Rejoice Mabudafhasi, the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs will commemorate World Day to Combat Desertification at Bathlabine Village, Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality in Limpopo on 17 June 2011.
Bathlabine community has received financial assistance from the Department of Environmental Affairs to reverse the effects of soil erosion.
World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) is observed globally every year on 17 June and intends to strengthen the visibility of the drylands issue on the international environmental agenda. The United Nations aims to sensitise the public and policy makers to the increasing dangers of desertification, land degradation and drought for the international community.
World Day to Combat Desertification for 2011 will focus specifically on the forests in the drylands areas of the world, guided by the theme: ‘Forests keep drylands working’. This theme is in line with 2011 having being declared as International Year of the Forests by the United Nations.
Desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) threaten human security by depriving people of the means to decent livelihoods because they undercut food production, access to water and the means to economic activity. Healthy soils produce life and yet soil health depends a lot on how individuals use their land. What we do to our soils determines the quality and quantity of the food we eat and how our ecosystems serve us.
WDCD will be celebrated as part of the June Environment Month focusing on the theme "Save Tomorrow, Today".
Media is invited to the World Day to Combat Desertification celebration event:
Details:
Date: Friday, 17 June 2011
Time: 10h00
Venue: Bathlabine Village, Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, Limpopo province
RSVP:
Xolani Ngqoshela
Tel: 012 310 3078
E-mail: ngqoshela@environment.gov.za
Banele Mabena
Tel: 012 395 1607
E-mail: SMabena@environment.gov.za
Moses Rannditsheni
Tel: 012 310 3901
Cell: 082 448 2450
E-mail: MRannditsheni@environment.gov.za
