05 November 2007 – Speech
- Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism
INTRODUCTION
Our experience in South Africa continues
to prove that the interests of communities
and the interests of the environment can
never be separated. Economic development
and investment on the one hand, and conservation
on the other, need not be opposing end-goals.
Environmental impact assessments (EIAs)
are internationally recognised as an important
tool to enable governments to ensure that
environmental considerations are taken into
account when reaching important decisions
on development and investment.
The way in which EIAs have been handled
in South Africa has come a long way. Government
is committed to making even further improvements
to the EIA system, which will ensure that
our future economic growth occurs in a manner
that does not compromise the integrity of
our environment.
Implementation of the 1997 EIA Regulations
by authorities and feedback received from
stakeholders revealed a number of inadequacies
in the Regulations and the general EIA system
of South Africa. In reviewing these regulations
it became clear that in order to introduce
a set of new and far reaching measures that
would allow for a more strategic approach
to the management of the environmental impacts
of developments, amendments to our National
Environmental Management Act (NEMA) itself
were required. In the interim however, it
was decided to go ahead and amend the EIA
Regulations within the limits of the enabling
legislation to streamline them and to deal
with problems that had arisen in implementation
CAPACITATING PROVINCES
Accordingly, on 3 July 2006 the NEMA EIA
regulations came into force. The new system
introduced in these regulations has already
begun to pay dividends in terms of streamlining
processes, as witnessed by the fact that
across the country there is virtually no
delay in the processing of applications
that have been submitted in terms of these
new regulations. This achievement is in
part due to a major training effort with
the provincial authorities, the introduction
of consistent systems across the country
and the introduction of mandatory processing
times. Contracts to the amount of R11 300
000 (11.3 Million) have been awarded to
service providers to assist provincial authorities
with the expedient finalisation of the remaining
applications under the old 1997 regulations.
We are looking forward to completion of
the total backlog by the end of this financial
year.
I am also pleased to announce that accredited
training will be rolled out in 5 national
centres. Provinces have been informed well
in advance of the dates for training. This
training will cover the areas identified
by DEAT and all 9 provinces as areas of
concern. I must warn all officials that
they should come prepared to work hard in
this 5-day intensive training course. There
will be an examination at the end of the
course.
In the process of capacitating provinces,
our department realizes the need for proper
consultation. It is also important not to
provide a one size fits all solution. Hence
we are currently conducting a capacity audit
and needs analysis survey.
NEMA AMENDMENTS TO FURTHER STREAMLINE THE
SYSTEM
The NEMA Amendments are currently in Parliament
and the amendments to the regulations and
listing notices are being finalized and
will be ready for publication once the NEMA
Amendment has been promulgated.
I however have to mention the fact that
there are 10 authorities implementing the
same law and regulations. This complicates
the matter of reaching consensus, especially
on the wording and thresholds for listed
activities. It is our view that it is worth
having regulations and listing notices with
more rather than less detail in order to
ensure that as far as possible these can
be used by all authorities and that there
is national consistency in the way that
the EIA system is managed and run
Allow me to highlight and announce some
specific amendments to NEMA that we believe
will further improve our EIA system.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS
For some time now it has been apparent
that using EIAs as the only means of dealing
with environmental impacts is severely limiting
and creates huge system problems. Therefore,
the amendments to NEMA make provision for
the introduction of a wider set of environmental
impact management tools, and the 2006 Regulations
explicitly provided for the development
of Environmental Management Frameworks.
Section 24 (3) of NEMA provides for the
Minister to compile information and maps
that specify the attributes of the environment
in particular geographical areas, including
the sensitivity, extent, interrelationships
and significance of such attributes which
must be taken into account by every competent
authority.
It further enables the Minister to use
and consider the information compiled in
an Environmental Management Framework for
applications for environmental authorisation
in a geographical area.
There is currently a thrust spearheaded
and largely funded by our Department to
ensure that EMFs are done for areas that
are under severe development pressure or
where there are biophysical and environmental
attributes and issues that require special
attention.
EMFs have huge benefits for development
because they embody a pro-active approach.
EIAs are reactive in the sense that they
are only undertaken once a development proposal
has been formulated. EMFs pro-actively look
at the characteristics of an area and highlight
the specific aspects that enable land use
planners to take better decisions. Due to
the large number of variables that have
to be considered in the compilation of an
EMF, it is unfortunately an expensive exercise,
but because it lays a proper foundation
for all aspects of land use, local authorities
are encouraged to make use of this tool.
Once it is in place, the benefits are obvious.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PRACTITIONERS
(EAPS)
Another positive development in this field
is the initiative taken by environmental
practitioners to improve the quality of
work undertaken by practitioners in this
industry.
At a meeting we convened in 2005 with representatives
from the environmental impact assessment
profession, I appointed the Interim Certification
Board (ICB) for practitioners to initiate
a systematic and inclusive process, which
would deliver on the identified needs and
legal requirements for the establishment
of a registration authority for practitioners
in South Africa. DEAT and the ICB subsequently
started a process expected to culminate
in the establishment of a registration authority
for environmental assessment practitioners.
A national conference of stakeholders was
held in March 2006 and during two subsequent
discussions of the Working Group, which
was mandated at the national conference
to take this forward, it became apparent
that the South African Qualification Authority
(SAQA) will have to develop unit standards
as part of this project. A second stakeholder
conference is planned for 20-21 November
2007, where the work done by the mandated
working group will be presented and discussed.
The fact that the environmental assessment
profession has no single qualification that
serves as a common denominator makes the
regulation of the industry very difficult.
Specialities in a number of fields form
part of the profession and include a wide
range of fields, e.g. landscape architects,
planners, etc.
I would like to announce that government
officials responsible for environmental
assessments will also be required to meet
the same criteria as that of EIA consultants,
which means the work done by reviewers must
also be taken into account during the process.
Every method must be used to ensure that
the new proposed system is seen to be truly
objective and inclusive.
INTEGRATION OF EIA APPLICATIONS AND THE
MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT (MIG) PROJECTS
The integration of EIA applications in
relation to the Municipal Infrastructure
grant process, has been an area of concern
for some time, and has caused many unnecessary
delays and frustrations.
It has often happened that a project has
been planned in great detail, and only when
the contractors have been selected, it is
realized that the development also need
an EIA authorization. Therefore I am pleased
to announce that our department has appointed
a service provider to evaluate the two procedures
to identify areas of possible overlap and
duplication, and to propose a procedure
that would meet the needs of both sets of
requirements in one process. This project
will be concluded in this financial year.
SECTOR GUIDELINES
I am also pleased to report that sector
guidelines are being developed in order
to facilitate a more efficient EIA system.
The following sectors have been prioritised
due to links with ASGISA priorities
These sectors are:
Linear Infrastructure development
Energy generation, distribution and supply
Large scale property development
Social infrastructure
Agri-industry
EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS SURVEY AND
NEW IMPACT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
It is important to continuously monitor
and evaluate the EIA system. In this regard,
our department has just advertised tenders
for a survey to evaluate the efficiency
and effectiveness of the EIA regulations,
as implemented for 10 years now. The results
of this survey will inform further strategies
around environmental impact management,
which will enable us to apply our resources
better, to eliminate unnecessary EIAs, to
provide for other tools apart from EIAs
which might be more effective in specific
cases, and to allow flexibility in order
to be more efficient. It is envisaged to
have a national conference along these lines
around October 2008, when the results of
the survey should be in.
CONCLUSION
I am firmly of the view that the amended
EIA regime will combine the best of the
current system with new provisions to streamline
processes even further, and will ensure
that the application and administration
of our environmental laws is more efficient
and effective. The end result will be better
for conservation, better for communities,
better for development and better for South
Africa.
Riaan Aucamp (Minister's Spokesperson)
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Opening Speech for Deputy Minister – Nairobi
and Abidjan
08 November 2007 – Speech - Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Programme Director,
Ministers of Environment and Fisheries,
UNEP Executive Director,
Ambassadors and High Commissioners present
with us,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the
first joint Conference of Parties of the
Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions. I believe
that your presence in this joint conference
today, emphasises your commitment to the
Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions.
We need not be reminded of the importance
of our oceans. You will recall that oceans
make 80% of our planet and provide a myriad
of services. With more than 60% of our populations
living in the coastal zone, the marine environment
has the potential to significantly contribute
to the Millennium Development Goals, particularly
that of poverty reduction.
Therefore, the sustainable management of
these resources is vital and will also contribute
to the achievement of the 2010 target of
significantly reducing biodiversity loss.
The coastal and offshore waters and island
states of the Sub-Saharan Africa region
are ranked among the most productive waters
in the world. The countries in Western Africa
are rich in fisheries, oil, gas and mineral
resources, while those in Eastern Africa
have rich and diverse ecosystems. Overall,
the two regions have great potential for
tourism and serve as important reservoirs
of marine and coastal biological diversity.
The economic value of the biodiversity in
the two regions provides enormous potential
benefits for countries, and especially coastal
communities.
“Building on Success” as the theme for
our joint meeting should enable the contracting
parties to take stock of the progress made
in the many projects and programmes that
have been implemented since the adoption
of the two Conventions, and hopefully will
build on this momentum with increased political
commitment.
Excellencies, distinguished participants,
South Africa straddles important shipping
routes between Europe, Asia and South America,
handling huge volumes (80%) of the world’s
shipping traffic. Add to this the Cape of
Storms and you will understand why South
Africa is vulnerable to shipping accidents
and pollution. Second, the active offshore
explorations for petroleum and minerals
as well as pollution from land base sources
are serious threats to our marine environment.
When faced with these kinds of transboundary
challenges, it necessitates management and
cooperation efforts with our neighbouring
states and the entire region.
The commitment that has been displayed
by the ratifying countries is commendable
and I am delighted that Mauritania and Cape
Verde have already begun with the process
of ratifying the Abidjan Convention.
This joint COP provides an important opportunity
to generate increased visibility, commitment
and ownership of the Conventions. It is
noted from our Reviews that the 2 conventions
faces many challenges which result in slow
implementation.
This joint meeting of the two conventions
presents an opportunity for renewed commitment
to improve implementation of the Abidjan
Convention.
Our collective efforts are required to
help fulfill the goals of our Conventions
as outlined in its 2008 – 2011 Work Programme,
which aim to address poverty, job creation,
better health and sustainable livelihoods
of our coastal communities and the entire
population.
Excellencies, distinguished participants,
our challenge is to ensure that the decisions
we have taken here are translated into action.
I would invite my colleagues to continue
to give political and financial support
to the secretariat and programmes of both
Conventions as this is key to building our
capacity to sustainably manage our marine
resources.
I thank you
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Speech of the Executive Director of the
United Nations Environment Programme to
the Joint Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the
Nairobi Convention
08 November 2007 - Speech - Johannesburg,
South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
Excellencies, Ministers, Distinguished
Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to address this
joint meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi
Convention.
Thank you too to the Government of South
Africa and its people for their hospitality
and excellent arrangements as hosts.
Thanks also to the Chairpersons of the
Bureaus of the Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions
for their guidance and leadership. The Bureau
has always been there for the Secretariat
and I thank them for their support.
Ladies and gentlemen, we meet here in Johannesburg
in a world where the environment may have
finally been understood not as a peripheral
interest for those with time on their hands
or an obsession with a niche interest.
But as a fundamental basis for stability
in rapidly changing world and for much of
the economic activity that supports developing
and developed countries alike.
It is perhaps through the lens of climate
change that the world is uniting around
the notion of environment for development
and the impact that unsustainable activities
are having on the Earth’s economically central
life support systems including the marine
environment.
The awareness has been led by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—its more
than 2,000 scientists have now validated
climate change as a scientific fact.
This year the IPCC, jointly established
by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organisation,
says the evidence in 2007 is “unequivocal”.
The likely impacts, from the melting away
of glaciers and thus water supplies in the
Himalayas to the Rocky Mountains and the
threats to perhaps up to a third of Africa’s
coastal infrastructure, have also been brought
into sharp focus by the IPCC this year—impacts
many of which are likely not in some far
distant future but in the life time of many
in this room.
Yet the IPCC has also provided us with
another reality—namely that the costs of
combating climate change will be lower if
we act now than if we wait—and that those
‘early action’ costs are perhaps as little
as 0.1 per cent of global GDP over 30 years.
Climate change is the most clear challenge
of this generation—a transition to a low
carbon economy will be UNEP’s over-arching
message in Bali at the forthcoming climate
convention meeting in December when government’s
really must get down to negotiating a post
2012 emissions reduction treaty.
A low carbon economy should not be just
a goal for developed nations—the countries
most responsible for climate change.
It should be a demand of developing ones
too—why should the countries of Africa have
access only to 20th if not 19th century
energy generation and energy efficient systems
when there are emerging, cost effect and
cleaner or renewable energies?
Adaptation to climate change—climate proofing
economies—is about access to modern energy
systems as much as it is about capacity
building in terms of agriculture, or health
or infrastructure.
Today at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi,
UNEP with funding from the Global Environment
Facility, the African Development Bank and
industry, we are launching initiatives totalling
close to $100 million to generate electricity
from sugar wastes and small-scale hydro
in East and Southern Africa’s tea industry.
Millions of farmers and thousands of communities
stand to benefit from the availability of
cheaper and greener power—especially in
rural areas—industry stands to benefit from
lower fuel costs—the global environment
will benefit from reduced emissions as will
forests from the anticipated reductions
in the need for fuel-wood.
Climate change is certainly the most pressing
and high profile concern of the here and
now.
And the science continues to pour forth
with new and important implications for
terrestrial but also marine ecosystems--from
the acidification of the oceans, and the
possibility that this could interfere with
the calcium-making mechanisms of economically
important shellfish to coral reefs, to dramatic
shifts in the currents that moderate climate
and play key roles in the health and location
of fish stocks.
In two days time, UNEP will hold a meeting
of experts and government officials on the
issue of mercury—the highly poisonous heavy
metal.
There is now emerging concern that old
deposits and new sources of mercury are
emerging from sediments in lakes warming
as a result of climate change.
Concern also emerging that the accelerated
melting of ice in the Arctic is bringing
mercury locked away back into circulation
in the world’s oceans and from there into
the food marine food chain.
Significant new sources of mercury are
also entering the global environment as
a result off increased coal burning in Asia
and other rapidly developing economies—again
addressing climate change has wider benefits
in terms of both the terrestrial but also
the marine environment.
Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps I am dwelling
too much on climate change and perhaps ignoring
the two conventions at the heart of today’s
meeting.
But if there is one thing that climate
change teaches us, it is the ‘interlinkages’
–to use the jargon—between so many areas
that perhaps in the past seemed disconnected—interlinkages
that perhaps also have resonance with the
Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions and their
links with other multilateral environmental
agreements.
This is a point clearly brought into sharp
relief by UNEP’s latest flagship report,
the Global Environment Outlook-4 launched
last month including here in South Africa.
GE0-4 underlines not only the fact that
the over-exploitation off the Earth’s nature
based and natural resources is reaching
several real crisis points.
But is also salt and peppered with inspiring
and shinning examples of actions taken across
the world to more intelligently manage economically
important ecosystems--Fiji’s decision to
establish no take marine zones, leading
to a 250 per cent increase in lobster catches,
springs to mind.
However, GEO-4 also underlines that the
scale and pace of the response is failing
to match the magnitude and the speed of
the challenges.
GEO-4 also points out that, albeit unevenly
shared, the world is around a third richer
than 20 years ago and that the international
community has rolled out a great deal of
multilateral environmental agreements.
But that these, ranging from climate and
biodiversity to desertification and migratory
species, remain to a greater or lesser extent
underutilized and often under-funded.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions are
part of this success story but also part
of this, may one say, frustrating landscape
of a less than substantial response to persistent
and merging challenges.
This is why this joint meeting of the Conference
of the Parties is so crucial—we need to
re-discover the raison d’etre as to why
they were established in the first place
and give them all the necessary scientific,
political and financial backing so they
can realize their extraordinary potential.
Some of that potential has been realized
already.
In 1998 in Cape Town governments endorsed
the Cape Town Declaration which led to the
African Process to strengthen these two
conventions.
Just last week, UNEP held its 9th Global
Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions
and Action Plans in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.
The Jeddah Declaration underlines that
the Regional Seas Conventions and Action
Plans are increasingly concerned about many
emerging issues from climate change to deep
sea biodiversity and sustainable management
of the high seas.
Likewise, the meeting concluded that the
continued decline in marine and coastal
ecosystems services can no longer be seen
purely from an environmental perspective
as it has deep consequences on the socio-economic
development of countries. It is in this
recognition that the Global Strategic Directions
for the Regional Seas (2008-2012) were adopted.
In the last eight years, these two conventions
have—in partnership with organizations including
UNEP, UNDP and UNIDO and often with Global
Environment Facility-funding—assisted in
establishing the--
Western Indian Ocean Land Based Activities
(WIO-LaB) project, South West Indian Ocean
Fisheries Project and the Agulhas Somali
Large Marine Ecosystem project under the
Nairobi Convention. The total budget for
these projects is over US$75 million to
be spent in the next five years;
The ongoing Guinea Current, Canary Current
and Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem
projects in the Abidjan Convention area
have a total budget of over US$80 million
in both in-kind and cash contribution.
Under the Nairobi Convention, the “Consortium
for Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
in the Western Indian Ocean” has been established.
The consortium, referred to as the “WIO-C”,
is a partnership between major NGOs and
other organisations in the Western Indian
Ocean. It is designed to improve information
exchange, synergy and coordination between
NGOs working on coastal and marine environment
issues in the Western Indian Ocean region,
and to move towards a joint programmatic
approach in addressing these issues.
Under the Abidjan Convention, UNEP is building
partnerships with the Regional Programme
for the Conservation of the Coastal and
Marine Zones of West Africa (PRCM). The
PRCM is a partnership between IUCN, WWF
and Wetlands International. Increasingly,
these partnerships are being linked to the
Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) projects and
the newly established interim Benguela and
Guinea Current commissions.
With support from the GEF and the UNEP
Global Programme of Action (GPA), both Conventions
have developed new protocols on land-based
activities and sources of pollution. These
protocols have been developed in partnership
with UNIDO and UNDP through GCLME project
(for the Abidjan Convention) and WIO-LaB
project (for the Nairobi Convention).
UNEP has also moved forward to strengthen
the regional coordination mechanisms of
the Abidjan Convention. UNEP has appointed
a full time senior staff member to support
the Abidjan Convention Secretariat. The
Secretariat has also taken steps to strengthen
the role of National Focal Points in the
implementation of the work programmes of
both the conventions for 2008-2012.
UNEP has supported 18 countries to help
the National Focal Points to initiate compilation
of national status reports on the coastal
and marine environment. These reports will
lay the basis for an effective and continuous
reporting mechanism for the Conventions
to support the prioritisation process and
implementation of the Conventions, and will
assist Contracting Parties to meet their
reporting obligations.
I am happy to note that all the countries
that signed the Nairobi Convention have
ratified the Convention. We are also happy
to welcome Liberia and Sierra Leone to this
meeting. Both countries ratified the Abidjan
Convention in 2005—bringing the total to
14. One way of strengthening the agreement
will be ratification by more countries
Ladies and gentlemen, what of the future?
If we are to truly rise to the challenge
of more intelligently managing the planet’s
natural and nature-based resources, we need
to strive ever harder to put the environment
in the centre of government policy—policy
that cuts across all ministries.
The world is undergoing multiple environmental
change phenomena but environmental change
phenomena that will impact on economies,
livelihoods and health issues to ones connected
with agriculture, foreign policy and even
security.
Under the climate convention we may be
seeing this already. The Bali meeting will
also include a gathering of finance ministers
as well as the environment ministers who
traditional carry out the negotiations.
In respect to these two conventions, UNEP
is keen to press forward with integrating
all Regional Seas Programmes into national
frameworks.
On a specific note, UNEP is also keen to
encourage the use of Strategic Environmental
Assessments (SEAs) not least because of
the need to balance the emerging opportunities
off Africa’s coast for oil and gas with
the sustainability challenges.
The issue of financial sustainability is
also a critical issue. It requires a decisive
commitment by all the Contracting Parties
to contribute to the Conventions’ Trust
Funds.
Your participation will provide both additional
funding for catalytic activities and a practical
demonstration of commitment to the work
of the two Conventions. This will encourage
our partners to increase their collaboration
with the Contracting Parties.
There is also a need to further strengthen
Regional Coordinating Units to ensure they
are effective agents of change.
An important step forward will also be
increasing cooperation between all multilateral
environmental agreements and increasing
cooperation between UN agencies but also
other important players including local
authorities; the financial markets, civil
society and citizens.
The UN is engaged in a reform process under
the banner ‘Delivering as One”—this concept
has wider resonance.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Africa’s abundant nature-based and natural
resources are and will increasingly be the
engine that will assist in meeting the Millennium
Development Goals while lifting this Continent
into a more equitable and prosperous future.
From agriculture to the world’s biggest
industry—tourism—Africa’s land and coastal
areas represent a blue-print for dynamic
economic growth that is beginning to attract
international and cross border investment
and entrepreneurs on a scale perhaps never
witnessed before.
It is in many ways a defining moment.
Ladies and gentlemen,
vibrant, cooperative and strengthened treaties
like the Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions
represent part of that insurance policy—part
of that essential policy response—upon which
this development can be managed in an intelligent
and sustainable way—for current and future
generations.
Let us together evolve the two agreements
onto the next level so they can effectively
and efficiently respond to the challenges
but also the opportunities coming so fast,
Africa’s way.
Thank you
