01 September 2008 -
MEDIA STATEMENT - Deputy Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi
in her key note address at the People and
Parks Conference in Mafikeng said today
“despite our successes in the conservation
of biodiversity and the expansion of the
conservation estate, we are faced with serious
challenges such as the threat to our globally
recognized biodiversity
hotspots, endemic and endangered species,
river ecosystems, wetlands and estuaries.
Our success in achieving sustainable protection
of these hotspots, species and ecosystems
will largely depend on the extent to which
we involve local people whose livelihoods
depend on these resources.”
The conference which
commenced today, 01 September takes place
over two days and is attended by government,
conservation agencies and representatives
of communities living in and around protected
areas.
The Convention on Biological
Diversity of which South Africa is a member
has adopted that all parties should promote
full and effective participation of communities
living in and around protected areas (land
under conservation), with respect to their
rights, in the management of existing and
new protected areas by 2008.
The conference is convened
under the pertinent theme “Conservation
for the people by the people” and intends
to show government’s commitment towards
the socio-economic empowerment of people
living in and around protected areas (land
under conservation) and protecting biodiversity.
In 2005, government
promulgated the Protected Areas Act and
Biodiversity Act to promote access, equitable
sharing of benefits and the active participation
of communities living around protected areas
of the management of these pristine areas.
Government is faced
with the daunting challenge of eradicating
poverty and growing the economy by 6% by
2014. About 800 million rural people worldwide
suffer from hunger and the most severely
affected are children. Climate change, loss
of biodiversity from land degradation and
desertification also play a role in exposing
rural communities into unprecedented levels
of poverty.
Since the People and
Parks programme looks at the role protected
areas play in local economic growth, Deputy
Minister Mabudafhasi commended conservation
agencies for their role in implementing
programs to empower communities living adjacent
to parks. To date, they have developed policies
for resource use, capacity building programmes
and co-management models in protected areas
that are affected by land claims. The conference
ends tomorrow and will chart the way forward.
Any media enquiries
to be referred to Lizzy Suping, 083 758
0553
http://www.environment.gov.za/HotIssues/2008/people_Parks/people_parks.htm
Lizzy Suping
+ More
Tourism Month Celebrated
With Strong Growth Figures
04 September 2008 -
Media Statement - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism - THURSDAY, 04 SEPTEMBER
2008: At the launch of South African Tourism
Month 2008 Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, expressed
his confidence that the country was well
on its way to reaching its targets of 10
million foreign visitors in 2010.
Van Schalkwyk, who was
speaking at the launch held in Rustenburg
in the North West, said foreign arrival
figures for the first five months of 2008
indicated strong growth in the face of challenging
economic conditions. “There is no doubt
that South Africa is one of the most sought
after destinations in the world, and the
figures continue to prove this again and
again,” Van Schalkwyk said.
He pointed to some of
the highlights experienced in the first
five months of 2008, which include:
Overall foreign arrivals
grew by 7.6% from January to May 2008 to
reach a total of almost 4 million (3,983,061).
Europe is experiencing positive growth of
7.4%. France has seen the highest increase
over the period of 20.5%. Italy and the
Netherlands grew at 9.1% and 9.5% respectively
while Germany saw good recovery with 5.1%
growth.
Arrivals from the Americas have shown consistent
annual growth since 2002. From January to
May this year there were over 26 000 more
visitors arriving from the United States,
bringing the total figure to 161,550 for
the region including Canada. This represents
an increase of 13.6% over the same period
in 2007.
Arrivals from Brazil, a market on which
South African Tourism is increasingly concentrating,
rose by 19% to 14,432 arrivals.
Growth out of Asia and Australasia was led
by growth in two key markets, namely China
at 17.4% and India at 16.2%. Australia continues
to grow steadily with a 12.4% increase for
the period while Japan increased by 3.6%.
Arrivals from the air markets in Africa
(Kenya and Nigeria) grew at 19.5%, while
land markets saw growth at 6.4%.
“Compared to the figure of less than 600,000
foreign visitors in 1994, the long term
growth we have seen is truly something to
celebrate. This does not mean, however,
that our tourism industry faces no challenges.
As we as a country define our strategy for
adapting to and mitigating against the impacts
of climate change, it is very apt to also
explore the response of the tourism industry,”
van Schalkwyk said.
The theme for World
Tourism Day 2008 is Tourism responding to
climate change and the Minister said it
was particularly appropriate in the context
of tourism in South Africa.
In South Africa, the
majority of attractions and experiences
sold to tourists are environmentally based.
We have already seen the impact of climate
change on sea currents in the destruction
on some of our most popular tourist beaches.
Global warming also has a potentially devastating
effect on biodiversity. A report published
at the end of June by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that
if the global average temperature increase
is not kept below 2ºC compared to pre-industrial
levels, the impact on the Kruger National
Park could be devastating. The IPCC report
indicates that if global mean temperatures
increase 2.5-3ºC above 11000-levels,
up to two thirds of all animal species in
the Kruger National Park could become extinct.
This includes the extinction of 24-59% of
mammals, 28-40% of birds, 13-70% of butterflies,
18-80% of other invertebrates and 21-45%
of reptiles in the Kruger National Park.
A loss of 66% of all animal species could
become a reality if nothing is done.
Van Schalkwyk said he
did not mention such forecasts to be alarmist,
but to emphasise the vital role of tourism
in responding to climate change given its
high interdependence on the environment.
The Minister cited examples of positive
and practical responses that can help the
industry as a whole to facilitate a shift
in mindsets. “This is a critical issue,
but in my opinion the single most important
factor which will continue to motivate tourists
to visit a destination or return to it is
service excellence,” he said.
He welcomed a delegation
of experts from Singapore, who are assisting
South Africa in establishing a National
Service Excellence Forum (NASEF). NASEF
will drive the development of a Service
Excellence Strategy for the tourism sector
and met for the first time in Rustenburg.
The Service Excellence Strategy will be
launched at the National Tourism Conference,
which opens on the 3rd of November in Gauteng.
“The development of
such a strategy is based on the premise
that South Africa needs to deliver an unforgettable
experience to visitors during the Soccer
World Cup and beyond that into the future.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) will
deliver a legacy of infrastructure and stadiums
and as the tourism sector we also need an
initiative that will leave a legacy of providing
an exceptional experience to visitors”,
Van Schalkwyk said.
The strategy will elevate
service levels in South Africa to equal
the best in the world and it will centre
on four areas:
The up-skilling of those
involved in service delivery, focusing on
behaviour and attitude alignment at all
service touch points. Appropriate training
programmes and other interventions will
be used to achieve sustained changes in
behaviour and attitude;
Public awareness initiatives on service
excellence, which will aim to educate consumers
on what world class standards entail and
motivate South Africans to be a hospitable
and welcoming nation;
The measurement and monitoring of service
standards and the implementation of a credible
and effective accreditation system that
includes behaviour and attitude assessment
at all service touch points; and
A consumer feedback mechanism that will
be well publicised and linked
to the grading and accreditation system.
With reference to tourism and climate change,
Van Schalkwyk said the industry has to develop
its own policies to deal with the phenomenon,
which means that the industry and all its
roleplayers need to understand their contributions
to climate change and how they can respond.
Internationally, concerns
about climate change are increasing, particularly
in our key markets. This will mean, for
example, that people will think twice about
getting on a plane and flying large distances,
which will impact on our visitor arrivals.
“South Africa needs to respond to the concerns
of potential visitors by providing them
with options for reducing or mitigating
against their carbon emissions and the tourism
industry has to demonstrate best environmental
management practices,” Van Schalkwyk said.
He emphasised that getting
involved in the debate about climate change
does not mean discouraging people to travel.
Rather, it is about communication. “I would
like to appeal to the tourism industry to
anticipate potential changes and respond
to them by shifting the mindset of consumers
and product owners. Those who are responsible
for destination management should anticipate,
develop and foster adaptation measures to
diversify tourism products, lessening the
potential impact of climate change.”
“The tourism industry
should see climate change as a transformative
challenge that needs to be addressed now,
as it will become more costly the longer
we wait”, the Minister said. For this reason,
the Department of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism (DEAT) has integrated climate
change in its Draft Tourism Growth Strategy
for the next five years.
Van Schalkwyk said he
envisions the tourism industry taking a
leading role in protecting and enhancing
the environment and adapting to climate
change by amongst others:
Contributing to a approach
to ensure that South Africa’s environment
will continue to be enjoyed by future generations
of visitors;
Understanding the expectations of visitors
and easily identifying and selecting products
that deliver good environmental performance;
Leading the way in introducing initiatives
to reduce carbon emissions and increase
energy efficiency, especially of transport
en route to and in South Africa;
Improving its energy efficiency, energy
use and boosting the use of renewable energy
at all levels;
Taking active steps to reduce and manage
its waste and encouraging
other sectors to do the same; and
Working together with conservation agencies
to make sure conservation values are enhanced.
The Minister highlighted some of the initiatives
being undertaken by the DEAT, which include:
The development of a
national strategy to green major events;
The development of a national framework
for the responsible grading of tourism products;
and
The development of a campaign which will
share practical skills on how all roleplayers
can contribute to the development and promotion
of environmentally responsible tourism.
Ronel Bester (Minister's Office)
+ More
MLRF Turnaround Achieved
Two Years Ahead of Time
26 May 2008 - Media
Statement - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism - MONDAY, 01 SEPTEMBER
2008: The Minister of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, announced
today that the Marine Living Resources Fund
(MLRF) for the first time ever received
an unqualified audit report.
The MLRF Annual Report
for 2007/08 was tabled in Parliament on
Friday 29 August and shows a turnaround
in the management and administration of
the MLRF. The MLRF finances the operations
- including research, resource and coastal
management and monitoring, control and surveillance
- of the Marine and Coastal Management (MCM)
branch of the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism (DEAT).
The unqualified Audit
Report is the culmination of work that was
started in August 2006 in response to a
number of concerns raised about the MLRF,
including cash flow problems, a lack of
skills and capacity and inadequate financial
systems.
Van Schalkwyk said the
corrective strategies focussed on corporate
governance, risk management and compliance
with International Accounting Standards.
“I am very pleased that these improvements
were achieved two years ahead of the initial
schedule, which aimed to achieve an unqualified
report with no emphasis of matter in the
2009/10 reporting period,” the Minister
said.
According to Van Schalkwyk,
the latest Annual Report of the MLRF reflects
a healthier financial position. “The MLRF
now has a positive accumulated surplus of
more than R29 million, compared to a deficit
of more than R65 million in the 2005/06
financial year. This means that MCM is now
better able to fulfil its mandate and is
in full compliance with the statutory reporting
requirements of the MLRF. The improved financial
position means, amongst others, that there
are now more sea days available for compliance
vessels and research. This growth allows
the MLRF to now build on and leverage off
its strengthened balance sheet,” the Minister
said.
The MCM branch is tasked
with:
Managing the development
and sustainable use of South Africa’s marine
and coastal resources;
Protecting the integrity of our marine and
coastal ecosystems; and
Striving to achieve a healthy balance between
the sustainable utilisation of marine and
coastal resources and protecting and conserving
these same resources.
In the Annual Reports for 2002-05, which
were submitted three years late, the Auditor
General identified a number of concerns,
including:
A lack of internal controls;
A lack of compliance with the Public Finance
Management Act (PFMA);
No proper accounting and fixed asset systems;
A lack of historical data and supporting
documentation; and
Insufficient debtor and income controls.
In the Annual Report for 2005/06 there were
22 qualifications and an amount of R247
million was incorrectly presented in the
financial statements. This resulted in the
Auditor General not expressing an opinion
on the financial statements. The report
for 2006/07 had six qualifications with
a misstated amount of R25.7 million. In
contrast to this, the most recent report
was released with an unqualified audit opinion
and no emphasis of matter.
Ronel Bester
