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Environmental management
Introduction
South Africa’s trove of natural treasures and beauty is unmatched. Although South Africa accounts for only 2% of the world’s surface area, it is home to
nearly 10% of the world’s plants and 7% of the world’s reptiles, birds and
mammals. In terms of the number of endemic species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, South Africa is ranked as the fifth richest country in
Africa and the 24th richest in the world.
The overarching vision of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is a prosperous and
equitable society living in harmony with its environment
and natural resources. The department
manages policies governing four interrelated components: tourism, the fishing industry, conservation management of natural resources and the
environment and substantial development.
The department’s objective is to maximise
economic growth in these sectors while effectively
managing the interface between the environment
and development. Furthermore, the department
also leads the environment and culture
sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme
(EPWP), and promotes the global sustainable
development agenda.
The provincial conservation agencies are major
role-players, and independent statutory organisations such as South African National Parks
(SANParks) and the South African National Biodiversity
Institute (Sanbi) are valuable partners in
the country’s total conservation effort.
Improved environmental conditions include
certain fish stocks, which have recovered due to
good management measures, and a slowing of
habitat loss in some areas of the country.
Programmes to rehabilitate ecosystems while
creating jobs have received increased budgets.
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Policy and legislation
The National Environmental Management: Biodiversity
Act, 2004 (Act 10 of 2004) [PDF], provides a regulatory framework to protect South Africa’s valuable
species, ecosystems and its biological wealth. It implements the White Paper on the Conservation
and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biological
Diversity (1997), and multilateral agreements
such as the United Nations (UN) Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), which came into force
in December 1993.
South Africa is a signatory to the CBD, which
provides the framework, norms and standards
for the conservation, sustainable use and equitable
benefit-sharing of South Africa’s biological
resources.
The National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act 57 of 2003) [PDF], provides for the protection and conservation of
ecologically viable areas that are representative
of South Africa’s biological diversity, its natural
landscapes and seascapes, and the management
of these. The Act envisages a national register of
protected areas, with a simplified classification
system of special nature reserves, national parks, nature reserves and protected environments.
It also introduces the concept of biological-diversity
protection and ecosystem management.
Biodiversity, conservation and eco system
management are noted as important aims in policy
and legislation that govern marine and coastal
resources, fresh water and natural forests.
The Act also proposes a new system of
protected areas, linking various kinds of protected
environments to replace the existing fragmented
system.
In addition, the Act enables the Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism to acquire private
land by purchasing land rights for the creation of
protected areas.
Based on experience with biosphere reserves, and informed by the new bio regional approach to
conservation (linking the protected-area network
along mountains, rivers, wetlands, the coastline
and other areas of natural vegetation), the Act
will result in an inter locking system of protected
areas that explicitly encourages the inclusion of
private land.
It recognises that people are the custodians
of the land, that they need to be involved in the
management of the protected land and that they
should benefit from it.
The Act caters for concurrent competence in
the management of protected land. For example, an area with national-park status can now be
managed by another agency, such as a provincial
parks authority. Steps have been taken to ensure that standards are upheld.
Regulations in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Amendment
Act, 2004 (Act 31 of 2004) [PDF], provide for the
proper administration of specific nature reserves, national parks and world heritage sites.
South Africa is one of only two countries in the
world to have promulgated legislation specifically
related to the World Heritage Convention (the other being Australia), which was adopted by the UN
in 1972.
The country’s World Heritage Convention Act, 1999 (Act 49 of 1999) [PDF], stipulates that all world heritage sites must have an integrated management plan in place to ensure cultural and environmental protection and sustainable development of the site.
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World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD)
Johannesburg hosted the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) in September 2002. The agreements reached in Johannesburg are a guide to action that will take forward the UN Millennium Summit Declaration’s [PDF] goal of halving world poverty by 2015, and will incorporate decisions taken by world bodies since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
Among the achievements of the WSSD was the launch of over 300 partnerships, including 32 energy initiatives, 21 water programmes and 32 programmes for biodiversity and ecosystem management.
The biggest success was getting the world to turn the UN Millennium Declaration into a concrete set of programmes and to mobilise funds for these programmes. The WSSD focused on the most marginalised sectors of society, including women, the youth, indigenous people and people with disabilities. The implementation plan includes programmes to deliver water, energy, healthcare, agricultural development and a better environment for the world’s poor. It also incorporates targets for the reduction of poverty and the protection of the environment.
Targets set at the summit will have an enormous impact, including the following:
- the number of people without basic sanitation
and access to safe drinking water will be halved by 2015
- biodiversity loss is to be reversed by 2010, and collapsed fish stocks restored by 2015
- chemicals with a detrimental health impact will be phased out by 2020
- energy services will be extended to 35% of African households over the next 10 years.
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National Framework for
Sustainable Development (NFSD)
In July 2008, Cabinet approved the National Framework for Sustainable Development (NFSD) and the intention to develop an in-depth implementation plan for sustainable development in the country.
In the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPoI), negotiated at the WSSD, countries committed to preparing and implementing national strategies for sustainable development.
In line with the WSSD targets, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism led a process towards the development of a single, coherent framework that articulates South Africa’s development context, and sets out the common vision and strategic areas of intervention for achieving sustainable development. Phase one of a three-phase process, through a series of dialogues, has culminated in the development of the NFSD.
The NFSD seeks to build on existing programmes and strategies that have emerged in the first 15 years of democracy. It sets the framework for a common understanding and vision of sustainable development, describes the South African context and defines areas for strategic intervention. The NFSD complements current efforts aimed at reducing poverty and growing the economy. It enhances the need for coherence and consideration of natural resource constraints and ecosystem services.
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Biological diversity
South Africa enjoys the third-highest level of bio-diversity in the world. The country’s rich natural heritage is vast and staggering in its proportions.
Although the country covers only 2% of the world’s land area, nearly 10% of the world’s plants and 7% of its reptiles, birds and mammals are found here.
The three internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots in South Africa are the Cape Floral Region in the south, the Succulent Karoo that the country shares with Namibia, and that of Maputoland-Pondoland in the east, which extends into Swaziland
and Mozambique.
South Africa’s marine life is similarly diverse, partly as a result of the extreme contrast between
the water masses on the east and west coasts.
Three water masses – the cold Benguela
current, the warm Agulhas current, and oceanic
water – make the region one of the most oceanographically heterogeneous in the world. According
to the White Paper on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biological Diversity
(1997), over 10 000 plant and animal species – almost 15% of the coastal species known worldwide – are found in South African waters, with
about 12% of these occurring nowhere else.
The country’s natural heritage is best described
according to a systematic classification of
regions, or biomes. A biome is a broad ecological
unit representing a major life zone, which extends
over a large area, and contains relatively
uniform plant and animal life closely connected
with environmental conditions, especially climate.
The White Paper states that South Africa is one
of six countries in the world with an entire plant
kingdom within its national confines. The Cape
Floral Kingdom has the highest-recorded species
diversity for any similar-sized temperate or tropical region in the world.
Other biomes in the country are also of global
conservation significance. For example, one third
of the world’s succulent plant species are found in
South Africa.
There are eight major terrestrial biomes, or
habitat types, in South Africa, which can, in turn, be divided into 70 veld types.
The degree to which each of these biomes is
threatened varies, depending on the fertility of the
soil, the economic value derived from use of the
area, human population pressures and the extent
to which the biome is con served in protected
areas.
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Savanna Biome
This biome is an area of mixed grassland and
trees, and is generally known as bushveld.
In the Northern Cape and Kalahari sections
of this biome, the most distinctive trees are the
camel thorn (Acacia erioloba) and the camphor
bush (Tarchonanthus camphoratus). In Limpopo, the portly baobab (Adansonia digitata) and the candelabra tree (Euphorbia ingens) dominate. The central bushveld is home to species such as
the knob thorn (Acacia nigrescens), bushwillow
(Combretum spp.), monkey thorn (Acacia galpinii),
mopani (Colophospermum mopane) and wild fig (Ficus spp.). In the valley bushveld of the south, euphorbias and spekboom trees (Portulacaria afra)
dominate.
Abundant wild fruit trees provide food for many
birds and animals in the Savanna Biome. Grey
loeries, hornbills, shrikes, flycatchers and rollers
are birds typical of the northern regions. The
subtropical and coastal areas are home to Knysna
loeries, purple-crested loeries and green pigeons. Raptors occur throughout the biome. The larger
mammals include lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, zebra, rhinoceros, giraffe, kudu, oryx, waterbuck, hippopotamus and many others.
About 8,5% of the biome is protected. The
Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetlands
Park (formerly Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park) and
other reserves are located in the Savanna Biome.
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Nama-Karoo Biome
This biome includes the Namaland area of Namibia, and the central Karoo area of South Africa.
Because of low rainfall, rivers are non-perennial.
Cold and frost in winter and high temperatures
in summer demand special adaptations from
plants. The vegetation of this biome is mainly low
shrubland and grass, with trees limited to water
courses.
The bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, ostrich, suricate and ground squirrel are typical of
the area.
Only 1% of the Nama-Karoo Biome falls within
officially protected areas, of which the Karoo and
Augrabies national parks are the largest.
Overgrazing and easily eroded soil surfaces are causing this semi-desert to creep slowly in on the neighbouring savanna and grassland biomes.
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Grassland Biome
The Grassland Biome covers an estimated
339 237 km of South Africa’s landscape and stretches across seven of the country’s nine provinces. This biome is a summer-rainfall area with heavy thunderstorms and hail in summer, and frost in winter.
In July 2008, the Grasslands Declaration was signed by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, and six provincial MECs for environmental affairs. The Grassland Biome is South Africa’s significant food source, water purifier and the second-largest biome in the country in terms of size, species richness and heritage. It is also one of the most threatened areas in the country. Thirty percent of this area is already damaged beyond repair and cannot be conserved. Less than 2% of the biome is formally protected.
The grasslands programme was initiated to secure and sustain the biodiversity and ecosystems of the grasslands for current and future generations. One of the aims of the programme is to incorporate biodiversity in food production, urban development and the usage of land, especially for mining and plantation forestry.
A number of perennial rivers such as the Orange, Vaal, Pongola, Kei and Umzimvubu originate in, and flow through, the area.
Trees are scarce and are found mainly on hills and along riverbeds.
Karee (Rhus lancea), wild currant (Rhus pyroides), white stinkwood (Celtis africana) and several acacia species are the most common.
The Grassland Biome has the third-largest number of indigenous plant species in
the country.
Eight mammal species endemic to South Africa occur in a wild state in this biome. Two of these, namely the black wildebeest and the blesbok, occur mainly in the Grassland Biome.
The area is internationally recognised as an area of high species endemicity as far as birds are concerned. Birds commonly found in the area include the black korhaan, blue crane, guinea-fowl and other grassland birds.
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Succulent Karoo Biome
One of the natural wonders of South Africa is the annual blossoming of the Namaqualand wild flowers (mainly of the family Asteraceae), which transforms the semi-desert of the Northern Cape into a fairyland. After rain, the drab landscape is suddenly covered from horizon to horizon with a multicoloured carpet (from August to October, depending on the rainfall).
This is a winter-rainfall area with extremely dry and hot summers. Succulents with thick, fleshy leaves are plentiful. Most trees have white trunks to reflect the heat.
The quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma) and the human-like elephant’s trunk (Pachypodium namaquanum) are prominent in the Richtersveld. Grass is scarce.
The animal life is similar to that of neighbouring biomes (fynbos and Nama-Karoo).
The Richtersveld, Tankwa Karoo and Namaqua national parks as well as the new Hantam National Botanical Garden outside Nieuwoudville in the Northern Cape have improved the conservation status of this biome considerably.
The Succulent Karoo Biome includes 2 800 plant species at increased risk of extinction.
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Fynbos Biome
The Fynbos Biome is one of the six accepted
floral kingdoms of the world. This region
covers only 0,04% of the land surface of the globe.
Fynbos is found mainly in the Western Cape. This is a winter-rainfall area and the fynbos
vegetation is similar to that of mediterranean regions.
Fynbos is the name given to a group
of ever-green plants with small, hard leaves
(such as those in the Erica family). It is made up
mainly of the protea, heathers and restio, and incorporates a diversity of plant species (more than 8 500 kinds, over 6 000 of which are endemic).
The Fynbos Biome is famous for the protea,
for which South Africa is renowned. The biome also contains flowering plants now regarded as garden plants, such as freesia, tritonia, sparaxis and many others.
Protected areas cover 13,6% of the Fynbos Biome and include the Table Mountain and Agulhas national parks.
This biome is not very rich in bird and mammal life, but does include the endemic Cape grysbok, the geometric tortoise, Cape sugarbird and the protea seed-eater. The mountains are the habitat of the leopard, baboon, honey-badger, caracal, rhebuck and several types of eagle and dassies.
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Forest Biome
South Africa’s only significant forests are those
of Knysna and Tsitsikamma in the Western and
Eastern Cape, respectively.
Other reasonably large forest patches that are
officially protected are in the high-rainfall areas
of the eastern escarpment, and on the eastern
seaboard. Forest giants such as yellowwood
(Podocarpus spp.), ironwood (Olea capensis) and
lemonwood (Xymalos monospora) dominate.
The indigenous forests are a magical world of
ferns, lichens, and colourful forest birds such as
the Knysna loerie, the endangered Cape parrot and the rameron pigeon. Mammals include the
endangered samango monkey, bushpig, bushbuck and the delicate blue duiker.
More information on Forest Biome.
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Thicket Biome
Subtropical thicket ranges from closed shrub land
to low forest, dominated by evergreen succulent
trees, shrubs and vines.
It is often impenetrable and has little herbaceous
cover. Roughly 20% of the species in the
Thicket Biome are endemic to it.
The Thicket Biome is centred predominantly in
the Eastern Cape.
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Desert Biome
True desert is found under very harsh environmental conditions, which are even more extreme
than those found in the succulent Karoo and the
Nama-Karoo biomes. The climate is characterised
by summer rainfall, but also by high levels
of summer aridity. Rainfall is highly variable from
year to year. Desert is found mostly in Namibia, although it does occur in South Africa in the lower
Orange River Valley.
The vegetation of the Desert Biome is characterised by the dominance of annual plants (often
annual grasses). This means that after a rare
season of abundant rain, the desert plains can be
covered with a sea of short annual grass, whereas
in drier years, the plains appear bare with the
annual plants persisting in the form of seeds.
Perennial plants are usually encountered in
specialised habitats associated with local concentrations of water. Common examples of such habitats are broad drainage lines or washes. Nearer
the coast, the role of coastal fog also governs the distribution of certain species commonly associated
with the desert.
The Desert Biome incorporates an abundant
insect fauna, which includes many tenebrionid
beetles, some of which can use fog water. There
are also various vertebrates, including reptiles, springbok, ostrich, gemsbok, snakes and geckos. Some areas in the Desert Biome are formally
protected in the Richtersveld National Park.
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Preserving biodiversity
Biodiversity plays a crucial role in sustainable
development and poverty eradication. Fundamental
changes to the legislative, policy and institutional
framework for natural resource management
have resulted in a shift in focus from an
elitist conservation approach to a management
approach based on South Africa’s recognition of
the contribution of biological resources to food
security, science, economy, cultural integrity and
well-being.
The country’s conservation areas contribute to
job creation and socio-economic upliftment, and
continue to serve as a foundation of the tourism
industry.
South Africa is a very popular tourist destination. The main attractions are nature-based tourism
facilities such as national parks, game and nature
reserves and national botanical gardens. There
are some 9 000 privately owned game ranches in
South Africa, covering about 13% of the country’s
total land area. The contribution of these areas
towards maintaining South Africa’s unique biodiversity
is incalculable.
The publication in 2006 of the National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and Sanbi, revealed that 34% of South Africa’s ecosystems
were threatened, with 5% critically endangered; while 82% of the 120 main rivers were
threatened and 44% critically endangered. Of the
13 groups of estuarine biodiversity, three are in
critical danger and 12% of marine biozones are under serious threat.
Because of the geographic spread and diversity of South Africa’s plant and animal species – up to 80% of significant biodiversity lies outside existing protected areas – a traditional approach to conservation is inadequate. Biodiversity priorities have to be integrated with all policies, plans and programmes.
South Africa’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) aims to guide conservation and the management of biodiversity to ensure sustainable and equitable benefits for all
communities.
The NBSAP highlights five strategic objectives, such as the need for a network of protected areas that conserves a sample of all South Africa’s biodiversity; specifies how these are to be realised; and sets five- and 15-year targets for each.
The NBSAP also provides for the entrenchment of biodiversity concerns in production sectors, such as mining and forestry, by focusing on the inclusion of biodiversity priorities in guidelines and codes of best practice, and on measures to encourage sustainable production practices.
The NBSAP informs the creation, in law, of the National Biodiversity Framework to ensure an integrated, co-ordinated and consistent approach to biodiversity management by organs of state in all spheres of government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector, local communities, other stakeholders and the public.
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South African Biodiversity
Information Facility (Sabif)
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is a mega-science facility that aims to make the world’s biodiversity data freely and openly available on the Internet.
South Africa became a voting participant of the GBIF in 2003, committing itself to establishing national nodes that are linked to the GBIF.
The South African Biodiversity
Information Facility (Sabif) represents a partnership of more than four South African data-providers, including other role-players such as:
Through Sabif, South Africa is able to respond to pertinent biodiversity challenges through innovative applications of information technology.
Sabif intends to create an enabling platform for end users to discover and put to use vast quantities of global biodiversity data to:
- advance scientific research in many disciplines
- promote technological and sustainable
development
- facilitate the equitable sharing of the benefits of biodiversity
- enhance the quality of life of members
of society.
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South African Biosystematics Initiative (Sabi)
South African Biosystematics Initiative (Sabi) aims to take a leading role in the application of innovative approaches to systematics and taxonomy as fundamental sciences underpinning biological research.
In this way, it plans to unlock the full potential of South Africa’s biological and human resources through the enhanced practice of biosystematic science, and to use modern technology to build on an existing rich historical scientific legacy, including indigenous knowledge systems.
Some of Sabi’s primary objectives include establishing a framework and strategy to:
- address the diminishing national capacity in biological systematics and taxonomy
- provide leadership and co-ordination to
promote innovative research in the field of
biosystematics
- empower South African biosystematists to
employ and develop modern scientific technologies and approaches regarding the documentation and use of biological resources
- enhance the ability of South African biosystematists to contribute to the National System
of Innovation and the information society, and
thus respond to national priorities in agriculture,
health, sustainable development and
conservation.
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South African Environmental
Observation Network (SAEON)
The South African Environmental
Observation Network (SAEON) is a facility of the National Research
Foundation (NRF). Its main aim is to establish
and maintain environmental observatories, field
stations and sites, linked by an information-management network, to serve as research and
education platforms for the long-term study of
ecosystems. It provides for incremental advances
in understanding ecosystems and the ability
to detect, predict and react to environmental
changes.
The SAEON satisfies the need for public-decision
support by generating long-term information
relevant to the sustainable management of
natural resources and habitats over a spectrum of
eco-regions and land uses, ranging from pristine
to urbanisation-transformed landscapes.
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Wildlife Biodiversity Resources
or Biobank South Africa
With the growing global market in biomaterial
and biodiversity informatics, developing countries
such as South Africa face the enormous challenge
of setting up systems for governing access to
biodiversity and the sustainable use of their biodiversity heritage.
The biosciences field is recognised as the
driving force behind the next revolutionary wave
of scientific and technological advancement.
Biobank facilities (genebanks) are increasingly
becoming a key strategic research infrastructure
for countries worldwide. Their importance in the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
has, among other things, been emphasised in
the Consolidated Plan of Action for Science
and Technology.
This has led to the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism collaborating with Wildlife
Biodiversity Resources or Biobank South Africa to
help facilitate, through its member organisations, an integrated and co-ordinated drive to access, collect, enhance and bank a representative range
of biomaterial from key South African and African
wildlife and indigenous livestock species for
conservation, research and biotechnology development
purposes.
This facility also provides general custodianship
to South Africa’s wildlife biomaterial and/or
genetic resources.
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Genebanks
The Department of Science and Technology and
the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) support
the maintenance, management and development
of national public assets for the benefit of the
broader science community.
They are national repositories of genetic information and terrestrial data related to the environment,
and include specimens of and facilities that
house all insects and support arachnids, nematodes,
fungi and various other genebanks.
South Africa has international obligations that
compel it to keep reference collections of all
agricultural specimens regarding the import and
export of agricultural produce.
The national collections and genebanks house
these reference collections and make an important
contribution to scientific studies, biodiversity
replenishment, sustainable development
and production, food security and invader-pest
identification.
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South African National
Biodiversity Institute
South African National
Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi), with its head office based at the Pretoria
National Botanical Garden, was established in
September 2004. It is an autonomous state-aided
institute whose vision is to be the leading institution
in biodiversity science in Africa, facilitating conservation and the sustainable development of
living resources and human well-being.
Sanbi’s strategic focus for the medium term will be on:
- providing leadership in biodiversity knowledge management, information-generation and dissemination and highlighting the status and trends in South Africa
- conducting co-ordinated research on South Africa’s biodiversity
- managing a national system of bioregional programmes
- implementing priority components of the national biodiversity strategy and action plan
- providing continued support for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) and multilateral environmental arrangements
- further developing and managing national botanical gardens
- monitoring biodiversity in South Africa
- providing guidelines and best practices on the identification and conservation of threatened species and ecosystems, and the sustainable use of biodiversity.
In addition, Sanbi implements rehabilitation programmes that systematically target threatened ecosystems and continues to support the goals of the Expanded Public Works Programme.
To achieve its goals, Sanbi has established five operational divisions, namely, Biosystematics Research and Collections; Applied Biodiversity Research; Climate Change and Bio-Adaptation; Biodiversity Mainstreaming; and Conservation, Gardens and Tourism.
Conservation, Gardens and Tourism
The South African National
Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) manages nine national botanical gardens (classified as “conservation gardens”) in six of South Africa’s nine provinces. The gardens collectively attract over 1,25 million visitors a year, are signatories to the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation, which was launched in 2000 and are founding members of the African Botanic Gardens Network.
The largest garden is Kirstenbosch, situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town. It displays 5 300 indigenous plant species. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, as part of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), was included in the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site in 2004, becoming the first botanical garden in the world to be included within a natural world heritage site.
Kirstenbosch receives more than 750 000 visitors annually. The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden houses the Kirstenbosch Research Centre (KRC), the Rufford Maurice Laing Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Gold Fields Environmental Education Centre, the Botanical Society Conservatory, two restaurants, a conference venue, gift shops, a coffee bar, concert venues, sculpture exhibits and the Centre for Home Gardening, which includes an indigenous plant retail nursery.
The other gardens in the national network managed by Sanbi are the:
The Pretoria National Botanical Garden houses the National Herbarium of South Africa, the largest herbarium in the southern hemisphere.
The Harold Porter National Botanical Garden boasts Disa uniflora in its natural habitat (flowering from mid-December to the end of January), and South Africa’s national flower, the king protea (Protea cynaroides).
The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden accommodates more than 600 naturally occurring plant species, over 230 bird species, and a number of reptiles and small mammals. These include jackal and antelope, which occur in the natural areas of the garden.
This garden receives some 180 000 visitors annually and is the fastest-growing of the Sanbi-managed gardens. It covers over 275 hectares (ha) and consists of landscaped and natural areas. All the garden’s plants are indigenous to southern Africa.
The Hantam National Botanical Garden outside Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape, covers
6 300 ha of land on the Bokkeveld Plateau, which is famous for its range and density of bulbous plants, to the extent that Nieuwoudtville is often referred to as the “Bulb Capital of the World”.
Some 40% of the local flora consist of bulbs that create spectacular displays every autumn and spring. The garden also incorporates large natural patches of renosterveld fynbos and succulent Karoo vegetation. Almost a third of the species endemic to the Bokkeveld Plateau are threatened with extinction.
Sanbi operates environmental-education programmes within its national botanical gardens, and outreach greening programmes focused on
promoting indigenous gardening at disadvantaged schools in surrounding areas.
Biosystematics and Collections
The South African National
Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) researches the evolution, diversity, distribution
and relationships of southern Africa’s
24 000 species of plants, based on the Sanbi
collection of over 1,8 million specimens in its
three herbaria. There are also regional herbaria in
Durban (KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium) and at the Kirstenbosch Research Centre (Compton Herbarium).
Recent products of plant taxonomic research
within Sanbi have included a national plant checklist
and the first-ever flowering plant checklist for
sub-Saharan Africa. There are 50 136 plant taxa
recorded for sub-Saharan Africa and some 19 581 indigenous plant species for South Africa. South
Africa, with its 11 700 endemic plant species, has
the richest temperate flora in the world.
Applied Biodiversity Research
In addition to herbarium and taxonomic research,
Sanbi has an Applied Biodiversity Research division.
The division’s staff is concentrated in the Kirstenbosch Research Centre
in Cape Town, which is a centre of excellence for
biodiversity research. The intention is to expand the research programme to Pretoria and other
centres.
The research programme focuses on the impact
of climate change, invasive alien species and land-use on biodiversity; understanding the dynamics
of species and ecosystems to determine thresholds
of sustainable use; and research on species
and ecosystems of special concern (including threatened species and ecosystems).
Scientists in the Applied Biodiversity Research
Programme have developed a new vegetation
map for South Africa and maintain the Protea
Atlas Database, one of the most comprehensive plant databases in the world. The division leads
the South African component of a global project
on the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators
as part of an assessment of biodiversity - related ecosystem services.
The facilities at the Kirstenbosch Research Centre include the Leslie Hill
Molecular Systematics Laboratory, which hosts an
active research programme in molecular ecology
and evolution. A DNA bank for plants has been
established at the laboratory, in collaboration with
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the United
Kingdom (UK). A bank for reptile DNA was established
as part of the South African Reptile Conservation Assessment (SARCA). The objectives of
the DNA banks are to archive the DNA of at least one species of all 2 200 genera of South Africa’s flowering plants, as well as all South Africa’s
reptile species; to train South African researchers
and students in high-profile biotechnologies;
and to produce a tree-of-life analysis of South
African taxa.
Climate Change and Bio-Adaptation
This division is based at the Kirstenbosch Research Centre but is expanding
its staffing in Pretoria. It builds on the successes
of the Global Change and Biodiversity Research
Group and its predecessors that have conducted
research on climate change, and facilitated translation of research results into policy relevance
since the early 1990s. The group has a
strong theoretical basis, having contributed some
100 peer-reviewed scientific publications over the
past five years on a broad array of topics, allowing the assessment of key vulnerabilities of southern
African ecosystems to ongoing climate change.
The division’s scientists conduct physical
experimental research under laboratory
and natural conditions and also employ computer-simulation approaches to optimise
the use of results obtained. Topics of study
range from the physiological impacts of rising
carbon dioxide and temperature extremes on
plant growth and ecosystem change; projections
of the responses of bird, reptile, mammal
and plant species to shifts in climate; early detection
and monitoring of climate-change impacts on wild populations; to understanding the drivers and
impact of wild fires on regional, national and global
scales. Together, research findings have provided
useful insight into the possible range of strategies
available to conservationists and land managers
under a changing climate. These findings have specifically begun to guide the identification of
vulnerable and resilient regions of the country
under a range of climate scenarios, which is essential for optimising sustainable conservation
planning efforts.
Division researchers have also contributed to key
policy-guiding reports on climate-change vulnerabilities
and adaptation strategies for the Western
Cape Department of Environment and Development
Planning and the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Members have
served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, whose contributing scientists collectively
won a Nobel Peace Prize for their work in
2007. Division researchers also support national negotiators at international forums such as the Convention on Biodiversity and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Millennium Seed Bank
The Millennium Seed Bank Project in South Africa is part of a 10-year international programme that aims to collect and conserve 10% of the world’s seed-bearing plant species (some 24 000 species) in the Millennium Seed Bank facility of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew in the UK by 2010.
Sanbi joined the Millennium Seed Bank International Programme in 2000. The South African collaboration aims to contribute by collecting the seed of about 2 500 plant species indigenous to the region for storage in this long-term conservation facility.
Greening of the Nation
The Greening of the Nation Project, managed by Sanbi, is a government-funded programme that has been initiated in various provinces for community and school greening projects. Its activities include the greening of towns (road islands and entrances), schools, crèches, day-care centres, community parks, cemeteries, police stations and cultural villages, and the development of community nurseries.
Many projects include the development of indigenous and vegetable gardens. The programme works closely with Food and Trees for Africa, the first national non-governmental, non-profit, greening organisation in South Africa, established
in 1990.
Working for Wetlands
The South African National
Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) also manages the Working for Wetlands Programme, with its offices based at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. In 2007, Working for Wetlands rehabilitated 83 wetlands in all nine provinces and in the process employed 2 265 people and used 250 small businesses, some created specifically for wetland rehabilitation. The programme provided more than 36 000 training days to its beneficiaries.
Funding is provided by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). It uses a labour-intensive approach, thus creating jobs, both temporary and permanent, and small businesses.
Biodiversity planning and assessment
Sanbi has assessed the contribution of municipal nature reserves to meeting national biodiversity targets, which has highlighted the crucial role that municipal nature reserves play in conserving biodiversity, and the need for supporting the development of municipal capacity to manage them effectively.
Sanbi has supported the initiation of provincial biodiversity plans in the Eastern Cape and North West. These plans will form the basis for publishing bioregional plans in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act 10 of 2004) [PDF]. North West and the Eastern Cape join Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga as provinces that have systematic spatial biodiversity plans that identify priority areas for biodiversity, using the best available science.
Bioregional programmes
Sanbi co-ordinates a suite of bioregional programmes that focus on partnership projects to mainstream biodiversity in socio-economic
development.
The most recent addition to the suite is the Marine Biodiversity Programme, initiated in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) and Marine and Coastal Management of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The programme focuses on facilitating the establishment of a network of offshore marine protected areas (MPAs) in South Africa’s waters, and engaging with the fisheries and mining sector.
The Grasslands Programme focuses on mainstreaming biodiversity in production sectors. Demonstration projects underway include rehabilitating river ecosystems in the Free State, wetland mitigation banking with the coal-mining industry
in Mpumalanga, securing priority biodiversity sites within urban areas in Gauteng, biodiversity stewardship
on farms in the Wakkerstroom area in
Mpumalanga, working with the forestry industry
to secure 35 000 ha of high biodiversity priority forestry-owned land and ensuring that expansion
of small-grower plantation forestry is underpinned
by biodiversity considerations.
The Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme
(Skep) has established innovative partnerships
with De Beers on the Namaqualand coast and with
Anglo American Base Metals as part of the Bushmanland
Conservation Initiative in the Northern
Cape, securing mine-owned land in conservation
agreements that contribute to national biodiversity
targets.
In partnership with the Development Bank of
Southern Africa (DBSA), Conservation International and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Skep
has established Skeppies, the first-ever small
grant fund enabling synergy between conservation
and local economic development activities.
The Subtropical Thicket Ecosystem Programme (Step) focuses on integrating maps of biodiversity
priorities into municipal planning and landuse
decision-making in the Eastern Cape, including
publishing a fully revised Step handbook and mapbook.
Step has initiated four biodiversity-related integrated development plan (IDP) projects in municipalities
in the Fish River valley.
Cape Action for People and the Environment
(Cape) closed off its US$6-million investment from
the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, having
funded 65 civil-society-led projects in the Cape
Floral Region over a five-year investment period.
It continues to roll out the Biodiversity Conservation
and Sustainable Development Project with
an investment of US$11 million from the Global
Environment Facility (GEF), with a key focus
on strengthening co-operative governance for
improved biodiversity management in this global
biodiversity hotspot.
Sanbi gave extensive input into the development
of the Woolworths Biodiversity Strategy, through the Cape, Skep, Step and Grasslands
programmes.
Assessing and monitoring
indigenous fauna and flora
Since 2004, the South African National
Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) has responded to its new
mandate through the initiation of a suite of projects
that will assess and monitor the status of South
Africa’s indigenous fauna. As part of its Threatened
Species Programme, Sanbi co-ordinates several
atlas projects, which capture records of species
occurrences across the country through the participation of hundreds of volunteer members. Highlights
include the following:
-
The Southern African Reptile Conservation Assessment (Sarca), launched in May 2005, is a four-year conservation-assessment programme aimed
at identifying and conserving reptile species
threatened by extinction in South Africa. Funded
and developed by Sanbi, the project is driven
by experts from South African universities, museums, conservation agencies and the Herpetological
Association of Africa. The University of
Cape Town’s Animal Demography Unit (ADU) is
co-ordinating the project, which involves gathering thousands of records of reptile sightings
from all over South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Some 20 volunteers joined the field team
on outings and 4 540 photographic records
from more than 100 amateur photographers
have been submitted to the burgeoning online virtual museum.
- The launch of the South African National Survey
of Arachnida took place in September 2006.
This collaboration between the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Sanbi is
progressing well and has garnered much attention
and support from the public and conservation
and scientific communities.
- The Southern African Butterfly Conservation
Assessment (Sabca), was launched in May
2007. Sabca is a four-year conservation project
aimed at determining the distribution and
conservation priorities of all butterfly species
in the southern African region, especially those threatened with extinction. This project was
made possible through a partnership between
Sanbi, the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa
(LepSoc) and the ADU. The project is co-funded
by the Norwegian Ministry for the Environment
and Sanbi through its Environment Co-operation
Programme. Sabca is the first major project on insects to be undertaken by Sanbi. Already over
1 820 photographic records from more than
100 amateur photographers have been submitted
to the project’s online virtual museum (see
www.sabca.adu.org.za)
- Sanbi’s Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (Crew) has been so successful in its
aim to involve local communities in monitoring
and conserving their rare and threatened plants
that it has now established offices in Pretoria
and Pietermaritzburg.
- Sanbi’s Birds and Environmental Change in South Africa Programme has progressed with its aim of using birds as indicators of ecosystem change and human well-being. In June 2007, the programme launched the four-year Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 (Sabap2). Sabap2 is a major public-participation project to learn more about how birds respond to changes in their environment – be it climate change, urbanisation, invasive species, wetland drainage, fragmented habitats, pollution, conservation protection or other habitat changes. Sabap2 is a partnership project of the ADU, BirdLife South Africa, and Sanbi, and is carried out across South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Knowledge and information management
Sanbi’s strategic objectives include being the preferred source for biodiversity knowledge and information management in South Africa. Sanbi is actively consolidating its information resources and services, with the aim of supporting research, planning, implementation and monitoring by a range of partners and stakeholders.
Sanbi’s Biodiversity Geographical Information System Unit is expanding its services to provide easy access to biodiversity planning and related information for all South Africa’s biomes.
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Conservation areas
The United Nations (UN) Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), to which South Africa is a signatory, requires that 10% of the terrestrial and 20% of marine biodiversity be conserved by 2010. There are a number of management categories of protected areas in South Africa, which conform to the accepted categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). By May 2008, about 5,9% of South Africa’s land surface area was under formal conservation through the system of national and provincial protected areas.
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has committed significant financial resources towards the expansion of formal protected areas, bringing the number of national parks to 22, and the total formal conservation estate to four million hectares. Since 2004, the department declared four new marine protected areas (MPAs), thus increasing the total coastline under protection to 20%.
The NSBA confirmed that the current protected area network does not conserve a true representative sample of South Africa’s biodiversity. Because of historical reasons, formal protected areas were often established with limited consideration to biodiversity and the maintenance of ecological processes. A large proportion of biological diversity and critical ecosystem processes are therefore found outside of terrestrial MPAs.
This has led to the development of the National Protected Areas Expansion Strategy. This strategy sets out a framework for the expansion of the protected areas network in South Africa so that a more representative sample of biological diversity may be conserved and managed.
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Scientific reserves
Scientific reserves are sensitive and undisturbed areas managed for research, monitoring and maintenance of genetic sources. Access is limited to researchers and staff. Examples of such areas are Marion Island and the Prince Edward islands near Antarctica.
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Wilderness areas
These areas are extensive in size, uninhabited and underdeveloped, and access is strictly controlled with no vehicles allowed. The highest management priority is the maintenance of the intrinsic wilderness character.
Examples of wilderness areas are the Cederberg Wilderness Area and Dassen Island in the Western Cape, and the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area in the Eastern Cape.
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Marine protected areas
Marine protected areas (MPAs) conserve natural environments and assist in the management of fisheries by protecting and rebuilding economically important stocks. Many of the new MPAs will be used to further develop and regulate coastal ecotourism opportunities.
In October 2008, Stilbaai MPA became the 20th such protected area.
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National parks and
equivalent reserves
SANParks manages several national parks through-out South Africa, excluding in Gauteng, North West and KwaZulu-Natal. The system of national parks is representative of the country’s mportant eco-systems and unique natural features.
Commercial and tourism-conservation development and the involvement of local communities are regarded as performance indicators. These areas include national parks proclaimed in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 [PDF], provincial parks, nature reserves and indigenous state forests.
Some of these natural and scenic areas are extensive and include large representative areas of at least one of the country’s biomes.
South Africa’s national parks are:
On 14 August 2008, the TMNP celebrated its 10th
birthday. One of the key successes achieved has
been the delivery of social benefits through the
park’s poverty-relief programme, which enabled
the TMNP to use over R40 million worth of funds from the Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism’s Social Responsibility Programme to
upgrade 250 km of the footpath network, build “Touch the Earth Lightly” tourist accommodation, and provide training opportunities to previously
unemployed people.
The programme employed 600 people a year
for the past five years and included the training
of world-class Hoerikwaggo mountain guides and
the development of and support for small, medium
and micro-enterprises from within the communities bordering the TMNP.
In May 2008, the Kruger National Park celebrated
110 years of existence by holding several
events to mark its status as a world leader in
conservation policies and management principles.
On 31 May, the South African Mint officially
launched the 2008 set of Krugerrand gold coins.
From 31 August to 2 September 2008, the
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
held the People and Parks Conference in Mafikeng, North West. The conference looked at the role
protected areas play in local economic development and poverty alleviation.
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Transfrontier conservation
areas (TFCAs)
A Transfrontier conservation
area (TFCA) is a cross-border region. The conservation
status of the areas within it ranges from national
parks, private game reserves and communal natural-resource management areas to hunting-concession
areas.
Although fences, highways, railway lines or
other barriers separate the constituent areas, they
are managed jointly for long-term sustainable use
of natural resources. Unlike in transfrontier parks, free movement of animals between the components
of a TFCA is not always possible.
TFCAs aim to facilitate and promote regional
peace, co-operation and socio-economic development.
The success of TFCAs depends on community
involvement. In turn, TFCAs are likely to
provide local communities with opportunities to generate revenue.
TFCAs are expected to allow tourists easy
movement across international boundaries into
adjoining conservation areas.
The six identified TFCAs are as follows:
“Boundless Southern Africa”, the consolidated TFCA brand was officially launched by nine southern African countries at the Tourism Indaba in Durban in May 2008.
Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe unanimously showed their support for the brand as a means of showcasing the TFCAs in the SADC region.
The development of the joint brand is based on the motivation that the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament will not only benefit South Africa alone but the SADC region and Africa as a whole.
The purpose of the TFCA development strategy for 2010 and beyond is to increase the tourism potential of southern Africa by consolidating the market, infrastructure-development and investment-promotion efforts of existing transfrontier conservation initiatives.
The brand is a reflection of the values of the TFCAs and it will form the basis for awareness-raising campaigns and for the active marketing
of TFCAs.
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Biosphere reserves
The National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Amendment Act, 2004 [PDF] protects South Africa’s biosphere reserves, which are generally formed around existing core conservation areas.
Biosphere reserves, including outstanding natural beauty and biological diversity, exist in partnership with a range of interested landowners, and can incorporate development, as long as it is sustainable, while still protecting terrestrial or coastal ecosystems.
South Africa’s four biospheres are the:
The core areas of the Kruger-to-Canyons Biosphere Reserve comprise 13 declared protected areas, with a major portion of the Kruger National Park as the largest core area.
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National and cultural monuments
These are natural or cultural features, or both, and may include botanical gardens, zoological gardens, natural heritage sites and sites of conservation significance.
World heritage sites
By September 2008, there were 878 world heritage sites in 145 countries. A total of 174 were natural sites, 679 were cultural sites and 25 were mixed sites.
The South Africa World Heritage Convention Committee is responsible for identifying possible world heritage sites in South Africa and co-ordinating the convention. The World Heritage Convention Act, 1999 (Act 49 of 1999) [PDF], allows for cultural and natural sites in South Africa to be granted world heritage status. The convention obliges the South African Government to guarantee its implementation, ensure legal protection, and develop management plans and institutional structures for periodic monitoring.
The Act makes the principles of the convention applicable to South Africa’s world heritage sites, and further provides for the adequate protection and conservation of these sites to promote tourism
in a culturally and environmentally responsible
way.
South Africa has eight world heritage sites
proclaimed by Unesco, namely:
The Vredefort Dome is an ancient extra terrestrial
impact site spanning the Free State and North
West provinces. Formed two billion years ago, it is
the world’s most ancient meteorite impact site and
the third-largest, measuring 140 km across.
The world heritage status of Sterkfontein’s fossil
hominid sites was extended in July 2005 to include
the Taung skull fossil site in North West and the
Mokopane Valley in Limpopo.
The Cradle of Humankind has one of the world’s
richest concentrations of hominid fossils, evidence
of human evolution over the past 3,5 million
years.
Found in Gauteng and North West, the fossil
sites cover an area of 47 000 ha. The remains of
ancient forms of animals, plants and hominids are
captured in a bed of dolomite deposited around
2,5 billion years ago.
Although other sites in south and east Africa
have similar remains, the cradle has produced
more than 950 hominid fossil specimens. The
R347-million Cradle of Humankind development,
initiated by the Gauteng Provincial Government, is the first public-private partnership of its kind in
South Africa. The aim is to develop and manage
the world heritage site as a premier tourist destination.
Other partners include the University of the
Witwatersrand, which owns the Sterkfontein caves
and is the major excavator of the cradle site.
The Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape was declared a world heritage site in June
2007. It covers an area of 160 000 ha of dramatic
mountainous desert in the north-west part of South
Africa. It is the only area where the Nama still
construct portable rush-covered domed houses,
or Iharu oms.
Map of heritage sites
Habitat- and wildlife-management
areas
These areas are subject to human intervention,
based on research into the requirements of
specific species for survival. They include conservancies;
provincial, regional or private reserves
created for the conservation of species habitats or biotic communities; marshes; lakes; and nesting
and feeding areas.
Protected land and seascapes
These areas are products of the harmonious
interaction of people and nature, and include
natural environments protected in terms of the
Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (Act 73 of
1989), scenic landscapes and historical urban
landscapes.
Sustainable-use areas
These areas emphasise the sustainable use of
protected areas such as the Kosi Bay Lake System in KwaZulu-Natal.
Nature areas in private ownership are proclaimed and are managed to curtail undesirable
development in areas with high aesthetic or
conservation potential.
Conservancies are formed to involve the ordinary landowner in conservation. Landowners
can establish a conservancy where conservation
principles are integrated with normal farming
activities.
Wetlands
Through the National Wetland Inventory, South Africa has identified 120 000 wetlands, which cover 7% of the country’s surface area.
Wetlands include a wide range of inland and coastal habitats – from mountain bogs and fens to midland marshes, swamp forests and estuaries, linked by green corridors of streambank wetlands.
South Africa became a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention in 1975. The country’s Ramsar sites include:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) identifies wetlands as the third most important support system on Earth.
The Directorate: Biodiversity Management of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is responsible for the South African Wetlands Conservation Programme. The programme ensures that South Africa’s obligations in terms of the Ramsar Convention are met.
The programme aims to protect wetlands in South Africa against degradation and destruction, while striving for the ideal in wise and sustainable use of resources, to ensure that the ecological and socio-economic functions of wetlands are sustained for the future.
South Africa is a member of Wetlands International, an international body dedicated to conserving the world’s wetlands.
The Working for Wetlands Programme focuses on wetland restoration, while maximising employment creation; support for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs); and transfer of skills to the beneficiaries of the programme’s projects.
The programme contributes directly to the objectives of the EPWP and constitutes a partnership between the departments of environmental affairs and tourism, of water affairs and forestry, and of agriculture. It is managed by the South African National
Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi).
World Wetlands Day marks the date of the signing of the Convention of Wetlands on
2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The theme for World Wetlands Day 2008 was Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People.
Zoological Gardens
Founded in 1899, the National Zoological Gardens (NZG) of South Africa in Pretoria is the only zoo in South Africa with national status and membership of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the African Association of Zoological Gardens, the International Union of Zooculturists and the International Association of Zoo Educators.
The NZG of South Africa is a proud facility of the National Research Foundation (NRF). The NRF is a government agency responsible for supporting and promoting research, and providing research facilities to encourage the creation of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of science and technology. (See Science and technology.) The 85-ha zoo in Pretoria houses 3 117 specimens of 209 mammal species, 1 358 specimens of 202 bird species, 3 871 specimens of 190 fish species, 388 specimens of four invertebrate species, 309 specimens of 93 reptile species, and 44 specimens of seven amphibian species. These figures comprise the animals housed at the zoo in Pretoria as well as at the two biodiversity-conservation centres in Lichtenburg, in the North West, and Mokopane, in Limpopo, and the satellite zoo and animal park at the Emerald Animal World complex in
Vanderbijlpark.
The NZG is the largest zoo in the country. More than 600 000 people visit the zoo annually. The total length of its walkways in the zoo in Pretoria is about 6 km.
An aquarium and reptile park also form part of the zoo facility in Pretoria. The aquarium is the largest inland marine aquarium in the country.
The third-largest collection of exotic trees can be found at the zoo.
In 2001, the NZG established the 203-ha Emerald Animal World housed at the Emerald Casino in Vanderbijlpark. The facility comprises a 189-ha game park and a 14-ha zoo.
The Emerald Animal World facility houses more than 760 animals representing 127 species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Animals that can be viewed there include white rhinoceros, hippopotamus, lion, cheetah, giraffe, various antelope and reptile species, and Cape fur seals. Most of the animals were provided by the national zoo’s
biodiversity conservation centres in Lichtenburg
and Mokopane.
The Johannesburg Zoological Gardens, or
Johannesburg Zoo, celebrated its centenary in
2004. The core business of Johannesburg Zoo, which is registered as a non-profit company, is
the accommodation, enrichment, husbandry and medical care of wild animals.
It is also renowned for its successful breeding
programmes involving several endangered South
African bird species such as the wattled crane and
ground hornbill. The zoo covers 54 ha and houses more than 2 000 animals from 365 species.
Breeding centres
There are a number of game-breeding centres in
South Africa. The NZG of South Africa is responsible
for the management of the Lichtenburg Biodiversity
Conservation Centre, which covers an area
of some 6 000 ha, and the Makopane Biodiversity Conservation Centre, covering an area of
1 333 ha.
The two centres supplement the zoo’s breeding
programme for various endangered animals, and
the zoo’s own animal collection.
The Lichtenburg Biodiversity Conservation
Centre houses, among other animals, Père
David’s deer, pygmy hippopotamus, white rhinoceros,
the endangered addax, and scimitar-horned and Arabian oryx. Large herds of impala, springbok,
zebra, blesbok and red hartebeest also roam
the area.
About 32 ha of the wetland area at the centre
have been developed into a system of dams and
pans, which serve as a natural haven for waterbirds
such as spoonbills, kingfishers, ibises and herons.
The Mokopane Biodiversity Conservation Centre
is home to an abundance of exotic and indigenous
fauna such as lemur, the rare tsessebe, roan antelope
and black rhino.
The De Wildt Cheetah-Breeding and Research
Centre, situated near Pretoria, is best known for
its highly successful captive-breeding programme
that contributed to the cheetah being removed
from the endangered list of the South African Red Data Book – Terrestrial Mammals in 1986.
De Wildt also breeds a number of rare and
endangered African species. The most spectacular
of these is the magnificent king cheetah, which is
a true cheetah, but with a variation of coat patterns
and colouring. De Wildt also plays a major role in
breeding and releasing wild dogs. It has donated
breeding nucleuses of the highly endangered
riverine rabbit and suni antelope to the Kruger
National Park. The De Wildt Vulture Unit is a rehabilitation and
holding facility for injured, poisoned and disabled
vultures.
The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre in
Mpumalanga was initially established as a breeding
programme for the then endangered cheetah. Following the success of the cheetah-breeding
programme, it has evolved into a breeding programme for other endangered African animal
species. The centre caters for, among other things, five species of vulture: Cape griffins, and white-backed, hooded, whiteheaded and lappet-faced
vultures. The centre is also known for its wild-dog-breeding programme.
The Hoedspruit Research and Breeding Programme
also includes the rare black-footed cat, the vulnerable African wild cat, ground hornbills (in
co-operation with the NZG in Pretoria), bald ibis and the endangered blue crane. Elephant, white rhino, buffalo, caracal, Sable antelope, bushbuck
and tsessebe have also been cared for and rehabilitated
there.
Aquaria
There are well-known aquaria in Pretoria, Port
Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban.
The Aquarium and Reptile Park of the National Zoological Gardens (NZG) is the largest inland aquarium in Africa, with
the largest collection of fresh water fish. It
is also the only aquarium in South Africa
that exhibits a large variety of marine fish in
artificial sea water.
The Port Elizabeth Oceanarium is one of the
city’s major attractions. Exhibits include an underwater observation area, a dolphin-research centre, various smaller tanks of 40 different species
of bony fish and two larger tanks that display
sharks and stingrays.
East London has a smaller aquarium.
At the Two Oceans Aquarium situated at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, more than 3 000 specimens represent some 300 species of fish, invertebrates, mammals, birds and plants supported by the waters along the Cape coast.
UShaka Marine World in Durban incorporates both fresh and sea water, and is the fifth-largest aquarium in the world by water volume. It comprises Sea World, Dolphin World, Beach World, and Wet and Wild World.
Sea World incorporates a unique shipwreck-themed aquarium, a penguin rookery and a
1 200-seater dolphin stadium (the largest dolphinarium in Africa).
It also offers edutainment tours and special interactive activities such as snorkelling and scuba diving. In addition, it features a rocky touch-pool, where visitors can touch a starfish or sea cucumber with the help of specially trained guides.
Snake parks
The Transvaal Snake Park in Midrand, between Pretoria and Johannesburg, houses up to 150 species of snakes and other reptiles and amphibians from southern Africa and elsewhere. The emphasis is on the development of breeding programmes for animals in captivity.
The Port Elizabeth Snake Park at Bayworld has a wide variety of South African and foreign reptiles, including tortoises, boa constrictors, pythons, crocodiles, lizards and deadly venomous snakes such as cobras, mambas and rattlers.
Rare and threatened species, including the Madagascar ground boa, are housed safely in realistically landscaped glass enclosures.
The Aquarium and Reptile Park situated at the National Zoological Gardens (NZG) in Pretoria houses 80 reptile species from all over the world.
The Hartbeespoort Dam Snake and Animal Park near Pretoria features one of the finest reptile collections in southern Africa. It offers seal shows and snake-handling demonstrations.
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Marine resources
The South African coastline covers more than
3 200 km, linking the east and west coasts of Africa. South Africa’s shores are particularly rich in biodiversity, with some 10 000 species of marine plants and animals having been recorded.
The productive waters of the west coast support a variety of commercially exploited marine life, including hake, anchovy, sardine, horse mackerel, tuna, snoek, rock lobster and abalone.
On the east coast, squid, linefish and a wide range of intertidal resources provide an important source of food and livelihood for coastal communities. Marine life that is not harvested, such as whales, dolphins and seabirds, is increasingly recognised as a valuable resource for nature-based tourism.
The South African fishing industry, which was once concentrated in the hands of a few, largely white-owned companies, has undergone intensive transformation over the past 10 years.
The Integrated Coastal Management Bill will replace the Seashore Act, 1935 (Act 21 of 1935) [PDF]. The Bill also replaces the Dumping at Sea Control Act, 1980 (Act 73 of 1980), and introduces, for the first time, a comprehensive national system for planning and managing South Africa’s spectacular and valuable coastal areas.
The purpose of the National Coastal Management Bill is to:
- provide a legal and administrative framework that will promote co-operative, co-ordinated and integrated coastal development
- preserve, protect and enhance the status of the coastal environment as the heritage that belongs to all
- ensure coastal resources are managed in the interest of the whole community
- ensure there is equitable access to the opportunities and benefits derived from the coast
- give effect to certain of South Africa’s international legal obligations.
This Bill declares the seashore, coastal waters (including estuaries) and South Africa’s territorial seas to be coastal public property. It therefore also requires the State to act as the trustee of coastal public property.
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New fisheries
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has completed the allocation of long-term commercial fishing rights of eight to 15 years in 20 fishing sectors. Out of more than 8 000 applicants for fishing rights, 2 480 were granted long-term fishing rights, with 59% of these being Black Economic Empowerment-compliant.
By mid-2008, a performance review process of the commercial fishery rights allocation was underway and draft policies on the transfer of commercial fishing rights and allocation of large pelagics had been published.
To complete the allocation process, the department is working on a revised Policy on Subsistence/Small-Scale Fisheries.
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Aquaculture
Marine aquaculture is an integral part of the department’s strategy to diversify the fishing industry. In 2007, the department published the first-ever
marine aquaculture policy for South Africa. The
policy aims to create an enabling environment that
includes transforming and broadening participation
in the industry through small, medium and
micro-enterprise (SMME) initiatives and facilitating
finance and skills development.
The policies are also intended to improve the
management and control of environmental impacts
and increase the resource base to include a more
diverse suite of species.
Poaching and environmental changes have led
to declines in the natural abalone population. This
has led to the closure of the wild abalone commercial
fishery. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has identified that abalone ranching can play an important role in enhancing
depleted abalone stocks. Furthermore, jobs could
be created within the communities adjacent to
areas identified to be suitable for ranching.
Over the past couple of years, abalone farming
has developed rapidly and production levels are
now in the order of about 1 000 tons. With the
increase in the availability of abalone spat, various
ranching experiments have been initiated, mainly
near Port Nolloth along the West Coast and, on
a smaller scale, at Cape Recife along the East
Coast.
Areas for abalone ranching have been identified
from Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape to Hamburg
in the Eastern Cape. The department has therefore
developed guidelines on abalone ranching and
stock enhancement.
In February 2008, regulations concerning diving
restrictions were gazetted. These regulations form
part of a suite of actions aimed at protecting wild
abalone resources.
These regulations indicated the department’s
intention to ban diving in five areas of the coastline,
comprising three islands (Robben Island, Dyer
Island and Bird Island) and two coastal areas, from
Gansbaai to Quoin Point and at Cape Point. The
proposal for a diving ban is an essential component
of the strategy to protect abalone in certain
key areas where the stock is most likely to recover. The proposed areas were also assessed in terms
of their importance to recreational users, in particular
scuba divers and scuba-diving businesses,
spear fishers and recreational West Coast rock
lobster fishers.
Furthermore, any person who wishes to undertake
any of the following activities can apply for a
permit to engage in diving or be in possession of
prohibited gear in the listed areas:
- scientific research and monitoring
- white shark-cage diving
- commercial kelp harvesting
- sea ranching
- salvage operations
- maintenance of legal underwater infrastructure
- any other activity authorised in terms of
legislation.
The gazetting of the regulations coincided with the
implementation of the emergency suspension of
the abalone fishery on 1 February 2008.
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4x4 regulations
Following the successful implementation of the
4x4 regulations that provide for the controlled use
of off-road vehicles in coastal zones, the monitoring
of certain stretches of coast has indicated
that the banning of off-road vehicles has enabled
several shore-breeding birds, especially Damara
tern and the African black oystercatcher, to breed
successfully on beaches once more.
According to conservationists from Ezemvelo
KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, the number of loggerhead
and leatherback turtles hatching successfully on
the beaches of northern KwaZulu-Natal has also
increased since the ban was enforced.
[Top]
Interpretive and Informative Marine and Coastal Signage Programme
As part of its education and training programme, the department seeks to raise awareness in coastal areas. Following extensive consultation, more than 90 different-themed interpretive and informative boards were developed and erected at beaches all along the coastline after the reproduction of more than 1 000 copies. These are valuable tools for increasing coastal and marine-environment awareness among beach visitors.
[Top]
Adopt-a-Beach
The Adopt-a-Beach Programme was initiated to encourage groups of people to adopt or help look after a piece of coast in their region and link with others as part of a national project. Adopt-a-Beach is part of the overall Coastcare Programme and contributes towards the implementation of the awareness, education and training goals of the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa (2000). More than 250 groups have been registered and are being supported by the department.
[Top]
Blue Flag Programme
Blue Flag is an international annual award given to beaches that meet excellence in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards.
South Africa is the first country outside Europe to win Blue Flag accreditation for its beaches.
The Blue Flag beaches for 2008/09 were:
In the Eastern Cape:
- Dolphin Beach, Jeffrey’s Bay
- Humewood Beach, Port Elizabeth
- Hobie Beach, Port Elizabeth
- Kelly’s Beach, Port Alfred
- King’s Beach, Port Elizabeth
- Wells Estate, north of Port Elizabeth
In KwaZulu-Natal:
- Hibberdene Beach, south coast
- Margate Beach, south coast
- Marina / San Lameer Beach, south coast
- Ramsgate Main Beach, south coast
In the Western Cape:
- Bikini Beach, Gordon’s Bay
- Camps Bay Beach, Cape Town
- Clifton Fourth Beach, Cape Town
- Grotto Beach, Hermanus
- Hawston Beach, near Hermanus
- Lappiesbaai Beach, Stilbaai
- Mnandi Beach, Cape Town
- Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town
- Strandfontein Beach, Cape Town
According to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, a further 16 South African beaches are piloting the Blue Flag programme with the aim of achieving full accreditation in 2009 or 2010.
[Top]
Conservation challenges
South Africa faces many of the problems experienced by developing countries, in which rapid industrialisation, population growth and urbanisation pose a threat to the quality of the environment. The department is reforming environmental law to introduce reform in biodiversity conservation, pollution, waste management and environmental planning.
[Top]
Urban environmental management
South Africa is an urbanised economy with 58% of the population living in cities and towns. By 2015, it is expected that 68% of the population will live in urban areas due to continued migration from rural areas mainly to the larger cities, which will lead to many environmental challenges in South
Africa’s cities.
The launch of the five-year Danish-funded Urban Environmental Management Programme (UEMP) in June 2006 marked a milestone in environmental co-operation between Denmark and South Africa. With their latest donation of
R275 million, Denmark passed the R1-billion mark in donations made towards improving environmental quality in South Africa. Five key municipalities have been chosen as pilots for this programme, namely Cape Town, Durban, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Sedibeng (Vaal Triangle). The
three provincial partners are Gauteng, Western
Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Some R85 million has been earmarked for
direct support to these cities, with a reserve for
other “hotspots” in future. People living in air-pollution hotspots such as the Vaal Triangle and
South Durban can expect noticeable improvements
over the next five years.
It is expected that the UEMP will lead to an
improvement in the quality of life of nearly two
million poor households in these five municipalities,
whose health is affected by inadequate waste
removal, and poor air quality and planning. It will contribute to economic growth by assisting cities
to develop energy strategies and IDPs. The professional
development of environ mental health officers
will also receive special attention.
[Top]
Climate and atmospheric change
The South African Government launched its
Long-Term Mitigation Scenario (LTMS) process
on climate change in 2006. Findings and policy
recommendations based on the LTMS were
presented by stakeholders from government,
business, civil society and labour, to the Cabinet
at its Lekgotla held in July 2008.
Government’s vision and the implementation
of this policy framework will be the insurance
policy current and future generations will have
against the potentially devastating impacts of
climate change. By adopting this strategic direction,
South Africa takes a leading position in the
developing world and demonstrates it is ready to
shoulder its fair share of responsibility as part of
an effective global response.
The international negotiations on strengthening
the climate regime after 2012 gained significant
momentum at the talks in Bali in December
2007.
This process will conclude in Copenhagen at
the end of 2009. South Africa’s LTMS process also
establishes parameters for its post-2012 negotiating positions.
Government has outlined its vision for climate
policy in the following terms:
- in designing the policy for the transition to a
climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and
society, the mitigation and adaptation response
will be balanced
- the climate response policy, built on six pillars, will be informed by what is required by science, namely to limit global temperature increase to
2°C above pre-industrial levels.
The six policy-direction themes are:
- greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reductions and
limits
- building on, strengthening and/or scaling up
current initiatives
- implementing the Government’s “Business
Unusual” Call for Action in 2008
- preparing for the future
- vulnerability and adaptation
- alignment, co-ordination and co-operation.
Milestones will include a national summit in February 2009, the conclusion of international negotiations at the end of 2009 and a final domestic
policy to be adopted by the end of 2010 after
international negotiations have been completed.
The process will culminate in the introduction
of a legislative, regulatory and fiscal package to
give effect to the strategic direction and policy from now up to 2012.
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Erosion and desertification
Most South African soil is unstable. The country loses an estimated 500 mt of topsoil annually through erosion caused by water and wind.
About 81% of the total land area of South Africa is farmed. However, only 70% of this area is suitable for grazing. Overgrazing and erosion diminish the carrying capacity of the veld and lead to land degradation. This process has already claimed more than 250 000 ha of land in South Africa. The Department of Agriculture administers the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act 43 of 1983), in terms of which various measures are being implemented to prevent or contain soil erosion.
In January 1995, South Africa signed the Convention to Combat Desertification, which was ratified on 30 September 1997. The main objectives of the convention include co-operation between governments, organisations and communities to accomplish sustainable development, especially where water resources are scarce.
The convention aims to support member countries in Africa to prevent desertification and its consequences. These countries support one another at technical and scientific level, as they share similar climatic conditions.
South Africa also acts as co-ordinator for the Valdivia Group for Desertification. The group consists of countries in the southern hemisphere, namely Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, South Africa and Brazil, whose aim it is, to among other things, foster scientific and technological co-operation.
The country has introduced legislation such as the Biodiversity Act, 2004 [PDF] to promote the conser-vation of biodiversity, and fight desertification and land degradation.
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Waste management
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has prioritised four projects within the framework of the National Waste Management Strategy. They are:
- recycling
- a waste-information system
- healthcare waste
- capacity-building.
Central to these are pilot projects that are being set up countrywide. The department welcomes partnerships with business to ensure that these projects are successful and become a core of better waste management in South Africa.
In 2008, the National Environment Management: Waste Bill [PDF] was put before Parliament.
Government aims to reduce the amount of “big five” wastes – plastics, cans, paper, glass and tyres – that reach landfills by 70% by 2022 and to minimise and treat the remaining 30%. National initiatives embarked on to realise the goal of zero waste include agreements signed by government and members of priority waste-stream sectors such as the manufacturers of plastic bags and the waste-glass industry, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the waste-tyre sector.
An agreement containing regulations governing plastic shopping bags was signed in September 2002 by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and representatives from various labour and business organisations.
The agreement, which came into effect on
9 May 2003, stipulates that the thickness of plastic bags be 30 microns. However, manufacturers were allowed to continue using their existing machinery to make bags of 24-micron thickness for the following five years before having to comply with the 30-micron standard.
The agreement states that printing will only be allowed on 25% of the surface area of plastic bags if the ink is not environmentally friendly. In situations where the ink is acceptable, this area can be increased to 50%. The department has a toll-free line to deal with queries about plastic bags.
The plastic-bags agreement and supporting regulations have dramatically decreased the environmental impact of this highly visible waste stream, with a 50% reduction in the consumption of plastic bags since the introduction of the regulations.
As part of the implementation of the plastic bag regulations, Buyisa-e-Bag, a non-profit company, was set up to promote waste minimisation and awareness initiatives in the plastics industry. The company is expected to expand collector networks and to create jobs, as well as to kick-start rural collection SMMEs and create additional capacity in NGOs.
Work is in progress to follow this success with targeted and customised agreements in respect of other problem waste streams, including tyres and glass. The compliance and enforcement of the regulations have been assigned to the South African Bureau of Standards.
The Radioactive Waste Management Policy [PDF], which assures citizens that there is a nuclear
waste-management plan and strategy, is being
implemented, starting with the creation of
the National Committee on Radioactive Waste
Management.
The National Radioactive Waste Management
Agency Bill was approved by Cabinet in April
2008.
During the processing of the Bill, it was
agreed between the department and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee that the title of the
National Radioactive Waste Management Agency
be changed to the National Radioactive Waste
Disposal Institute (NRWDI).
The objects of the Bill are to:
- provide for the establishment of the NRWDI
- manage radioactive waste disposal nationally
- manage its functions effectively
- regulate staff matters
- manage all relevant functions.
The establishment of the institute will allow the
operators/generators to focus on their core business.
However, the generators will remain financially
responsible for the disposal of the waste.
This institute will be solely responsible for
handling radioactive waste disposal, predisposal
management and storage at the disposal site.
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Water-quality management
The Directorate: Water-Quality Management of the
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry is responsible
for the quality management of national water
resources in South Africa.
Water-quality management involves maintaining
water resources for use on a sustained
basis, by achieving a balance between socio-economic
development and environmental protection.
From a regulatory point of view, water-quality
management entails the ongoing process of planning,
developing, implementing and administering
water-quality management policy; authorising
water uses that have, or potentially have, an
impact on water quality; as well as the monitoring
and auditing of the aforementioned.
The National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998) [PDF], further enables the Department of Water Affairs
and Forestry to manage water quality through
source-directed and resource-directed measures. Source-directed measures include the issuing of
licences to water users with a potential impact on
the resource.
The Act requires that all significant water
resources be classified in accordance with the
prescribed classification system. (See Water affairs and forestry.)
[Top]
Air pollution
The National Environment Management: Air Quality
Act, 2004 (Act 39 of 2004) [PDF], was promulgated in
2005. The Act, which repealed the Atmospheric
Pollution Prevention Act, 1965 (Act 45 of 1965) [PDF], gives effect to an integrated pollution and waste-management policy to ensure that all South Africans
have access to clean air.
In 2007, as part of implementing the Air Quality
Act, 2004, registration certificates issued in terms
of the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act, 1965
were reviewed.
To this effect, it has prioritised the key sectors
whose permits require review. These include the petrochemical sector (seven operations); primary
steel manufacture (nine operations); primary
aluminium production (two operations); ferro-alloy
industries, specifically chromium, vanadium and
manganese (ferro-silicon) production (27 to 30
operations); pulp and paper industries (nine operations);
and coal-fired power stations (national grid)
(20 operations).
The Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism has made significant strides in addressing
air-pollution problems. In addition to the Durban
Multipoint Plan for Air-Quality Management, it
has declared the Vaal Triangle air-shed as a priority
area requiring urgent intervention by government
and all stakeholders. It has established an
air-quality monitoring system in the area, and six
air-quality monitoring stations have been procured
and installed to generate data. Air-quality monitoring
stations were also launched in the Highveld
Priority Area in August 2008.
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Marine pollution and sustainability
South Africa has one of world’s busiest ship ping
routes and has experienced many oil spills over
the years. It is estimated that 80% of the world’s
tanker traffic passes South Africa’s coast.
The Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism developed the National Contingency Plan
for the Prevention and Combating of Pollution
from Ships, in consultation with the South African
Maritime Safety Authority and the Department of
Transport. This includes disposing, recovering
or stabilising the spilt oil and rehabilitating the
environment.
The department established the National Ballast Water-Management Task Group to develop measures aimed at regulating discharges of ballast water in South Africa’s marine and coastal waters.
Sustainable Coastal
Livelihoods Programme (SCLP)
The SCLP seeks alternative livelihood options for communities along the South African coast to minimise pressure on marine resources.
Subsistence fishing
The implementation of the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 (Act 18 of 1998) [PDF], has facilitated the allocation of formal rights to fishers in this sector for the first time.
It is an important part of the overall transformation of fisheries in South Africa. A primary goal is to allow subsistence fishers to obtain their food, or food security, through the harvesting of local resources. Consequently, the need to ensure that exploitation is sustainable is vital.
Identifying and working with fishing communities to promote orderly access has been emphasised. Implementation involves co-operation between all spheres of government and civil society.
From a total of 50 commercially exploitable line fish species in South Africa, 19 have collapsed. South Africa has over 200 species with a substantial number of species endemic, which places even greater responsibility to ensure the sustainability and survival of the species.
Scientists estimate that globally, 75% of global fish stocks are either exploited at maximum levels or are overexploited. It takes up to 10 years for a single fish to mature reproductively.
Protecting South Africa’s seas
To counter illegal activities along the 3 000-km coastline, as well as the country’s 1 155 000-km2 Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has boosted its compliance unit with the appointment of more than 80 fishery-control officers (FCOs) and 100 honorary FCOs, after the implementation of the Honorary FCO Policy. The department has also taken delivery of four new environmental-protection vessels as part of measures to protect marine and coastal resources.
Three of the four new protection vessels, Lillian Ngoyi, Ruth First and Victoria Mxenge, have been built to patrol up to the 200 nautical-mile limit from the shore. A fourth vessel, Sarah Baartman, patrols the most remote reaches of the EEZ and around the Prince Edward islands in the Southern Ocean. The vessels also conduct multilateral patrols in the SADC coastal states.
Vessel monitoring
The department is making it obligatory for fishing vessels to have satellite technology on board so that it can monitor their movements. Five coastal nations in the SADC have taken the innovative step of linking their vessel-monitoring systems. South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania have signed an MoU that will allow them to share information about the movement of licensed boats along the southern African coast.
Partnerships
To further counter illegal fishing and corruption, the department entered into partnerships with a broad spectrum of agencies, including national, provincial and local government, as well as NGOs.
Co-operation ensures that resources are used more effectively, resulting in a number of high-profile prosecutions and convictions.
Other important partnerships have been forged with specialised units of the South African Police Service. In addition, SANParks and a number of provincial nature-conservation agencies conduct monitoring, control and surveillance activities within the MPAs.
Ecosystem Approach to
Fisheries Management (EAFM)
In line with the JPoI, the department has begun to explore implementation of the EAFM.
The purpose of the EAFM is to plan, develop and manage fisheries in a manner that addresses the multiplicity of societal needs and desires, without jeopardising the options for future generations to benefit from the full range of goods and services (including fisheries and recreational opportunities) provided by marine ecosystems.
Good progress has been made through national and regional initiatives in implementing practical measures to mitigate the negative effects of fisheries on the ecosystem.
Transboundary research collaborations
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has launched a project (as part of a regional initiative) to investigate the feasibility of an EAFM in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region, by examining
the existing issues, problems and needs related
to EAFM, and developing different management options to achieve sustainable management of
resources at an ecosystem level.
The BCLME programme is a management-orientated programme aimed at boosting the
infrastructure necessary to address cross-boundary problems associated with fishing, mining, oil
exploration, coastal development, biodiversity and
pollution.
Another programme implemented by the
department is the scientific arm of BCLME, the
Benguela Fisheries Interaction Training (Benefit)
Programme.
Benefit is a joint initiative between South Africa, Namibia and Angola to address isheries and other
marine scientific investigations of important living
marine resources and their interactions with the
environment. Training staff to undertake research
and to achieve the levels of expertise necessary to
provide advice to fisheries’ management is also an
important objective of Benefit.
Both the BCLME and the Benefit programmes
are seen as Nepad initiatives, and are supported
by SADC as regional projects.
West Indian Ocean Land-Based
Activities Project (WIO-LaB)
The WIO-LaB Project deals with the protection, prevention and management of marine pollution
from land-based activities.
Commitment was given to this project by the
main donors, the United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP) and the GEF. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is assessing
the effect that litter from rivers has on the oceans, is raising awareness of and educating communities
about the importance of protecting the marine
environment from pollution resulting from landbased
activities, and has created task teams to
deal with municipal water and the physical alteration
and destruction of habitats.
National Policy for Seals and Seabirds
The National Policy for Seals and Seabirds in South
Africa and the National Plan of Action for Seabirds, aimed at reducing the incidental catch of seabirds
in longline fisheries, have been finalised.
This follows growing concern over the numbers
of seabirds, especially albatrosses, being killed by
longline vessels in southern Africa. The plan sets
out the required mitigation measures to reduce
mortality of seabirds to below an interim target
level of 0,05 birds/thousand hooks by South Africa’s longline fisheries for hake, tuna, sword fish, Patagonian toothfish and sharks.
South Africa ratified the Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) in November 2003. It is a multilateral agreement
that seeks to conserve albatrosses and petrels
by co-ordinating inter national activity to mitigate
known threats to albatross and petrel populations. South Africa played a key role in negotiating the
ACAP, and is home to many important populations
of these seabirds, including those on the sub-Antarctic
Prince Edward islands.
Research observer scheme
The Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism introduced a formal research observer
scheme for the following fisheries: deep sea hake
trawl; inshore hake trawl; hake longline; pelagic
purse seine; South Coast rock lobster; KwaZulu-Natal prawn trawl; large pelagics (experimental);
horse mackerel midwater trawl; and deep
sea experimental fisheries. This observer scheme
provides valuable research data on, among other
things, the influence these fisheries have on the
ecosystem.
Chemicals
Although relatively small by international standards,
the chemical industry is a significant player
in the South African economy.
Several steps have been taken to align current
legislation with the Constitution of the Republic of
South Africa [PDF], 1996, as well as with global chemicals management:
- A special unit has been set up in the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to implement a system aimed at preventing major industrial accidents, as well as systems for emergency preparedness and response.
- The department has initiated an integrated safety, health and environment approach for the management of chemicals in South Africa. This government-level initiative, funded by the UN Institute for Training and Research, will involve a multi-stakeholder forum, including labour representatives, aimed at integrating legislation.
South Africa has signed the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. It also played a part in the process of developing guidelines for the implementation of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.
Recycling
The Department of Trade and Industry held a recycling study consultative workshop in Midrand in September 2008. The purpose of the workshop was to:
- better understand business-related challenges
- provide guidance about the current and potential size of the industry
- design SMME incentives
- create employment opportunities.
The project was in line with the department’s responsibility of meeting the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) objective to alve poverty and unemployment by 2014 through recycling.
Since Collect-a-Can was established in 1993, the recycling company has supported Earth Day, with more than 750 000 tons of used beverage cans being recovered and recycled. Collect-a-Can is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal South Africa, which is Africa’s major steel producer and producer of tinplate for food and beverage cans and Africa’s largest packaging company and beverage can producer, Nampak.
Collect-a-Can annually embarks on various projects which run throughout the year. The biggest project is the schools’ competition, a project which aims to encourage, educate and inform children on the importance of a clean environment and how such an environment can be achieved through recycling waste like used beverage cans. The company works within the community to support recycling initiatives and has a strong commitment to socio-economic empowerment.
Environmental injustices
The negative effect of asbestos on the environment and other environmental-injustice issues are a priority for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The South African Government has undertaken the following to address the asbestos issue:
- eradicating mine dumps
- developing occupational health and safety regulations on asbestos
- developing safety standards and establishing a single compensation office
- formulating a code of best practice for the maintenance, demolition and disposal of asbestos-containing material
- abolishing the use of asbestos in road construction
- gradually phasing out asbestos use in housing.
The Regulations for the Prohibition of the Use, Manufacturing, Import and Export of Asbestos and Asbestos Containing Materials, which form part of the Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (Act 73 of 1989), were promulgated on 28 March 2008. A grace period of 120 days was allowed for any person or merchant dealing in asbestos or
asbestos-containing material to clear their stocks.
The objectives of the new regulations are to prohibit the use, processing and manufacturing, of any asbestos or asbestos-containing product unless it can be proven that no suitable alternative exists. The regulations do, however, provide for asbestos to be used for research purposes. Exposure to asbestos in the workplace, including
mining, industrial, commercial, retail and public
workplaces, as well as the maintenance of building
material, is still controlled by the Asbestos
Regulations of 2001 published by the Department
of Labour. These require employers to draw
up a register of all asbestos-containing material, conduct a risk assessment, educate and inform
employees, protect employees from exposure
to asbestos and conduct regular dust and health
surveillance.
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International co-operation
The Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism promotes South Africa’s interests by
participating in a number of inter national commissions,
such as:
The following important instruments have been
acceded to, or ratified:
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United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCC)
South Africa ratified the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCC) in 1997. The convention is a global commitment to take collective
responsibility for climate change, and is a mandate for action to address the problem.
The convention was signed at the Rio Earth
Summit in 1992 by heads of state and other
senior representatives from 154 countries (and
the European Community), and came into effect on
21 March 1994.
Since mid-1998, some 175 states have ratified
or acceded to the convention.
The objective of the convention is to stabilise
GHG concentrations in the atmosphere at
a level that will not have an adverse effect on
the climate. The convention aims to control this level over a
period of time, to:
- allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate
change
- ensure that food production is not threatened
- enable economic development to proceed in a
sustainable manner.
All countries that have ratified the convention are required to:
- develop, update and publish national inventories
of anthropogenic emissions by sources, and
removals by sinks of GHG (the GHG excludes
those listed in the Montreal Protocol)
- formulate, implement and update national and
regional programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change
- promote and co-operate in the development and
transfer of technology that controls, reduces or
prevents anthropogenic emissions of GHG
- promote sustainable management, conservation
and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs
of GHG
- co-operate in preparing for the adaptation to
the impact of climate change
- take climate-change considerations into account
where feasible, in relevant social, economic and
environmental policies and actions, to minimise
the adverse effects of climate change on the
economy, on public health and on the quality of
the environment
- promote and co-operate in the timeous and
transparent exchange of information, including
scientific, technological, socio-economic and
legal information and research
- promote and co-operate in education, training
and public awareness
- report to the Conference of the Parties.
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Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (Cites)
Cites, also known as the Washington Convention, was negotiated in 1973 when it was realised that
international trade in wildlife and wildlife products
could lead to the overexploitation of certain
species, thereby threatening them with extinction.
Cites came into force in South Africa on
13 October 1975. South Africa, together with the
other 149 member countries, acts by regulating
and monitoring international trade in species
which are, or may be, affected by this trade.
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Montreal Protocol
South Africa became a signatory to the Montreal Protocol in 1990 and has a national obligation to safeguard the ozone layer from depletion. South Africa has phased out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride–making it the only developing country in the world that has achieved so much in line with the phase-out schedule for developed countries. Although South Africa is classified as a developing country, its consumption of these substances is equal to that of some developed countries.
To demonstrate the country’s commitment towards the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), the following control measures constitute the overall position of South Africa on the Montreal Protocol:
- working groups were constituted to assist government in implementing the protocol
- regulated ODS can only be imported or exported after applying for an import/export permit through the Department of Trade and Industry under the Import and Export Control Act, 1963 (Act 45 of 1963)
- ODS can only be imported after an environ-mental levy of R5 per kg of CFC has been paid
- information is disseminated to interested and affected parties
- Africa network meetings, as arranged by the UNEP, are attended, where views, experiences and problems are shared to improve co-operation within the region and as per Nepad requirements.
Obligations include:
- ensuring that South Africa, as a party to the protocol, protects human health and the environment against harm from human activities that modify or are likely to modify the ozone layer
- ensuring the protection of the ozone layer by taking precautionary measures to equitably control total global emissions of substances that deplete the ozone layer, with the ultimate objective of totally eliminating them
- reporting and sending to the Ozone Secretariat data on production, imports, exports and consumption of regulated ODS as collected from dealers and relevant departments.
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has embarked on a national project to establish methyl bromide consumption trends, and a database of suitable, feasible and economically viable alternatives to methyl bromide.
This document will form the basis for an intensive research/evaluation project to phase out, in the short term, 20% of methyl bromide usage, mainly in the agricultural sector. As of 1 January 2005, all developing countries were to have reduced their respective methyl bromide consumption by 20%, as per the phase-out timetable.
[Top]
Private-sector involvement
Numerous private bodies are involved in conservation activities. There are more than 400 organisations in the country concentrating on conservation, wildlife and the general environment, as well as more than 30 botanical and horticultural organisations.
Among these are:
Source: South Africa Yearbook 2008/09
Editor: D Burger. Government Communication and Information
System
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