03 August 2007 - Media Statement
- Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism - FRIDAY, 03 AUGUST 2007: “As individual
countries we cannot begin to address the environmental
challenges facing us, we need to collaborate,
co-operate and invest at a regional and global
level,” said Andre Share, marine resource
manager from South Africa’s department of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism during the
closing ceremony of the Global Environment
Facility’s Fourth Biennial International Waters
Conference."
South Africa was the first country on the
continent to host the International Waters
Conference. This follows the successful hosting
of the Third GEF Assembly in August last year.
GEF is currently funding 27 International
Water projects on the African continent.
Reflecting on the content of the programme,
Share commented on the session on Celebration
of African Achievements which highlighted
results of successful cooperation among countries
in the Senegal River Basin in West Africa,
in groundwater management in the Iullemeden
Aquifer, in coastal and marine management
in East Africa and with Indian Ocean states,
as well as in two GEF funded projects of particular
importance to South Africa, the GloBallast
programme addressing the introduction of invasive
alien species through the ballast water of
ships moving through the region, including
a demonstration site in the Western Cape.
“Of course I cannot fail to mention the groundbreaking
successful Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem
(BCLME) project, which is of great significance
to South Africa as it embodies the spirit
of collaboration, knowledge and experience
sharing between SA, Namibia and Angola,” said
Share.
The BCLME has proven to be so successful
that the process to develop a similar project,
the Agulhas - Somali Current Large Marine
Ecosystem, on the east coast of Africa is
now underway. The lessons learnt and best
practice emanating from the BCLME will prove
to be invaluable in initiating this pivotal
project.
SA has already begun to implement the ecosystem
approach to fisheries management, fully recognizing
the social and economic considerations.
Share highlighted that globally we are already
experiencing massive environmental challenges
in particular climate variability and change
as increased pressure on our water resource
systems, which means more frequent and more
intense floods and droughts - changes in ocean
temperatures, affecting agriculture &
fisheries, water supply and sanitation, livelihoods
and food security.
Traditionally we have always associated the
ocean as being plentiful, with infinite resources
but today we fully realize that the situation
has changed dramatically and only we have
the power to turn the situation around as
we ensure that our oceans are protected and
sustained for future generations. Today our
oceans are oceans of hope as we strive to
meet the needs of all and not the greed of
some, Share concluded.
Carol Moses
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Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk Opens Fourth
Biennial International Waters Conference in
Cape Town
Media Statement 2007 - Media Statement -
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
- TUESDAY, 31 JULY 2007: “The success of International
Waters Programmes and projects must lie in
the ability of the implementers to work across
state boundaries with various configurations
of government agencies and portfolios. The
value of such gatherings is that they allow
the lessons learned across continents to be
crystallised into basic universal good practice.
We note that the GEF has made efforts to engage
in Waters programmes across the globe including
the developing world. We in the developing
world, although having slightly more pristine
habitats and ecosystems, acknowledge that
the environment must be managed at the appropriate
scales if we are going to have a measure of
success that stands the test of time,” said
Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism during his welcome address
at the Global Environmental Facilitys’ (GEF)
Fourth Biennial International Waters Conference,
which commenced today.
The Fourth Biennial Conference sees over
350 international delegates from 135 countries
converge at the Cape Town International Convention
Centre from 31 July to 03 August 2007 to discuss
projects, share experiences and highlight
challenges around the pertinent issue of international
waters.
GEF is the main financial mechanism for several
global environmental conventions. International
waters is one of the GEF focal areas and is
a mechanism for catalyzing action by gathering
information and conducting analysis of transboundary
water concerns. Through its international
waters projects it provides support to countries
to strengthen transboundary collaboration
in addressing key transboundary concerns such
as water pollution, protection of fisheries
habitats and unsustainable exploitation of
fisheries.
The Minister highlighted that South Africa
like other countries that are adjacent to
large ocean spaces was aware that we should
be doing more to understand the impacts of
large scale processes on our local habitats,
marine industries and communities. He added
that large scale and international waters
programmes can focus on regional and global
issues and will provide a basis to understand
risk and vulnerability to large ecosystem
shifts, such as climate change impacts.
Van Schalkwyk noted that the understanding
of socio-economic impacts in managing ecosystems
is an aspect that has been gaining importance.
“The traditional uses of the oceans only to
harvest marine living resources must further
be diversified to include a wider range of
activities. In South Africa, marine ecotourism
is a growing industry especially with regard
to viewing our top marine predators such as
sharks, whales, seals and birds,” he said.
Van Schalkwyk emphasised that with each coastal
state exercising its right to use the ocean
services at its disposal, we needed to acknowledge
that there are threshold limits that exist
at the ecosystem scale. “The true value of
International Waters Programmes, like those
facilitated through the GEF, is that they
engage management agencies on these large
scale limits. These programmes encourage states
to look at environmental impacts and influences
outside their jurisdictional boundaries and
across ecosystem scales,” said van Schalkwyk.
Commenting on the conference agenda he welcomed
the revised structure of conference proceedings
geared towards interaction and focused interactive
dialogue sessions. Van Schalkwyk described
the agenda as bold and commendable designed
with the intention to maximise opportunities
to exchange experiences and lessons from around
the world and to move away from the less interactive
traditional format of plenary sessions and
presentations
“I note with particular interest that you
have sessions devoted to issues on ground
water, pollution, marine fisheries, which
are very close to South Africans in general
and to Cape Town in particular, and finally
assessing and valuing ecosystems. This is
an area where most of us can develop expertise.
Such valuations provide a sound basis from
which to make our management interventions
and facilitate the motivation for resources
to undertake such large scale work,” commented
van Schalkwyk.
Carol Moses
