Economic Development (LED) through the People and Parks workshop
30 October 2006
The Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Rejoice
Mabudafhasi, says government has achieved commendable progress on policy and
legislation aimed at transforming protected areas (land under conservation),
through the People and Parks programme. She was speaking at the 2nd People and
Parks workshop held in Beaufort West, in the Western Cape, today.
The two-day People and Parks workshop is assessing the outcomes of the 2004
workshop, which included co-management and establishment of partnerships in the
management of protected areas, access and benefit sharing. The workshop will
also review issues of co-operative governance when addressing land claims in a
protected area, local government linkages and the government support post the
settlement of land claims.
Participating at the workshop are representatives from national and
provincial government, conservation agencies and representatives of communities
affected by park activities.
The department, through its public entities is currently working towards
firming up its Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) by piloting various models of
Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) within the environment and tourism sector.
Such initiatives are contributing towards government's second economy
programmes, intended to improve the lives of people. They include working for
wetlands, working for water and people and parks.
The Deputy Minister, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, indicated that the sector needs to
capacitate women and young girls to be actively involved in the management of
protected areas as they have an in-depth knowledge of biodiversity. They have
been collecting firewood, medicinal plants and other natural resources needed
for the survival of households. In so doing, the sector will conform to
government's policy framework that requires women empowerment at all levels of
management.
In order to promote sustainability and ownership of projects, the Minister
urged conservation agencies to engage with local government on initiatives that
are aimed at bettering the lives of communities.
The two-day workshop ends tomorrow and will map the way forward in the
implementation of the People and Parks programme.
Enquiries:
Blessing Manale
Cell: 083 381 2930
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
30 October 2006
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (http://www.deat.gov.za)
