India, 19 October 2012
On the margins of the
High Level Segment of the 12th Meeting of
the Conference of Parties to the Convention
on Biological Diversity being held in India,
South Africa received an overwhelming vote
from the Group of Like Minded Megadiverse
Countries (commonly known as the LMMC’s)
as the new Chairperson of the Group for
a period of two years until the next meeting
of the Conference of Parties to be held
in Korea in 2014.
This nomination follows
yesterday’s announcement by Philippine’s
Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural
Resources, Mr Ernesto Adobo, the outgoing
Chairperson of the LMMC, Philippines during
the High Level Segment of Ministers of Environment
throughout the world.
Minister Edna Molewa accepting the nomination
after SA was appointed Chairperson of the
Group of LMMC at the Cop 11 on Biodiversity
held in India.
Megadiverse countries
are a group of countries that contain the
majority of the Earth's species and are
therefore considered extremely biologically
diverse. This group of countries represents
less than 10% of the global surface, but
supports more than 70% of the biological
diversity on earth.
The Group of Like-Minded
Megadiverse Countries was established in
2002 in Cancun, Mexico as a consultation
and cooperation mechanism in order to promote
parties’ common interests and priorities
related to the conservation and sustainable
use of biological diversity. The Declaration,
establishing the Group, acknowledged that
biological resources and the associated
environmental services have an immense strategic,
economic and social value, and offer development
opportunities to the populations of these
countries and the international community.
The megadiverse countries
are a group of countries that harbor the
majority of the Earth's species and are
therefore considered extremely biodiverse.
Conservation International identified 17
megadiverse countries in 1998. This group
of countries represents less than 10% of
the global surface, but supports more than
70% of the biological diversity on earth.
The 17 members of the LMMC are Bolivia,
Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia,
Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru,
Philippines, South Africa, and Venezuela.
South Africa ranks third
in biological diversity, after Brazil and
Indonesia.
Accepting the nomination,
Ms Edna Molewa, the Minister of Water and
Environmental Affairs indicated that South
Africa is privileged to be chosen to lead
such an auspicious group of countries mandated
to conserve and protect the major chunk
of the world’s prestigious biological and
associated cultural resources which underpins
the countries’ economies.
"South Africa is
not blind to the pressures facing Megadiverse
countries and the rest of the world in light
climate change, habitat loss and degradation,
over-exploitation and unsustainable use
of biological resources, pollution, invasive
alien species, etc. which concomitantly
precipitate biodiversity loss," added
Minister Molewa on the last day of the eleventh
Conference of Parties (COP 11) being held
in India.
The Minister further
urged the LMMC Group to heighten co-operation
amongst parties in particular in respect
of the ratification and implementation of
the Nagoya Protocol, resource mobilisation
in order to facilitate revision and implementation
of National Biodiversity Strategies and
Action Plans. These efforts, she added,
will go a long way in assisting to realise
Rio+20 vision of the “future we want”.
South Africa has committed
to host a workshop in 2013 to develop a
roadmap for the Group until 2020.
+ More
Minister Edna Molewa
attends COP-11 on Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) to raise the profile of
biodiversity in support of sustainable development
17 October 2012 - Minister
of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms.
Edna Molewa has arrived in Hyderabad, India,
to attend the meeting of the eleventh Conference
of Parties (COP11) to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD).
The South African delegation
at the COP includes the Minister of Women,
Children and People with Disability, Ms.
Lulu Xingwana (for gender mainstreaming),
Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental
Affairs, Ms. Rejoice Mabudafhasi and senior
officials from government, government entities
and the biodiversity sector.
Minister Edna Molewa,
SA High Commissioner to India, HE Harris
Majeke and DDG Fundisile Mketeni engages
with Brazil, and India in a trilateral at
the COP 11.
The Minister, representing
South Africa at the biodiversity meeting,
will attend the High Level Segment of the
COP which starts today and ends on Friday,
19 October 2012. The High Level Segment
is attended by Ministers following a week
of negotiations led by senior officials
from various Parties to the Convention.
The eleventh meeting
of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11)
to the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD), COP 11, follows on the historic outcomes
of 2010 meeting which was held in Nagoya,
Japan. At the Nagoya talks, governments
adopted a new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
(2011 – 2020) with 20 Aichi targets, and
one new supplementary protocol to the CBD
(Nagoya Protocol), the course for halting
biodiversity loss by the end of the current
decade.
The Aichi Biodiversity
Targets are implemented under the following
Strategic Goals:
•Goal A: Address the
underlying causes of biodiversity loss by
mainstreaming biodiversity across government
and society
•Goal B: Reduce the direct pressure on biodiversity
and promote sustainable use
•Goal C: Improve the status of biodiversity
by safeguarding ecosystem, species and genetic
diversity
•Goal D: Enhance the benefits to all from
biodiversity and ecosystem services
•Goal E: Enhance implementation through
participatory planning, knowledge management
and capacity building.
As of June 2012 theConvention (CBD) had
193 Parties, with its work anchored on three
areas of work, namely the conservation,
sustainable use of biological diversity,
and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits
arising from the utilisation of resources.
"Given South Africa’s status as a biologically
mega-diverse country, its regional importance
in Africa, and its prominence in the G77
and China, the CBD COP 11 will provide South
Africa with a unique opportunity to raise
the profile of its biodiversity sector,"
said Minister Molewa
Fundisile Mketeni makes a point at the SA,
India and Brazil Trilateral with Minister
Molewa and SA High Commissioner to India,
HE Harris Majeke.
Minister Molewa added
that this will be done through strengthening
the business case for biodiversity as a
cornerstone of sustainable development;
powering the green economy and our efforts
to adapt to climate change.
South Africa subscribes
to the three key objectives the CBD is anchored
on and is a signatory to the Convention.
Sustainable utilisation of natural resources
is at the forefront of South Africa’s approach
to development as articulated in the National
Strategy for Sustainable Development and
other legislative and strategic frameworks.
The CBD's programme of work is organized
around thematic programmes of works which
set out key issues for consideration, identify
potential outputs, and suggest a timetable
and means for achieving these objectives.
Of strategic importance
to South Africa, are the following key issues
will be deliberated upon at COP 11:
•Status of the Nagoya
Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources:
South Africa has signed the Protocol on
11 May 2011. South Africa has since initiated
the process to ratify the Protocol and is
greatly concerned about the slow pace by
other countries.
•Implementation of the Strategic Plan for
Biodiversity 2011-2020 and progress towards
the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets
•Financial mechanism (Budgets) and Resource
Mobilisation
•Cooperation, outreach and the United Nations
Decade on Biodiversity
•Biodiversity and Climate Change and related
issues
•Biodiversity and Development
•Marine and Coastal Biodiversity
•Inland Biodiversity
•Biodiversity and Business
In view of the South African government’s
commitment to a new growth path in the form
of a green economy, South Africa will advance
positions that support a move towards implementation
of economic instruments, including where
appropriate, market-based mechanisms for
biodiversity conservation.
