“Parks for Life"

“Parks for Life" - The World reviews the 2003 World Parks Congress and its contribution to sustainable development

09 April 2008


Media Statement

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM

WEDNESDAY, 09 APRIL 2008: The World Parks Congress (WPC) or Durban +5 review meeting , whose aim is to reflect on progress made and challenges faced by protected areas since the last World Parks Congress in 2003, resumed in Somerset West in Cape Town today.

One of the greatest challenges facing protected continues to be the effective implementation and management of protected areas including the need to ensure that protected areas provide sustained and equitable benefits to local communities and reduce poverty and biodiversity loss and adaptation to climate change. Lack of funding also remains a challenge.

The 3 day meeting will also provide impetus to achieving the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Programme on protected areas. The adoption of CBD Programme of work adopted in 2004 defines global cooperation on protected areas planning and management.

Addressing the meeting, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk says scientific evaluations on climate change have confirmed that climate change is indeed a key driver to biodiversity loss and stress to our water resources. He said through our approach to Business Unusual, we need to address the unmanageable through mitigation and unavoidable through adaptation.

The Minister further said that in South Africa we are currently assessing how the planning, management and expansion of our national parks can build resilience to climate change adding that tools are in place to address the problem in an affordable way that will reduce some impact and avoid extreme ones.

The World’s water resources are under extreme stress and its predicted that in 2030, the population in these areas will increase by 1 billion to 3,9 billion. However a challenge which is also an opportunity to Africa is to use the trans-boundary water resource management to promote regional cooperation and development.

In addressing biodiversity problems globally, the Minister urged delegates to continue to build on 2010 targets set by the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

South Africa has already published the National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment publication, to guide the conservation and management of biodiversity to ensure sustainable and equitable benefits for all.

The meeting is attended by local and foreign delegates including the IUCN President and former DEAT Minister, Valli Moosa and Chairperson of the Convention of Nik Lipoukhine.

The World Parks Congress takes place every ten years.

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Enquiries to:
Mava Scott (Acting Chief Director: Communications) 082-411-9821 or e-mail: mscott@deat.gov.za