"Sustainable Use"

[Lisbeth]

A Word from the CEO of "Endangered Wildlife Trust"

Among the many issues and perspectives that serve to fragment the conservation sector, rather than unite it, perhaps the greatest is the concept of ‘Sustainable Use,’ and where one positions yourself or your organisation along this rather long and winding spectrum. From the one extreme, which says that humans cannot use any element of our natural world for their benefit at all, to the other end, which claims that full exploitation of nature and all its components is a human right no matter the form this use may take, or its impacts on nature going forward.

Thankfully, most conservation organisations in South Africa sit somewhere far from the edges of these extreme views, and this helps to maintain a balance on most platforms. The EWT firmly believes in the use of nature to the benefit of ALL species, humans included, so essentially we stand FOR the concept of Sustainable Use. The trouble is not with the principle, but rather, in our view, how it is being adapted to suit the needs of a small but increasingly influential pool of ‘special interest’ groups that stand to benefit from use that is sustainable only insofar as it can be sustained, and not for the persistence of a healthy environment for all other creatures.

In 1992, the World Bank stated that their interpretation of the term Sustainable Development was “… development that lasts”. With no reference to the environment being the entity that should in fact last, which is more to the heart of what the Rio Convention (at which the term gained global traction) undoubtedly meant. Ironically, nearly 30 years later, we see some sectors of society interpreting the term Sustainable Use in much the same way. And you argue with them at your peril, for the very first thing they like to quote is the South African Constitution which allegedly enshrines the right of all people to use natural resources in any way that they like. The trouble is, it doesn’t.

THIS is what the Constitution of South Africa, in Section 24 actually says:

Section 24 - Everyone has the right –

a) To an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and

b) To have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that –

i. prevent pollution and ecological degradation;

ii. promote conservation; and

iii. secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.

What’s so fantastic about this Constitution of ours is that it not only affords humans the right to a clean and healthy environment, but that this applies to future generations: those not even born yet! This right, it states, will be realised through conservation (first and foremost) and then the “ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources”. It is quite clear that the application of sustainability (or persistence if you will) is in relation to the environment and not its use. Simply put, the environment must be sustainable, not just our use thereof.

Therefore, seeing as the Endangered Wildlife Trust so firmly believes in the power of this true environmental right and the ability of our natural resources to sustainably and equitably transform and uplift human lives, we are driving a process to re-examine the narrative around sustainable use (as it is currently being interpreted). A better interpretation of the Constitutional Right, we would argue, would be to truncate section 24(b)iii to be simply SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION in which “ecologically sustainable” is positioned appropriately alongside environmental use.

In short, the EWT:

1. Holds that sustainable use as is sometimes applied in South Africa is currently NOT in line with the spirit or even the language, of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa;
2. Has become increasingly concerned with the narrow and misguided approach to sustainable use currently being taken in some quarters, leading to industry-scale abuses based on the use of a single entity with no value to the broader ecological or social systems; and instead
3. Supports and promotes sustainable conservation as follows:

Sustainable conservation embodies the true spirit of the environmental rights of all people in South Africa – ensuring that the point of departure in any decision, policy or system is that the environment (as a complete and holistic system) is protected for the benefit of present and future generations.

Sustainable conservation exists when the conservation of biodiversity, with all its various wildlife components existing naturally in a functioning ecosystem, becomes the driving factor. Ecological sustainability requires functioning systems and balance and we hold that this underpins the environmental right in our Constitution.

To achieve sustainable conservation, various forms of both consumptive and non-consumptive use can and should be employed as a means of sustaining the system, and ensuring equitable benefit sharing for those who contribute to, are impacted on, or who co-exist as part of these systems. The use of nature in a balanced, holistic and equitable manner is indeed the way in which humans realise their environmental right. This would be to the benefit of the “Everyone” to which our Constitution refers, including those generations not yet born. Above all, the conservation of our natural world remains central to any use thereof, for without these systems, there is no future.