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Date: 01/02/2010
Source: The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs
Title: SA: Sonjica: Speech by the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, at the launch of the year of International Biodiversity
Programme Director,
Deputy Director General for Biodiversity and Conservation, Mr.
Fundisile Mketeni,
The CEOs of our Public Entities,
Representatives of various environmental organisations,
Members of the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am honoured and yet humbled to launch a year dedicated to the
preservation of life on Earth. Women are mothers by definition and life
is precious in every form. It is therefore apt to call our planet
*Mother Earth*.
To this effect and for the first time in history, the United Nations
General Assembly has, with a view of engaging people all around the
world for protecting life on Earth, declared 2010 as the International
Year of Biodiversity.
What is this word Biodiversity that we hear about every so often?
Biodiversity is not just about the plants, animals and the bees, it is
about life, it underpins our survival on this planet.
We need to demystify this concept so that everyone knows what it is.
You and I use biodiversity products and services everyday in our daily
lives yet these services of nature are taken for granted.
What is not taken for granted and is very clear is that the flow of
benefits or ecosystem services from biodiversity or the natural capital
as it is known, is estimated at R73 billion, contributing 7% of GDP per
annum.
The International Year of Biodiversity is a once in a lifetime
opportunity for us to raise local awareness of the importance of
biodiversity for our health, wealth, food and survival. Indeed for our
life.
Biodiversity is the basis for human development; this is particularly
true for the poor, as they are most vulnerable from the effects of
biodiversity loss. This is because many of our communities are directly
dependent on biodiversity and ecosystems. Ecosystems supply food and
fuel, clean our air and water, and help regulate our climate. In short,
they provide a wide range of services - ecosystem services on which our
well being and livelihoods as humanity depend.
Ladies and gentlemen, the earth as we know it is changing rapidly.
Biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate. Approximately ten
per cent of species assessed so far have an increasingly high risk of
extinction. We are witnessing the loss of the very services on which
livelihood systems depend. Our communities are being affected by
erratic weather patterns, they become displaced and there is the
scramble for natural resources, clean water, air, and food. Precious
life is lost. This loss is also as a result of climate change and
urbanisation.
We need to take the necessary steps to protect the biological diversity
of the Earth. It is projected that our present consumption patterns will
require the resources of 2 planets by the year 2030 if we don*t change
our consumption patterns. Hence, business as usual is not an option, for
humanity*s continued existence is under threat.
Our South African society should strive for a more sustainable use of
natural resources and for a reduction in habitat loss and climate
change, including the social and cultural dimensions. The economic
rationale for sustaining biodiversity and the pressing need to make
policymakers and the public more aware of how we all depend on
biodiversity and its ecosystem goods and services for survival and well
being is a priority. We all need to act now to preserve the services on
which we all depend - the services of nature, the services of
biodiversity.
An ethical mindset is needed to find innovative solutions to local
challenges we face. These are natural disasters, poverty, shrinking
water resources, endangered biodiversity, health epidemics, need for
improved service delivery and poverty eradication. Awareness and
education must engender a culture of sharing and responsibility towards
our planet. It must open hearts and minds. We cannot be party to wilful
ignorance.
More science is needed to improve decision making, highlighting the
importance of the smallest living organism to the largest charismatic
species in this circle of life. To be able to track and adapt to changes
in biodiversity levels requires more than ever improved knowledge of
species and their interactions. This should include recognition of
indigenous knowledge. All life forms are important, but communication
needs to be simple enough to ensure that all of society joins the
movement to conserve life on Earth. Science knows no boundaries, as
knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the
world.
Our local communities need to be made aware of the importance of for
example the Bull frog and the elephant in their daily existence.
Indigenous knowledge needs to be harnessed in order to allow communities
to adapt to changing conditions. We must also empower our communities to
join hands with government to deal with unscrupulous people who loot our
natural resources to a point of depletion. For working together we can
do more to ensure that we build a society that lives in harmony with its
environment, whose patterns of consumption are mindful of the
devastation that could be visited upon our resources. I would like to
call on all communities to jealously guard their natural resources
against such actions.
Of course much more work still remains to be done if we are truly to
come to terms with the sheer abundance of life on Earth and how it all
fits together for our survival on this planet.
The launch of this International Year of Biodiversity in South Africa
is momentous, as South Africa is the third most mega-diverse country in
the world. This means we have a diversity of landscapes and natural
beauty to match our diversity in culture and language. South Africans
should have a sense of pride to be living in a country that is so
beautiful, with our natural landscapes, our nature reserves, our
wetlands and our unique fauna and flora. However, our country is faced
with the double challenge of climate change and loss of biodiversity. We
cannot also forget the challenge of addressing the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
Rural development remains a priority for the South Africa government.
The rural areas are often where the biodiversity hot spots are.
Increasingly, this natural beauty is used to untangle the social
injustices of the past and unlock economic benefits to local
communities.
Land redistribution is a priority. However, we understand the need to
balance the integrity and protection of ecosystems with sustainable
development. Unsustainable developments present pressure on ecosystem
integrity and cause habitat destruction and ultimately the loss of
biodiversity. Again, promoting growth and building a better South Africa
is a balancing act. The Environmental Impact Assessment process and the
variety of innovative tools developed for land use planning ensure
efficiency and effectiveness, moving towards sustainability. We are also
aware of environmental crimes that diminish our natural resources even
further, e.g. poaching, illegal hunting and trade issues.
We must not be discouraged by these challenges as our successes in
effective management of our natural resources can only be measured by
our commitment and interventions. This must be led by government but
embraced by society as a whole. Globally the challenges are the same if
not worse. Further, in order to ensure successful implementation of our
interventions, to arrest biodiversity loss, to ensure sustainable
utilization of our natural resources and equitable sharing of benefits
of natures gifts, so that we can grow into a prosperous and healthy
nation, towards a better quality of life for all its citizens, we need
the full engagement of all people living in our country, all states and
all citizens of the world. It is only through broad- based partnerships,
commitment, cooperation, coordination, communication, capacity and
capital that we shall succeed in ensuring that life will continue to
flourish on Earth for the benefit of all species, including the human
species.
This Year is also significant as for the first time in the history of
the United Nations a high level meeting of the General Assembly devoted
to Biodiversity will be held in the United States of America in
September this year with the participation of Heads of States and
Governments. Political will to preserve life is gaining momentum. This
marks the start of a global campaign which will culminate in a Global
Biodiversity Summit in Nagoya, Japan. This International Year of
Biodiversity is the beginning of a long-lasting alliance of all
stakeholders to meet the unprecedented challenges facing humanity of the
loss of biodiversity compounded by climate change.
I call upon all of us, civil society, governments, NGOs, schools,
business, all sectors, to embrace this International Year of
Biodiversity. Each month has a dedicated theme linking the benefits of
biodiversity to society in every way.
* January: BIODIVERSITY IS LIFE
* February: BIODIVERSITY IS PRECIOUS
* March: BIODIVERSITY IS FRESH WATER
* April: BIODIVERSITY IS FOOD & ENERGY
* May: BIODIVERSITY IS WEALTH
* June: BIODIVERSITY IS SECURITY
* July: BIODIVERSITY IS CLEAN AIR
* August: BIODIVERSITY IS HEALTH
* September: BIODIVERSITY IS HERITAGE
* October: BIODIVERSITY IS BEAUTIFUL
* November: BIODIVERSITY IS THREATENED
* December BIODIVERSITY IS OUR FUTURE
More information about these themes is available and my department will
continue to support your endeavours. The themes are broad and are not
meant to be prescriptive, rather allow for creativity and innovation.
Embrace it and align all your planning processes, service delivery
programmes and celebratory events to these themes.
This is what the International Year of Biodiversity is all about. Let
us not miss this unique opportunity. *Lost chances are the worst
misfortunes* And this is an opportunity we simply cannot afford to
squander. Let us all unite in a global alliance to protect Life on
Earth: Invest in Biodiversity as you would invest in yourselves,
Biodiversity is Life, Biodiversity is OUR Life.
I thank you!
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