01 April
2008 - Media Alert - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism - TUESDAY, 01 APRIL
2008: The World Parks Congress (WPC) or
Durban +5 review meeting, whose aim is to
reflect on progress made and challenges
faced by protected areas since the last
World Parks Congress in 2003, will resume
in Somerset West in Cape Town from 9 - 11
April 2008.
Key on the agenda of
this meeting will be to identify future
issues affecting protected areas and on
how to address them, that is making protected
areas relevant to major global and regional
issues especially in reducing loss of biodiversity,
ameliorate global climate change, improve
ecosystem functionality and reduce poverty.
It will also establish a framework and process
for the 6th World Parks Congress in 2013.
WPC takes place every ten years.
Some of the outcomes
of 2003 were:
The importance of engaging
with people living in and around protected
areas to ensure that their interests and
needs are understood and considered in the
management of protected areas.
The recognition that protected areas provide
valuable ecosystem services in addition
to protecting threatened species such as
clean water, maintenance of critical habitat
and also play an important role in the mitigation
and adaptation to climate change.
Provide practical tools and guidelines and
training as well as resources for managers
of protected areas to be able to achieve
their goals.
The meeting will be addressed by the Minister
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus
van Schalkwyk, IUCN President Valli Moosa
and WCPA Chair Nik Lopoukhine on 9 April
2008.
Media wishing to attend
the event can confirm with Lizzy Suping@
012 310 3310/083 758 0553 or Nthabiseng
Mphela @ 012 310 3203/082 823 3695.
Mava Scott (Acting Chief Director Communications)
+ More
SA and UK Celebrate
Successful Partnership to Protect the Environment
02 April 2008 - Media
Statement - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism - WEDNESDAY, 02 APRIL
2008: The three-year old partnership between
UK and SA to protect the environment posted
results which exceeded expectations. As
a result, Environmental Management Inspectorate,
also known as the Green Scorpions, the Environment
Agency of UK and Wales and the British High
Commission in South Africa will host a cocktail
function to celebrate the success. The function
will be held at the Old Mutual Conference
Centre, Kirstensbosch, Cape Town on 2nd
April 2008 at 17:00.
The Honourable Deputy
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism,
Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, and his Excellency
the British High Commissioner for South
Africa, Sir Paul Boateng will attend and
lead delegations from the two countries.
The UK and Wales Environment
Agency played a pivotal role towards the
establishment of South Africa’s Green Scorpions
by providing crucial training which included
technical and on-site support as the inspectors
started inspections at big industrial facilities.
Other stakeholders who made significant
contributions to the birth of the Green
Scorpions are the Justice College, the University
of Pretoria and TRAFFIC East and Southern
Africa.
The partnership focused
on training and capacity-building and the
UK brought the Environment Agency experts
who made valuable inputs into the design
and implementation of EMI Bridging and Basic
Training as well as Specialized Training.
The training provided the first 26 Environmental
Management Inspectors (the Green Scorpions)
with sufficient confidence to tackle their
jobs when they came into being in May 2005.
The demand for inspectors was high and the
training programme continued.
The recruitment of well
equipped graduates increased Green Scorpions
capacity to 900 inspectors to date and this
bodes well for efforts to protect the environment.
The high rate of environmental crimes prosecution
bears testimony to the high quality of training
provided.
Another important achievement
is that EMI engaged SA magistrates on the
crucial issue of the adjudication of environmental
crimes and in less than 2 years, 180 magistrates
have attended workshops presented by the
Justice College, Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism and Environmental Agency.
The workshop has since been incorporated
as part of Justice College’s standard programme
for magistrates.
Noting all these positive
developments, the UK Department of Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs has undertaken to
fund a 2 year extension to the current joint
work programme between the EMI and Environment
Agency.
Members of the media
are invited to partake in the celebration
and will also be afforded the opportunity
for interviews. For telephonic interviews,
please call
Moses Rannditsheni (Media Liaison Officer
for the Deputy Minister)
+ More
Minister Marthinus van
Schalkwyk to Open International Environmental
Compliance and Enforcement Conference in
Cape Town
03 April 2008 - Media
Statement - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism - THURSDAY, 03 APRIL
2008: Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism will
on Monday, 07 April 2008 open the 8th International
Conference on Environmental Compliance and
Enforcement in Cape Town, South Africa.
The conference commences
on 05 April and concludes on Friday, 11
April 2008.
The 8th Conference will
open with two days dedicated to local capacity
building and regional networking events.
The subsequent five days will feature action-oriented
thematic workshops, distinguished keynote
speakers, and networking opportunities for
over 150 invited participants, and will
include a day for field visits to sites
of innovative environmental enforcement
initiatives in South Africa.
The International Network
for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement
(INECE) is the only global network of environmental
compliance and enforcement practitioners
dedicated to raising awareness of compliance
and enforcement; developing networks for
enforcement cooperation; and strengthening
capacity to implement and enforce environmental
requirements. INECE communicates that environmental
compliance and enforcement play a fundamental
role in building the foundation for the
rule of law, good governance, and sustainable
development.
Established in May 2005,
South Africa’s Environmental Management
Inspectorate (EMI) popularly referred to
as the “Green Scorpions,” have made significant
strides in the area of environmental enforcement.
Capacity of the Green Scorpions has increased
from the initial 26 to a total of 866 inspectors
countrywide.
The Dutch Inspector
General for International Enforcement Cooperation,
Gerard Wolters will present the conference
opening statement on behalf of the INECE
Secretariat after the opening address by
Minister van Schalkwyk.
Deputy Director General
for Environmental Quality Protection at
the South African Department of Environmental
Affairs & Tourism, Ms Joanne Yawitch
will participate in the first panel of the
conference titled, "Creating Value
Through Compliance and Enforcement,” on
Monday, 07 April 2008 at 10:45.
For further information on INECE visit :
http://www.environment.gov.za/HotIssues/2008/INECE/INECE.html
or www.inece.org
All media are invited. Please note media
should RSVP and arrive early for accreditation
purposes.
OPENING CEREMONY DETAILS
DATE: Monday, 07 April 2008
VENUE: Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, Cape
Town.
