data sheets that are then collected and compiled into an international ‘snapshot’ of the types of garbage found floating up to our shores, and what areas are being the most impacted.

Different types of garbage and waste were collected during last year’s clean up campaign. Statistics revealed that plastic products and cigarette butts form the majority of waste found in our coastlines.

During the 2004 clean-up campaign in our country, more than 2000 volunteers collected 16 tons of marine debris, most of which comprised of plastic beverage bottles, food wrappers, and cigarette butts.

Plastic products in particular pose a serious threat to marine life not only on the shorelines, but in our open waters as well.

Plastic bags, balloons, and straws are deadly to fish, birds and amphibians that might swallow them. Programme Director in short, everything we throw away will always find its way to the environment and endanger our wildlife.

Allow me to demonstrate in a more practical way the dangers caused by waste material on our marine environment.

Plastic bags floating in the water resemble jellyfish. Immature turtles and whales have been found to mistake them for jellyfish.

Plastic bottles are often mistaken for cuttlefish given their tough but chewy texture. Again, it is whales, and turtles that suffer the consequences of consuming this waste.

Birds often confuse plastic bits for food. Animals fill their bellies with plastic waste thus creating a false sense of satisfaction which results in malnutrition and mortality.

Ropes from ships, fishing lines and broken nets result in entanglements, that in turn result in suffocation of marine animals.

Just like you would not want to live in a home polluted by others' inconsiderate waste, a natural environment means a safer and healthier home for plants and animals.

Programme Director as you may be aware, South Africa has a history of embarking on a fight against pollution ranging from air, water, oceans and any other land based activities that generate waste and pollution.

The Blue Flag campaign, WIO-LaB project, Marine Week, Coast Care programme and this Coastal Clean Up event are some of the campaigns we engage in to combat marine pollution.

It is with pride that I can announce that South Africa has now 20 Blue Flag beaches. I am also exited to note that the next round of Blue Flag announcement will be done in a not so distant future.

I am reliably informed that the announcement will be done here in KZN.

Programme Director, nearly 80% of marine litter which ends in our oceans comes from land-based sources and therefore needs to be reduced.

You might recall that last year on 24 May, we were in Richards Bay to launch the WIO-LaB project. This project focuses on the prevention of marine pollution from land based activities.

This is our response to marine pollution resulting from agricultural activities, industrial waste, municipal and domestic waste including the littering taking place in our rivers such as the debris and waste collected today at Umgeni and other areas along this beach.

I therefore urge those who care about our own people’s health, to take stand and fight against polluting our beautiful rivers, beaches and the entire coastal environment.

Last year when we cleaned Robben Island as part of this programme, we managed to gather 450 bags of debris, plastic bags, bottles, and any other waste materials you may never think of.

I am delighted to inform you that this year through the assistance of the Plastic Bag Federation we have managed to distribute 575 000 bags at our coastal areas for the purpose of today’s event.

In conclusion I want to take this opportunity to thank all sponsors for today’s event - the Plastic Bag Federation, Pick and Pay, SABC Education as well as Ezemvelo KZN WildLife and all the volunteers for making this event a great success!

We couldn’t have asked for a better day.
Let us make coastal clean up our daily activity.
Thank you.

 
 

Source: South African Environmental (http://www.environment.gov.za)
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