Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, at the signing of the Benguela
Current Commission Interim Agreement, Two Oceans Aquarium
29 August 2006
Honourable Minister from Namibia,
Honourable Deputy Minister from Angola,
Ms Barbut of the Global Environment Facility (GEF),
Mr Melkert of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
Distinguished delegates and guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
It gives me great pleasure to attend this special event of the third Global
Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly to reconfirm South Africa's commitment to
the Benguela Current Commission Interim Agreement.
This agreement is a manifestation of the intricate partnerships that are
essential to the effective management of sensitive ecosystems. Working together
with Angola and Namibia we have demonstrated that where there is political
will, ways can be found to implement practical interventions that impact
positively on the livelihoods of our people.
In addition to our regional collaboration we must also acknowledge the
contribution of GEF, the Norwegian and German governments, Birdlife South
Africa and the World Wide Fund (WWF) in bringing both the Benguela Current
Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) and benefit programmes to life. One concrete
example of this is the progress we have made in implementing early warning
systems to monitor the effects of climate change on our ecosystem. This is not
simply an elaborate academic exercise, the human and economic consequences of
climate change are very serious indeed. The impact on people of our coastal
communities is testament to this as they are worst affected by increased storm
activity and the migration of fragile fish stocks in Southern and Western
Africa.
The BCLME programme is not only important for monitoring but also,
crucially, for hands-on collaboration and timely intervention. Good management
of hake stocks has resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs and generated
significant foreign exchange earnings for South Africa and Namibia. Shared
stocks between our two countries means that co-operation is essential to
ensuring that there are no irresponsible fishing practices which could have
disastrous consequences for both economies. Hake fishery accounts for more than
50 percent of the wealth derived from South Africaâs living marine resources
and sustain more than 9 000 jobs. These are just two cases that illustrate the
point that responsible environmental management is a catalyst rather than an
impediment to people development and economic growth.
Technology transfer and capacity building have also been key elements of the
benefit programme, more than 100 young science graduates from all three
countries having received specialised training in operational oceanography,
modelling, fisheries stock assessments and environmental management.
In the years ahead, the Benguela Current Commission will be seen as a major
milestone in regional cooperation and ocean governance within a Pan-African
network of Large Marine Ecosystems. It gives me great pleasure to sign this
agreement on behalf of the South African government. We are confident that the
establishment of this institution will create new opportunities for growth,
employment and sustainable management of our living marine resources for the
benefit of present and future generations.
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
29 August 2006
m<EOD
