Theme: “Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change”
Program director, Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Ms Nandi Mayathula-Khoza
MMC for Health and Social Development, Councillor M Mosupye
MMC for Agriculture and Environment in the city of Tshwane municipality, Councillor Tersa Ernest
Representatives of Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
South African National biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and
Water Research Commission officials
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Background
Yesterday South Africa launched the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) here in Tshwane. This declaration of 2010 as the International Year of
Biodiversity will give us much needed opportunity to focus the world’s attention on Biodiversity. At the African Union summit, African heads of state have declared 2010 as the Africa Year.
On conservation, the challenge and opportunities presented to us all is how do we translate this as South Africa, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Africa? Located within that national International Year of Biodiversity programme, today we mark the 13th anniversary of the celebration of the World Wetlands Day since the inaugural celebration in 1997.
To this day, wetlands continue to offer great value for biodiversity which human beings depend on for their livelihood. The significance of this day is highlighted world wide through a variety of activities aligned to Ramsar Convention’s theme for this year, which is: “Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change”. Our department has chosen the Rietvlei Nature Reserve to illustrate this theme. We will all later depart to the nature reserve to obtain first hand information on the importance of the wetlands.
Wetlands in South Africa
About 115 000 wetlands covering over four million hectares comprising close to four percent of the country’s total surface area have been mapped to date in South Africa. These wetlands are part of our natural infrastructure for gathering, managing and delivering water for human use.
Many wetlands are able to improve water quality, reduce flood impacts, control erosion and sustain river flows. Of special importance is the role wetlands play in ensuring a steady supply of clean water for communities and help government save hundreds of millions that would be required to set up purification plants and the labour cost. Therefore, careful consideration should be given to the continued destruction of wetlands.
If nurtured to their natural conditions, wetlands could resume their original role to feed the poor and to avert water crises. We need to respect that wetlands are life supporting systems and use our rivers and wetlands in ways that protect them and ensure they continue to provide goods and services that we depend on. They also have significant worth as warehouses of biodiversity and as sites for tourism, subsistence farming, grazing, education, recreation and spiritual activities. Although their contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the economy is not quantified, they do account for a significant figure.
Mining and development threats to wetlands
Despite these values, it is estimated that up to 60 percent of the wetlands have been damaged or destroyed due to human impact. The continued loss of wetlands due to urban development is also of grave concern to our country. Urban expansion and development seems to be continuing without sustainable urban planning and due consideration of wetlands in urban areas and the flood attenuation, storm water management and recreational functions that wetlands offer.
Our department is concerned with the many coal mining applications in areas with unique wetlands. The continued loss of wetlands due to urban development is also of grave concern to our country. Activities in wetlands are taking place without the necessary water-use licences and environmental authorisation from the relevant authorities. The Municipal Indaba we convened in August last year and the resolutions taken should start to address these concerns and root out the disregard for our environmental legislations that we have been observing.
South Africa is a developing country and most of our rural communities depend heavily on wetlands for cultivation, grazing and water. However, wetlands in these areas are literally eroding downriver as a result of intensive, unsuitable farming practices. Given their importance for the livelihoods of communities living adjacent to wetlands, teaching communities the right farming methods and rehabilitation should be considered of extreme importance.
We need to strengthen our partnerships and educational awareness campaigns such as Land Care championed by our partners, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Working for Wetlands undertaken by SANBI, just to mention but two. We also note and appreciate the sterling good work of law enforcement agencies.
For instance, it is worth giving special mention that through formidable partnerships, plans by companies for mining prospecting and other developments were successfully challenged and ultimately abandoned, thereby saving our wetlands. For an example in the late 90s the wetlands on the banks of the Vaal River was threatened, when Sasol wanted to mine coal in that area. Our Green Scorpions, the police and the courts have to be commended for this outstanding work. We are confident the declaration of 2010 at the International Year of Biodiversity will increase educational awareness and lead to more change of attitude by individuals, companies and even by statutory organs for the better.
Wetlands and climate change
In December 2009, nations of the world gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, to find collective solutions to the problem of global warming or what we call climate change. There are still a lot of measures we can implement to mitigate the effects of the rise in world temperature which pose a significant threat to our continued existence. In addition to our efforts, a unique kind of wetland called peatlands play a complex but important role in climate regulation, by influencing the global balance of three main greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Peatlands are wetlands containing a special type of soil, called peat, which is found only in wetlands. Permanently saturated conditions in some wetlands inhibit the decomposition of dead plant and animal matter. Instead of decomposing, some of this material accumulates over time and becomes peat. Peatlands are rare in South Africa. It is estimated that they cover 29 500 hectares, or one percent of the country’s total wetland area.
Peat enhances normal wetland functions, making peatlands particularly efficient at carbon and water storage and highly effective as filters. Peatlands are also used for subsistence farming, grazing, harvesting of plant material and water collection. In their natural state, peatlands remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via peat accumulation.
Although peatlands also emit methane, the long-term negative effect of methane emissions is smaller than the positive effect of carbon dioxide removal. After oceanic deposits, peatlands are the world’s most important carbon stores. If left undisturbed, peatlands can store this carbon for thousands of years and as a result are called: carbon sinks.
When peatlands are disturbed and peat is exposed to the air, the decomposition process resumes and stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Degraded peatlands can thus become significant sources of carbon dioxide. Draining and burning of peatlands releases about three billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year. This is equivalent to more than 10 percent of global fossil fuel emissions.
A 2008 assessment identified 7 100 hectares, or 25 percent, of South Africa’s remaining peatlands as being degraded, which resulted in about 300 000 tons of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in 2008 alone. It is estimated that a further 194 million tons of carbon dioxide could still be released into the atmosphere if the remaining healthy peatlands in South Africa were to be degraded.
The recently completed millennium ecosystem assessment, the most thorough examination of the health of the planet’s ecosystems, points out that the continued loss of wetlands will further reduce human health and well being, especially for the poor. Although we all benefit from wetlands in some way, wetland derived goods and services are especially important for the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of our population. For the sake of the poor and future generations, we should spare no effort in protecting the wetlands.
Conclusion
Ignoring protection of the wetlands can only result in disasters of food insecurity, wiped out biodiversity that would negatively impact on subsistence farming which in turn would result in deepened poverty levels, drastically reduced water supply leading to substantial rise in prices and removed vegetation that would fuel destructive nature of global warming. Working together we can secure our wetlands and our peatlands for the sake of biodiversity and in order to make a meaningful contribution towards mitigating the effects of climate change.
Ramsar wetlands of international importance
We are also here today to celebrate South Africa’s wetland of international importance. South Africa is the first to designate an Island as a Ramsar site, that is: Prince Edward Island and Marion the First Island, Makuleke Wetlands was the first Ramsar site which is communally owned and this made other countries of the world to follow from what we have done.
South Africa has designated its 20th wetland of international importance, and its seventh wetland in KwaZulu-Natal province, effective on this day. Ntsikeni Nature Reserve located in an area rich in wetlands, is one of the largest high altitude wetlands in South Africa and has undergone the least ecological change due to the protective measures in place as a nature reserve. It is recognised as the second most important breeding site for the Wattle Crane in South Africa and also as significant to the endangered long-toed tree frog, Oribi, and other wetland dependent mammals.
Ladies and gentlemen I would like to congratulate the Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife for the good work done in putting proposal for the designation of this unique wetlands and I would like to do it by handing over to them the Ramsar certificate. I would also like to invite the representatives of the Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife to come to the fore to receive their certificate.
Thank you.
For media enquiries contact:
Moses Rannditsheni
Cell: 082 4482 450
Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs
2 February 2010
