SPEECH
FOR THE LAUNCH OF GRASSLANDS PROGRAM CELEBRATING
INTERNATIONAL BIODIVERSITYDAY PREPARED FOR
THE HONOURABLE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL
AFFAIRS AND TOURISM, MS REJOICE MABUDAFHASI:
22 May 2008
MECs for Environment
Your Worship, the Executive Mayor of West
Rand District Municipality, Alderman Faith
Matshikiza
The Resident Representative of the United
Nations Development Programme in South Africa
Acting DG of Environmental Affairs and Tourism,
Ms Nosipho Jezile
CEOs of conservation agencies
Senior officials and representatives of
partner organizations implementing the Grasslands
Programme
Members of the media
Ladies and Gentlemen
1. Introduction
Conservationists throughout the world are
extremely concerned that the planet is facing
the worst spate of species extinction and
loss of biodiversity.
International scientists estimate that three
species vanish every hour as a result of
human activities that cause climate change,
pollution and loss of habitat. Indeed, we
are all very worried that human activities
have caused more rapid changes in biodiversity
in the last 50 years than in any other time
in human history.
It is also becoming
clear that consumption of natural resources
has reached unsustainable levels and human
beings are destroying biodiversity which
is the foundation of life. No nation can
escape the impact of biodiversity loss because
this will result in a situation where millions
of people face a bleak future of an unprecedented
increase in food shortage.
Without a change in
behaviour, it would be impossible to feed
9 billion people throughout the world. This
is no doomsday prophecy as we are already
confronted with a surge in food prices driven
by a booming demand for natural resources
required to meet the needs of increasing
human populations and economic growth.
It is against this background
that our department and stakeholders have
deemed it fit to celebrate the International
Day for Biodiversity using the theme “Biodiversity
and Agriculture” announced by the United
Nations Convention of Biological Diversity
to which South Africa is a party.
Our celebrations started in Hoedspruit on
17 May where we showcased the Kruger to
Canyons Biosphere reserve as an area with
immense value for biodiversity and agriculture
to our communities.
Grasslands were identified
as one of the fragile biomes that should
be protected not only in this biosphere
reserve but in all areas throughout the
country. Therefore, this launch is a very
important event for raising public awareness
on the conservation of grasslands for the
benefit of the current and future generations.
2. Socio-economic benefits
from grasslands
Grasslands are an important resource which
is part of our life support system. A variety
of commercial and subsistence livestock
depend on grasslands for grazing and generating
profits to their owners. Human beings and
animals also benefit from using naturally
purified water made possible by grasslands
which trap dirt and release clean water.
Women in the rural areas
harvest different forms of grass and turn
it into various hand-made crafts and products
which they trade commercially and generate
income to support their households.
There is no doubt that
grasslands possess huge economic potential
that can contribute to poverty eradication
and job creation if utilized sustainably.
Grasslands play an important
role in providing us with many new products
over the years, from new food crops that
will help to improve food security, to new
medicines that will cure us when we are
ill. Items on our breakfast menu today were
carefully selected to showcase the agricultural
products that come off the grasslands biome.
The Green Choice team is looking for market
opportunities, through retailers, restaurants
and caterers, to support food production
systems that are environmentally sound,
socially just and economically viable.
And there are already a large number of
biodiversity-friendly food products being
produced, or in the pipeline – from honey,
to rooibos tea, to seafood, potatoes and
wine.
I hope you enjoyed some
of these products and, as consumers who
are concerned about the environment; you
will opt for products that are ‘green’ or
produced with minimal damage to the environment.
3. Agriculture and sustainable
development
Today, humanity faces a serious challenge
as much of the earth’s biodiversity is at
risk. The areas that are home to the greatest
numbers of threatened species are also home
to large numbers of rural people, many of
whom are desperately poor and dependent
on their environment for livelihoods. Ultimately
ecological disturbances in these areas may
have severe repercussions on the socio-economic
status of communities.
Local agriculture, as
the main provider of food and livelihoods
to people, must expand to meet rapidly growing
world demand, keep up with the growing population
whilst preventing hunger. Yet agriculture
is also a mayor contributor to destruction
of valuable habitats.
Research shows that agriculture remains
the economic base for the majority of the
poor in Africa and accounts for about 33%
of Africa’s GDP and for the bulk of employment.
Most agricultural production comes from
small-scale farmers, with women playing
an extremely important role. Agricultural
production, distribution and sales directly
affect food security and the nutritional
status of household members.
Importantly, the socio-economic
contribution of agriculture can only be
maintained if biodiversity is conserved.
In pursuit of this noble goal, we must promote
projects that seek to harness the existing
entrepreneurial energy in rural communities
through promoting balanced approaches to
environmental management and sustainable
development.
Such projects should
take into account the historical reality
that African agriculture was premised on
indigenous practices and ecological knowledge
of small-scale farmers. This has been part
of our heritage acquired through centuries
of adaptation to changing environmental
conditions.
Amongst other strategies,
our communities utilized rotational farming
and interspersed different plants to enrich
the soil and deter pests from food crops.
We all know that subsistence farmers leave
areas unplanted around the fields or alongside
streams where naturally-occurring species
can grow.
In many of these communities farmers use
absolutely no pesticides or fertilizers.
Composted kraal manure is all they need
to enrich the soil. In essence, this is
the African heritage and knowledge which
we must revive, promote and preserve for
generations to come.
Research also shows
that cultural practices and indigenous knowledge
have been disrupted such that today’s agriculture
can hardly be defined as sustainable. Indigenous
Knowledge (IK) and related social and cultural
practices are therefore very important tools
for agriculture and sustainable development.
3. Partnerships and
co-operation for the conservation grasslands
Partnerships at international, national
and local levels are key to our success
in conserving biodiversity and assist us
to meet important international targets.
Natural habitat stretches across human-made
borders and international cooperation and
coordination is required for collective
protection of the environment.
In an endeavor to put
this into practice, the South African government
has been instrumental in establishing the
Trans-Frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs)
with Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland,
Zimbambwe and Mozambique.
Amongst others, the agreements entered into
with these neighbouring states promote the
protection of our beautiful grasslands.
Grasslands add to the
attractiveness of our countries and can
be seen daily along the highways, in patches
in our cities, in our forests, in our communal
lands, on our farms, and in our nature reserves.
Grasslands stretch across the entire Southern
African landscape and are one of the main
attractions for tourists visiting our countries.
The Grasslands Programme
is a partnership initiative between the
South African Botanical Institute, the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
the Global Environmental Facility which
has been funded to the tune of US$8.3 million
to support the conservation of grasslands
and promote sustainable agriculture.
I would like to acknowledge
and welcome partnerships for the protection
of grasslands which have already been introduced
in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal as part
of this programme. For example, in the Wakkerstroom/Luneburg
area in Mpumalanga, the Grasslands Programme
and its partners, the WWF and the Botanical
Society, is working with farmers to encourage
farming practices that can help to meet
conservation requirements.
We also commend the
demonstration of passion to conserve our
environment by our rural communities. Just
to cite an example, the Mabaso community
north of Utrecht in KwaZulu-Natal is embarking
on a biodiversity stewardship initiative.
The community provided
land and partnered with WWF-SA, the Botanical
Society of South Africa and Ezemvelo KZN
Wildlife to breed critically endangered
Wattled Cranes in the wetlands. This initiative
will also boost tourism growth in this area
as tourists would like to visit a project
of this nature.
In order to sustain
the benefits we derive from the environment,
we should stop from being our own worst
enemies. Every year in the months of August
and September, we witness billowing flames
of fire destroying our grasslands, vegetations
and forestry, killing our livestock and
wildlife, destroying tourism initiatives,
killing people and condemning emerging communities
to poverty.
Footages of destructions
beamed on our televisions are unbearable
and very disturbing. Some fires are irresponsibly
started by human beings, especially smokers
who throw away burning cigarettes butts.
I would like to appeal
to the public to use fire responsibly as
the consequences of negligence are too ghastly
to contemplate.
4. Conclusion
I would like to invite you all to bear witness
to the launch of the Grasslands Programme
today. Government is firmly committed to
this Programme and is excited that it reaches
out in partnership to invite our friends
and colleagues in all levels of government
and in other sectors to join forces to conserve
South Africa’s valuable grasslands.
As a sign of this commitment, I will sign
the Grasslands Declaration on behalf of
the Department of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism, and I would like to invite
all MECs present here today, to join me
in doing so.
I will also be tabling this declaration
at MINMEC so that other MECs who could not
attend this event are afforded an opportunity
to sign it and pledge their support for
this program.
Through their signatures
to this Declaration, I will also seek the
support of my colleagues in the Departments
of Agriculture and Water Affairs and Forestry
who were unable to be present here today.
Thank you
Budget Vote Speech, by Honourable Deputy
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, 20 May 2008
20 May 2008 – Speech
- Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism - MADAM SPEAKER
HONOURABLE MINISTERS AND DEPUTY MINISTERS
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AND PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURES
HONOURABLE MECs
DIRECTORS-GENERAL
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
1. Introduction
Bishop Ambrose of Milan
once remarked that Nature has poured forth
all things for the common use of all men.
And God has ordained that all things should
be produced that there might be food in
common for all, and that the earth should
be in the common possession of all. Nature
created common rights, but usurpation has
transformed them into private rights.
Our quest for environmental
democracy has been taken a step further
through the introduction of relevant pieces
of legislation. We have made great strides
in establishing legal instruments for dealing
with three major environmental problems
in this country, namely, waste, air pollution
and integrated coastal management.
2. Waste Management
Through concerted efforts by our department,
South Africa now has the Waste Management
Bill which is being considered by Parliament
to ensure that waste management becomes
everyones legal responsibility. We have
already conducted a study to assess the
capacity of municipalities to manage waste.
This year, we will be
taking practical steps in capacity building
of municipalities by assisting them with
the development and implementation of waste
minimisation strategies such as the reduction,
re-use and recycling of waste. We will also
be implementing further projects aimed turning
waste into wealth amongst our communities.
We will also be rolling-out
a massive campaign for cleaning our townships
and borders in partnership with neighbouring
countries such as Lesotho, Mozambique and
Zimbabwe. This campaign is aimed at raising
awareness on the importance of a clean and
healthy environment to our citizens and
tourists. This campaign will be launched
in June this year when we clean the townships
and borders at Ficksburg Bridge and Maseru
Bridge in partnership with the government
of Lesotho. We intend to train vendors at
these border posts to be environment and
tourism ambassadors.
3. Air Quality and Weather
Service
International research shows that reducing
air pollution in the world's largest cities
could prevent 64,000 premature deaths and
37 million lost working days over the next
two decades. Worldwide, the burning of coal,
oil and other fossil fuels leads to pollution
that can result in elevated rates of infant
mortality, asthma, cardiovascular problems
and respiratory ailments and could cause
millions of avoidable deaths.
Recognising that the
benefits of reducing emissions are immediate,
our government has also promulgated the
Air Quality Act which resulted in the declaration
of the Vaal Triangle Airshed as a priority
area. In addition to the air quality monitoring
stations that we installed, our department
and its stakeholders are already implementing
an Air Quality Management Plan aimed at
reducing emissions in this area. Measures
to declare the High Veld as the second priority
area are at an advanced stage.
However, we are still
faced with a challenge of air pollution
in townships and informal settlements where
our people use coal as a primary source
of energy. We thus intend to resuscitate
and massify the Clean Fires Campaign - Basa
Nje Ngo Magogo - as one of the methods for
reducing pollution and assisting communities
to generate energy with minimal emissions
that are detrimental to their health and
environment. Our target in this winter is
to raise awareness of this initiative in
at least 50% of the households that use
coal fires for cooking and heating in the
Vaal Triangle Air-shed priority area.
The South African Weather
Service (SAWS) will continue to enhance
its reputation as a world-class meteorological
organisation that contributes to socio-economic
development in the SADC region. To this
end, the SAWS will invest in cutting edge
technology to broaden its observation networks,
improve service delivery, strengthen its
research and innovation capacity, and achieve
excellence in forecasting processes.
Our observation network
has been equipped with twelve radars to
enhance our now casting and severe storm
monitoring capabilities which will also
assist in improving the safety of the aviation
community.
The SAWS will be implementing
the Flash Flood Project in partnership with
the Department of Local Government and other
stakeholders which has been funded to the
tune of R4.95 million to provide information,
data and products necessary for the safety
of human life and property.
This institution will
continue to strengthen its early warning
system through broadcasts on television,
local radio stations and print media in
local languages so that vulnerable communities
are forewarned of impending disasters.
4. Integrated Coastal
Management
Another piece of legislation under consideration
by Parliament is the Integrated Coastal
Management Bill which will give legal impetus
to our programs to combat sea pollution
due to land-based activities. This bill
will also ensure that there is equitable
access to socio-economic opportunities and
benefits derived from the coastal resources.
5. Social responsibility
Our mandate to make strategic interventions
to address challenges experienced in the
second economy will continue to receive
our unwavering support and attention. Job
creation initiatives arising from protection
and sustainable utilisation of environmental
resources will continue to be implemented
through our social responsibility program.
This will augment our efforts on combating
desertification and rehabilitation of ecosystems
such as wetlands.
6. Tourism
Focusing on tourism and the fast approaching
2010 Soccer World Cup, it is encouraging
to note that marketing South Africa is helping
us to attract millions of tourists to our
county. To ensure equitable distribution
and sharing of the benefits generated by
international and domestic arrivals, we
must double our efforts to roll-out community-based
tourism initiatives.
The recently launched
Boundless Southern Africa initiative will
provide communities with good opportunities
for socio-economic upliftment through the
development of tourism routes in Transfrontier
Conservation Areas. This initiative will
result in unrestricted travel by tourists
visiting all the nine SADC countries once
the UNIVISA is in place. For example, tourists
will be able to use the Maloti Route to
travel from Lesotho to South Africa and
proceed to Mozambique or Swaziland. Similarly,
tourists will be able to use the Bush to
Beach Route to travel from South Africa
to Mozambique and proceed to Zimbambwe or
Swaziland.
7. Women and youth empowerment
South Africas wealth is embedded in our
environment which we are sparing no effort
to protect. Sustaining this gift of nature
requires passing the legacy to young people
as the future custodians of the environment.
The successful grooming
of new environmental cadres, activists and
ambassadors hinges on skills transfer and
development of capacity building programs.
We will continue to provide experiential
training opportunities for women, youth
and people with special needs to equip them
with business skills on environment and
tourism to enable them to access and benefit
from socio-economic opportunities that we
create.
This year, we will hold
our third National Women and Environment
Conference in August in Limpopo. This conference
will review progress on the achievement
of our objectives for empowering women and
youth within the environment sector. We
will also develop and outline our future
plan of action for women and empowerment
within this sector.
Equally important is
the transformation of the biodiversity conservation
sector that resulted in the People and Parks
Program to assist communities living adjacent
protected areas to benefit from socio-economic
opportunities. The third People and Parks
Conference will be held in North West in
June to discuss and find solutions to socio-economic
challenges faced by communities. This conference
will also culminate in a comprehensive program
of action aimed at accelerating transformation
in and around protected areas.
8. International engagements
Internationally, South Africa continues
to lobby and advocate for the collective
protection of the environment and greater
involvement of women, as custodians of environment,
in policy formulations and decision-making
processes.
Lobbying for financial
support targeted at vulnerable groups, especially
women and children in Africa will be our
priority in all international gatherings.
All these efforts will be co-ordinated under
the auspices of the Network for Women Ministers
and Leaders of Environment which is co-chaired
by South Africa and Iceland in partnership
with the International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN), United Nations Development
Program (UNDP), United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP) and other international movements
for gender relations and advocacy.
Of particular significance
this year is that South Africa will be the
chair of the African Ministerial Conference
on Environment (AMCEN) when we host its
12th Session in June. This conference will
discuss policy issues on international environmental
governance in Africa including climate change
and its impact on vulnerable communities
in developing countries.
9. Conclusion
In conclusion, allow me to emphasise that
we all have a profound and moral responsibility
to take care of the environment in the best
interest of the current and future generations.
The following words from the social statement
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church give
the best assertation of this responsibility.
Humans, in service to God, have special
roles on behalf of the whole of creation.
Made in the image of God, we are called
to care for the earth as God cares for the
earth.
I thank you
Mava Scott (Acting Chief Director: Communications)
Growing the Environment and Tourism Sectors
20 May 2008 – Speech
- BUDGET VOTE SPEECH BY MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK,
MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM,
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 20 MAY 2008
INTRODUCTION
South Africa’s trove
of natural treasures and beauty is unmatched.
Although we occupy only 2% of the Earth’s
land surface, we are home to more than 7%
of the world’s vascular plants. Nearly 60
newly discovered species are added every
year.
If it is true that a
picture is worth a thousand words, then
the value of a visit to our country holds
millions of visitors speechless. This is
the wonder that greets the millions of tourists
who travel to our shores to experience our
country, our cultures and our people.
TOURISM GROWTH AND BENEFITS
The real value of tourism
goes well beyond concepts like revenue,
turnover, and occupancy rates. The greatest
value of tourism lies in its power to bring
people together, to help conserve the environment
and to uplift communities.
The growth in our tourism
industry is well documented. In 1994, fewer
than 600 000 tourists visited South Africa.
By 2007, that shot up to over 9 million
foreign arrivals, which represented an increase
of 8.3% over the previous year. This by
far outstrips global growth, which between
2006 and 2007 was just over 6%.
We look forward to an
even better 2008, and with the exciting
global projects being rolled out by SA Tourism
in the new fiscal year, I am more confident
than ever that South Africa will exceed
the target of 10 million foreign visitors
by 2010.
To help us spread the
benefits of tourism more widely, the reinvigorated
Tourism Enterprise Partnership will further
boost the development of sustainable enterprises,
job creation and transformation. By the
end of 2007, 4 166 SMME’s have already been
empowered through the establishment of business
linkages, as well as training in the development
of business and marketing plans. The value
of linkages created for SMME`s amounted
to R 3,4bn by the end of last year.
DEAT is also working
with MATCH, the official accommodation partner
for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the Tourism
Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA)
to assist SMME accommodation establishments
and more specifically establishments from
previously disadvantaged communities to
be graded and registered as official accommodation
suppliers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This
will provide a vital springboard to these
SMMEs.
Looking beyond SMME
development, job creation and empowerment,
we will also ensure that a successful World
Cup leaves a “green” legacy.
ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY
Climate Change - LTMS
Madam Speaker, climate
change and its impacts has become one of
the biggest global challenges that we, our
children and our grandchildren will face.
We understand that it would not be economically,
environmentally or politically sustainable
for South Africa to continue to grow along
a business-as-usual path, in other words
without a carbon constraint.
Although South Africa
has contributed, and continues to contribute,
a relatively small amount to the global
greenhouse gas emissions that are the cause
of climate change, we are far from blameless.
Emissions from our coal-based electricity
production are substantial. We have used
the privilege of cheap electricity not responsibly.
We have become one of the most energy-inefficient
countries in the world and we are Africa’s
largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
If our country and the
rest of the world had to do nothing, it
would be disastrous, most significantly
for us in Africa. It would most certainly
lead to temperature increases that can be
regarded as “dangerous”.
However, we also know
that even if we could stop all of our emissions
tomorrow, we would still have to bear the
impacts of climate change - the droughts,
the floods, the sea-level rise, the dramatic
plant and animal extinctions, the extreme
weather events and the spreading of disease
vectors. So adaptation must be a central
part of our response.
Climate change is a global problem that
will only be addressed through committed
and active global interventions.
Thus, in response to
scientific realities, we are faced with
two choices -
one: we could simply
continue on a business as usual path and
hope that every other country does not follow
the same route;
or two: we can actively encourage “business
unusual” and trust that our actions, taken
together with the actions of other responsible
nations, will provide the necessary leverage
to ensure committed and active global interventions
to address the challenge of climate change.
The choice seems obvious. Yet, it would
be hugely irresponsible for us to implement
an ill-informed strategy that could have
dire consequences for our people and economy,
especially in respect to climate change
mitigation - the reduction of our greenhouse
gas emissions.
To ensure well-informed
responses, Cabinet mandated a national process
of building climate change mitigation scenarios
informed by the best available research
and information. In 2005, stakeholders from
government, business and civil society agreed
at the National Climate Change Conference
to embark on this process, seeking to protect
the climate while meeting the development
challenges of poverty alleviation and job
creation.
This process is now
known as the Long-Term Mitigation Scenario
(LTMS) process. By late 2007, after more
than a year of intense research and modeling,
the initial technical work of the LTMS was
signed off by the Scenario Building Team.
Two weeks ago I presented an interim report
to Cabinet.
The product of this
work has been discussed at the highest levels
of government and industry and with every
sector of society and it is clear that -
One: if we continue
a business as usual approach we will effectively
quadruple our greenhouse gas emissions by
2050 and, in the process, become an international
pariah.
Two: substantially reducing our emissions
is possible, even highly desirable in some
cases, but it will not be easy. Most immediate
interventions are affordable.
Three: all of our actions and interventions
to reduce our electricity demand are fully
aligned with many of the described LTMS
interventions and have a positive impact
on our carbon footprint.
I am therefore proud today to announce the
details of the Cabinet-mandated Long Term
Mitigation Scenario (LTMS) study which will
set the pathway for our long-term climate
policy and will eventually inform a legislative,
regulatory and fiscal package that will
give effect to our policy at a mandatory
level. Cabinet has noted these findings
and have mandated DEAT to bring implementation
plans back to Cabinet during the 3rd quarter
of 2008, as a first step towards fast tracking
the process of translating our strategic
options into policy directions.
It is clear from the
study that partial solutions to the climate
challenge are pointless. Ad hoc interventions
will not close the gap between where we
are heading and where science requires us
to be. Nor will they be efficient. We need
to be ambitious and demonstrate leadership.
What we need is a consolidated
approach to a low-carbon economy. In aiming
for the “Required by science” option our
emissions need to peak, plateau and decline
sooner rather than later - otherwise it
will become more painful & expensive.
The LTMS lays a firm
basis for a progressive National Policy
on Climate Change. It will culminate in
a National Climate Summit and Science Conference
early in 2009. During this Summit we will
formally launch the policy process that
will translate the LTMS into fiscal, regulatory
and legislative packages as well as sectoral
implementation plans. The National Summit
will involve the key government departments,
industry, labour, NGO’s and others.
Environmental Impact
Management
Speaker, I would now
like to turn to environmental impact management.
The NEMA Amendment Bill
was introduced in Parliament in July 2007.
The process is well underway to bring the
environmental management of mining into
the NEMA legislative system. Enactment of
the Bill will likely take place by August
2008, which will immediately be followed
by the promulgation of the amended EIA Regulations.
This will introduce a new era of implementation
under a more efficient and effective system.
Already, due to our
decisive interventions, and financial support
to provinces, the pre-2006 backlog from
the EIA system has been reduced by 80%.
95% of all EIA applications submitted to
DEAT in terms of the 2006 Regulations have
been processed within specified time frames.
All this was achieved without compromising
the integrity of the system.
Although great strides
have been made in improving the EIA system,
implementation capacity at provincial level
remains of concern as at least 98% of EIA
applications are processed at provincial
level. I continuously receive reports from
provincial departments indicating high levels
of staff turn-over and lack of financial
resources to develop the decision-support
tools required to improve their EIA efficiency
and effectiveness. It is for this reason
that the bulk of the operational budget
of the EIM section is dedicated to providing
financial support in the development of
Environmental Management Frameworks and
other decision support tools.
Together with the Departments
of Public Enterprise, Minerals and Energy
and the Presidency, we have also developed
a strategy and guideline for EIAs associated
with strategically important developments.
This work will soon culminate in a formal
agreement and a guideline on EIAs associated
with projects emanating from the Electricity
Response Plan (ERP).
An EIA efficiency and
effectiveness review has also commenced
and the audit of the EIA administrative
capacity as well as a needs analysis is
nearing completion. The findings of these
projects will be discussed at a national
conference - 10 years of environmental impact
management - planned for October 2008.
GROWING OUR CONSERVATION
ESTATE
Speaker, in my introduction
I mentioned our countries proud and rich
biodiversity. Approximately 5.9% of South
Africa’s land surface area is currently
under formal conservation through the system
of national and provincial protected areas.
The National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment
(NSBA) confirmed that our current protected
area network does not conserve a representative
enough sample of South Africa’s biodiversity.
Due to historical reasons, formal protected
areas were often established with limited
consideration to biodiversity and the maintenance
of ecological processes. A large proportion
of biological diversity and critical ecosystem
processes are therefore found outside of
terrestrial and marine protected areas.
This situation has lead
to the development of a National Protected
Areas Expansion Strategy (NPAES). This strategy
sets out a framework for the expansion of
the protected areas network in South Africa
in order that a more representative sample
of biological diversity may be conserved
and managed. The Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), to which we are a signatory,
requires that 10% of the terrestrial and
20% of marine biodiversity be conserved
by 2010.
Expansion of the national
protected area system must take place concurrently
with an effort to enhance the management
and effectiveness of both the existing protected
areas and new areas. It must address the
challenges posed by climate change.
DEAT and SANParks have
just completed the second year of implementation
on the Infrastructure Development Programme
for which a total amount of R 541 million
was made available over a four year period.
Implementation of the projects have started
in earnest.
The programme to date
has employed 1,357 people. Some 50 SMME’s
were empowered and transformation in the
construction industry is actively supported.
There are many examples of completed and
running projects under this programme. To
name some highlights:
145 tourism accommodation units were upgraded
and many new accommodation units constructed
in various national parks
89 upgraded and new staff accommodation
units were put in place in various national
parks
Construction work has also started on important
initiatives that include the following:
a new Transfrontier Park Entrance Gate at
Twee Rivieren in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier
Park
Conference centres in Mopani and Skukuza
Rest Camps in the Kruger National Park and
a world class Interpretive Centre in Mapungubwe
National Park that will celebrate the rich
heritage of this world heritage site.
MARINE AND COASTAL MANAGEMENT
Members of Parliament
are well aware that we have completed the
allocation of long-term commercial fishing
rights of 8 to 15 years in 20 fishing sectors.
Out of more than 8 000 applicants for fishing
rights, 2480 were granted long term fishing
rights, while 59% of these were BEE compliant.
A performance review process of the commercial
fishery rights allocation is currently underway
and draft policies on the transfer of commercial
fishing rights and allocation of large pelagics
have been published. To complete the allocation
process, the department is working on a
revised Policy on Subsistence/Small Scale
fisheries. This sector of the fisheries
has not received the attention it deserves,
as we have in the past not had a dispensation
for small scale fishers. I want to pledge
our Departments commitment to elevate this
sector as part of our core business.
Speaker, global fish
stocks show evidence of decline from a combination
of unsustainable fishing pressures, habitat
degradation and possibly climate change.
This has collectively resulted in 25% of
world fish stocks being under serious threat
of depletion. Therefore, the biggest challenge
in the fishing industry remains to balance
declining marine living resources with the
high demand for access to these resources.
Simultaneously we also have to deal with
poaching. This leads to very difficult decisions
that need to be taken to keep this industry
on a sustainable path. To suspend fishing
in a fishery like the wild abalone sector
was a very difficult decision to take as
we are aware that such decisions have an
impact on the livelihoods of many people
and families. Unfortunately more difficult
decisions lie ahead in the fishing industry.
These decisions must be informed by the
consideration that we have a responsibility
to ensure that future generations will be
able to know and enjoy these resources.
Our department, with
the assistance and cooperation of other
key national and provincial departments,
is working towards increasing marine aquaculture
production by 2010. Marine aquaculture represents
one of the few opportunities for economic
growth and job creation with the fisheries
sector.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Madame
Speaker, I would like to thank the previous
DG, Pam Yako, the current leadership in
the Department, each and every DEAT staff
member, as well as the CEOs and boards of
our statutory bodies for their tireless
work in our sector.
I would also like to
express my sincere thanks to Deputy Minister
Rejoice Mabudafhasi for her hard work and
support this year, as well as to Honourable
Langa Zita, Chairperson of the Portfolio
Committee, and to every member of the committee
for their committed work.
Thank you to our numerous
partners, both beyond and within our borders,
including industry, non-governmental organisations
and communities for working with us to achieve
collectively what none of us could have
achieved individually.
Speaker, growing our
environment and tourism sectors are important
- especially in a country like ours where
so many challenges and opportunities exist.
We have a joint responsibility to grow these
sectors. This is the understanding that
will underpin our efforts in 2008.
I thank you
Mava Scott (Acting Chief Director: Communications)
