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Compliance and Enforcement Provincial Nature Conservation Authorities. Parliamentary Select Committee 11 November 2014. Legal Authorisations Compliance and Enforcement. BACKGROUND.
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Compliance and Enforcement Provincial Nature Conservation Authorities Parliamentary Select Committee 11 November 2014 Legal Authorisations Compliance and Enforcement
BACKGROUND • Wildlife crime is a serious threat to the security, political stability, economy, natural resources and cultural heritage of many countries, including SA • Wildlife crime recognised as a “priority crime” – sub-committee of Natjoints • Concurrent Competence (environment and nature conservation) – national and provinces • Focus currently on rhino from a poaching perspective – availability of resources
DEA (EI&P, B&C, O&C) Other national organs of state, e.g. SANBI SANParks, Isimangaliso Provincial parks boards (e.g. Mpumalanga Parks Board, KZN Ezemvelo) Provincial environment departments (e.g. DEADP, GDARD) Municipalities (e.g. Joburg, eThekwini, Cape Town)
COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT:NATURE CONSERVATION • Rangers within the parks (grade 5 Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs)) – mandate only in the provincial park • Investigators – mandate within the province (grade 1 or 2 EMIs) • Standard Operating Procedure with SAPS – “pure environmental crime”
Mpumalanga - challenges • Lack of Operational budget - travelling/ equipment/ training • Lack of law enforcement and special investigation staff • Lack of adequate Compensation budget • Lack of information sharing • Enforcement & permit structure 68% vacant • Inability to pay informer rewards • No adequate information management system • Specialised training for field ranger staff/ APU
BUDGET : FREE STATE Biodiversity Enforcement Unit Operational budget – R1 758 000 Personnel budget – R3 500 000 (structure - 11 officials) Rhino guards / rangers (13) – 4 protected areas Additional 9 guards requested Adequate budget for compensation but not equipment Most rhino is on private property – private security
FREE STATE - CHALLENGES • Lack of information sharing and need for national information • SAPS do not share information but always want information • Lack of adequate Compensation budget: Not enough qualified investigators to investigate wildlife crimes and shortage of rangers • Lack of Operational budget : Equipment, vehicles and fuel to travel • Wildlife crime not recognised as a priority
BUDGET : NORTH-WEST – BIODIVERSITY REGULATION BUDGET ALLOCATION ALLOCATIONS: Compensation of employees 23 657 000 Travel and subsistence 3 1430 826 Overtime 139 225 Danger allowance 24 633 Tel 109 468 Total 26,814,500
BUDGET : N-W PARKS The budget is cross cutting, it covers all operations conducted by Field Rangers in general in all 15 provincial reserves, in NW
NORTH-WEST DEPT - CHALLENGES • Lack of information sharing • Non-cooperation between various law enforcement agencies and lack of intelligence • Lack of adequate Compensation budget / Lack of capacity • Lack of Operational budget • Only a few anti-poaching teams in private properties - expensive exercise • Few rhino owners belong to existing associations – difficult to get cooperation from individuals farmers • Some rhino owners don't trust other farmers – suspicion in leaking information
NORTH-WEST PARKS - CHALLENGES • Lack of information sharing • Lack of adequate Compensation budget • Lack of Operational budget – need equipment • Difficulties in recruiting informers (no funding for rewards) • Delay on back-up from Law Enforcement Agency (SAPS) when potential threat identified
EASTERN CAPE DEPT - CHALLENGES • Lack of information sharing between different investigation agencies • Lack of adequate Compensation budget • Lack of Operational budget • Others - Transport limitations / Informer networks and compensation
EASTERN CAPE PARKS - CHALLENGES • Lack of information sharing (SAPS, Agencies) • Lack of adequate Compensation budget • Lack of Operational budget (resourced anti poaching teams, equipment, vehicles, skills training) • Fleet
BUDGET : CAPENATURE Budget for Biodiversity Crime Unit – 2014/2015 Total Budget: R1,439,477, which includes Personnel budget: R1,288,387 (3 staff members) Operational budget: R151,090, which includes Transport: R102,000 (3 vehicles) Cellphones: R19,956 (3 contracts) Travel claims: R27,466 (3 staff members)
CAPENATURE - CHALLENGES • Lack of operational budget • Low incidence of poaching leading to landowners not prioritising security • CapeNature has no rhinoceros on any protected area. All rhinoceros in Western Cape occur on private property.
NORTHERN CAPE - CHALLENGES • Lack of adequate Compensation budget • Lack of Operational budget • Very poorly staffed
LIMPOPO - CHALLENGES • Lack of information sharing • Lack of adequate Compensation budget • Lack of Operational budget (for vehicles, equipment, air support • Lack of staff and special investigation unit • Lack of equipment • Shortage / lack of security on private rhino properties (major concern) • EMI and SAPS not working as a team
BUDGET : KZN KwaZulu Natal: Funding received from Provincial Treasury (State Funding) Duration: Prescribed once-off grant allocations (No personnel allocations)
BUDGET : KZN Budget Plan 2014 – 2017 Ezemvelo Wildlife Crime Intervention Programme
KZN - CHALLENGES • Need to develop and implement a sustainable funding model, donations and grants in erratic and dictated form assist but money could be better used. (Donor Dictates?). • Improve bush tactical training • Need for sustainable awareness programmes. • Need for specialised and dedicated EMI detectives to focus on syndicate levels of rhino crime (vast majority of arrests are poachers entering reserves)
BUDGET : GAUTENG BUDGET: BIODIVERSITY ENFORCEMENT – 2014/15 Compensation of Employees:3 910 293 (8 x Officials) Goods & services: 498 972 Communication Cell phones : 45 375 Telkom Landlines : 27 405 Other: consumables Packing material: Airport : 21 080 Operating: Payments : 73 063 Machinery and equipment Running Cost: Vehicles : 332 049 (6 x vehicles; 3 @ OR Tambo and 3 in the Head Office in Jhb). Five are private owned and one sub-vehicle. TOTAL BUDGET : 4 409 265
GAUTENG - CHALLENGES • No dedicated investigators allocated due to shortage of staff and rely on SAPS for assistance. • No intelligence. • 50% vacancy in Special Investigations Unit. • No budget allocated or to be utilised for anti-poaching
LACK OF: • INFORMATION SHARING • INTELLIGENCE CHALLENGESBIODIVERSITY C&E
GENERIC CHALLENGES • Parks boards and conservation authorities which are differently structured within provinces (eg. Gauteng vs Mpumalanga) • Unit to address anti-poaching vs investigative units • Necessary to compete for funding – within Province / Department (often combined with Agriculture/Economic Development/Tourism) • Some provinces receive donor funding but this is not sustainable funding (equipment needs can be addressed) • Significant amounts of donor funding possibilities – need to understand these and correctly allocate • Funding must be applied based on priorities – focus on rhino currently