Minister Edna Molewa’s Budget Vote policy statement. National Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town, Thursday, 17 July 2014
Here the entire piece about Conservation and Biodiversity ManagementAn amount of R103 million for the period of 2014/15 to 2016/17 has been allocated to SANParks for the purpose of combating rhino poaching. This is in addition to other financial assistance that SANParks has and continues to receive from private sector organizations through its fundraising initiatives.
Conservation and Biodiversity Management
South Africa’s national botanical gardens, as ‘windows’ and ambassadors of our biodiversity, have been visited by more than 22. 7 million visitors, and generated over R400 million self-generated income, largely from admissions, rentals and sales, to supplement government grants and support garden-based operations.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute drives important and policy relevant biodiversity and ecosystems research programmed- through an extensive international academic research network.
Poaching remains the biggest threat to South Africa’s rhino. There has been an alarming increase in rhino poaching countrywide.
Because it is part of a multi-billion dollar worldwide illicit wildlife trade, addressing the scourge is not simple. That is why we will continue to strengthen holistic and integrated interventions and explore new innovative options to ensure the long-term survival of the species.
Our conservation efforts have been working. Over the first six months of 2014, 136 suspects were arrested and charged for rhino poaching and related crimes. This represents an increase on the 134 arrests over the same period last year. An amount of R 8 million from the Asset Forfeiture Unit was handed over to SANParks, as part of criminal proceedings against a member of a poaching syndicate who was arrested during the course of the year.
An amount of R103 million for the period of 2014/15 to 2016/17 has been allocated to SANParks for the purpose of combating rhino poaching. This is in addition to other financial assistance that SANParks has and continues to receive from private sector organizations through its fundraising initiatives.
Our priority engagements with key African countries such as Mozambique will continue to receive high attention. An international agreement with the Mozambican authorities has been signed to strengthen the fight against rhino poaching. An implementation plan for the next 5 years is currently being jointly negotiated.
Further afield, our engagements with Far East countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Hong Kong, and People’s Republic of China to address the demand for illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products are bearing fruit.
South Africa will host the 17th Conference of Parties to CITES in 2016 and the process to prepare for the CoP has been initiated. The hosting of the CoP will provide South Africa with an opportunity to demonstrate its conservation successes and to promote sustainable utilization as an integral part of conservation and economic growth.
Considering the importance of some forms of legal international trade in wildlife products and the challenges posed by illegal wildlife trade, the CoP will present an opportunity to open rational discussions on potential solutions that will enable countries, communities and species to benefit from a sustainable use approach, including possible well-regulated trade regimes, while ensuring illegal activities are dealt with effectively and punitively.
The billon dollar illegal trade in fauna and flora (other than fisheries and timber) involves a wide range of species including insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish and mammals, all of which are of high values to national economies.
Last year Cabinet directed that we investigate the desirability and feasibility of the possibility of making a proposal on the legalizing of trade in rhino horn as a potential intervention to reduce the incidence of poaching at the 17th Conference of Parties to CITES in 2016.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) will first consider the report from the Panel of Experts appointed in January 2014. The Panel will also engage with various stakeholders during the process.
No decision has been made on this issue, as the work is ongoing.
We would like to urge all stakeholders to work with us in ensuring that whatever position we adopt at CITES in 2016, is well researched and adheres to sustainable utilization principles.
We also welcome the decision of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO to approve a reduced buffer zone for the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site.
The Department of Environmental Affairs will now move into the next stage of consultations with a view to start implementing the new buffer zone through national legislation and other biodiversity and cultural heritage management instruments.
The critical issue of mining which has in the past led to a conflict between conservation and development will now be addressed through the implementation of the Mining and Biodiversity Guideline which was published by my department and the Department of Minerals Resources last year.
These guidelines also introduce an extremely important concept known as ‘biodiversity off-setting’, aimed at restoring the environment or development balance. This tool is specifically designed to ensure that we leave subsequent generations with at least a biodiversity endowment of at least equal value.
However, biodiversity is not the only area where the offsetting concept may have extremely positive benefits.
Indeed, new thinking and developments around air quality, water quality and carbon offsetting appears to be indicating a potential radical and transformative approach to sustainable development.
To this end, the department will be exploring the exciting concept of environmental offsetting with all stakeholders over the next year and I encourage business, industry, consultants, NGOs and the academic community to actively engage with the department in exploring this potential missing link in sustainable development promotion.
Invasive alien species are now recognized, worldwide, as among the greatest threats to biological diversity and the ecological functioning of natural systems, to the productive potential of land and water, to the economy, and in terms of disease.
Environmental biosecurity will complement the internationally commended Working for Water programmed in preventing the introduction of potentially invasive species, and managing those already in the country.
This will prevent impacts and losses that can be measured in hundreds of billions of Rands, apart from being the single biggest programmed to create jobs for the unemployed people in South Africa since democracy.
