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Overall Policy Perspective on Biodiversity & Governance

Overall Policy Perspective on Biodiversity & Governance. Keynote Address. Eleanor McGregor [Director: Conservation] Gauteng Department of Agriculture & Rural Development On behalf of Adv. John Nesidoni (Acting HOD). Biodiversity is life- Biodiversity is our life

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Overall Policy Perspective on Biodiversity & Governance

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  1. Overall Policy Perspective on Biodiversity & Governance Keynote Address Eleanor McGregor [Director: Conservation] Gauteng Department of Agriculture & Rural Development On behalf of Adv. John Nesidoni (Acting HOD) Biodiversity is life- Biodiversity is our life WRC Seminar Tswaing Meteorite Crater Reserve Soutpan (Soshanguve) 17 September 2010

  2. Overview of presentation • Biodiversity- South Africa’s rich heritage • General value of Biodiversity • Biodiversity management pressures & challenges • Legal tools and broad policy framework – Governance.

  3. South Africa3rd most biodiverse country in the world

  4. Biodiversity underpins development • Biodiversity can alleviate poverty and create work • Biodiversity can increase agricultural productivity • Biodiversity can prevent a water crisis in SA • Biodiversity can reduce the cost of disaster management • Biodiversity can help us adapt to climate change

  5. Pressures on biodiversity Forestry Mining Agriculture Loss of natural habitat = single biggest threat to biodiversity in SA

  6. Other key competing pressures / Challenges • Increased urban sprawl/ urban development • Socio-economic drivers • Non aligned legislation • Aligning and integrating importance of biodiversity & knowledge of conservation tools in development strategies

  7. Legal context for biodiversity management • Four main pieces of legislation- • Constitution of SA (sec 24) • National Environmental Management Act 1998 • National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 2003 • National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (established SANBI) • Several regulations linked to these Acts

  8. STRATEGY 1 Expand and consolidate protected area network STRATEGY 2 Prevent loss of natural habitat in biodiversity priority areas outside the PA network • BIODIVERSITY GOALS • Representation & Persistence • Climate change design principles Biodiversity Act, NEMA & EIA regs Protected Areas Act Tools for conservation agencies (incl contracts with private and communal landowners) Tools for land-use planning & decision-making in other sectors

  9. Policy context for biodiversity management • NBSAP: National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (2005) • NSBA: National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment (2004) • NBF: National Biodiversity Framework (2008) • NPAES: National Protected Area Expansion Strategy (2008)

  10. Examples of National Protected Area Expansion Strategies in South Africa

  11. National Protected AreaExpansion Strategy (NPAES) • First for SA • Includes terrestrial, freshwater and marine • Ecosystem-specific protected area targets • Strong focus on climate change resilience

  12. NPAES: Focus areas for land-based PA expansion

  13. Offshore MPA Focal Areas Priority areas for offshore MPAs 9 1 2 8 3 7 4 6 5

  14. Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Area Fish Support Area Rehabilitation for FEPA Upstream Management Area Flagship Free-flowing River

  15. NFEPA • Identifies National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas (FEPAs) • To inform water resource planning and management

  16. Governance Policy 3 key elements linked to BD Governance Definition of Governance: The way in which society as a whole manages the full array of its political, economic and social affairs. Science Management

  17. National Regional/Provincial Local Levels of Governance International Agreements

  18. International Agreements SANBI DAFF DWA OC Current flow of inter- relations in SA DEA SANParks Provincial EA & Conservation Authorities E.g. Gauteng Dept of Agric & Rural dev. etc LA NGO LA Comm

  19. IDPs SDFs EMFs Bioregional Plans (e.g. at district level) Multi-sectoral planning tools, frameworks, assessments etc SEAs EIAs State of Env Reports Coastal Mgmt Plans National Frameworks Systematic Biodiversity Plan (usually provincial) Map of Critical Biodiversity Areas (local government) Biodiversity sector’s input into… New ones in future?

  20. E.g. The shared mandate for freshwater biodiversity Mandate for water: Department of Water Affairs Mandate for biodiversity: Department of Env Affairs Shared mandate for freshwater biodiversity NFEPA identifies freshwater ecosystem priority areas – the biodiversity sector’s input into DWA-led water resource planning and management

  21. Conclusion • Improve decision-making processes • Support biodiversity governance at the local level • Improve policy coherence and mainstreaming of biodiversity across all sectors • Resourcing biodiversity conservation implementation on the ground • Value ecosystem services in order understand what it is ‘worth’ & how much it would cost to attempt to replicate these services – Cost would be astronomical

  22. “Take home message” “Biodiversity governance should be the way society at all scales manages its social, economic and political affairs with the aim to protect ecological functioning and biodiversity”

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