Programme director
Deputy Director-General for Biodiversity and Conservation, Mr Fundisile Mketeni
The chief executive officers of our public entities
Representatives of various environmental organisations
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
I am honoured and yet humbled to launch a year dedicated to the preservation of life on earth. Women are mothers by definition and life is precious in every form. It is therefore apt to call our planet “Mother Earth”.
To this effect and for the first time in history, the United Nations General Assembly has, with a view of engaging people all around the world for protecting life on earth, declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. What is this word biodiversity that we hear about every so often? Biodiversity is not just about the plants, animals and the bees, it is about life, it underpins our survival on this planet.
We need to demystify this concept so that everyone knows what it is. You and I use biodiversity products and services everyday in our daily lives yet these services of nature are taken for granted. What is not taken for granted and is very clear is that the flow of benefits or ecosystem services from biodiversity or the natural capital as it is known, is estimated at R73 billion, contributing seven percent of gross domestic product (GDP) per annum.
The International Year of Biodiversity is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to raise local awareness of the importance of biodiversity for our health, wealth, food and survival. Indeed for our life. Biodiversity is the basis for human development; this is particularly true for the poor, as they are most vulnerable from the effects of biodiversity loss. This is because many of our communities are directly dependent on biodiversity and ecosystems. Ecosystems supply food and fuel, clean our air and water, and help regulate our climate. In short, they provide a wide range of services, ecosystem services on which our well being and livelihoods as humanity depend.
Ladies and gentlemen, the earth as we know it is changing rapidly. Biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate. Approximately ten percent of species assessed so far have an increasingly high risk of extinction. We are witnessing the loss of the very services on which livelihood systems depend. Our communities are being affected by erratic weather patterns, they become displaced and there is the scramble for natural resources, clean water, air, and food. Precious life is lost. This loss is also as a result of climate change and urbanisation.
We need to take the necessary steps to protect the biological diversity of the Earth. It is projected that our present consumption patterns will require the resources of two planets by the year 2030 if we don’t change our consumption patterns. Hence, business as usual is not an option, for humanity’s continued existence is under threat.
Our South African society should strive for a more sustainable use of natural resources and for a reduction in habitat loss and climate change, including the social and cultural dimensions. The economic rationale for sustaining biodiversity and the pressing need to make policymakers and the public more aware of how we all depend on biodiversity and its ecosystem goods and services for survival and well being is a priority. We all need to act now to preserve the services on which we all depend; the services of nature, the services of biodiversity.
An ethical mindset is needed to find innovative solutions to local challenges we face. These are natural disasters, poverty, shrinking water resources, endangered biodiversity, health epidemics, need for improved service delivery and poverty eradication. Awareness and education must engender a culture of sharing and responsibility towards our planet. It must open hearts and minds. We cannot be party to wilful ignorance.
More science is needed to improve decision making, highlighting the importance of the smallest living organism to the largest charismatic species in this circle of life. To be able to track and adapt to changes in biodiversity levels requires more than ever improved knowledge of species and their interactions. This should include recognition of indigenous knowledge. All life forms are important, but communication needs to be simple enough to ensure that all of society joins the movement to conserve life on earth. Science knows no boundaries, as knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.
Our local communities need to be made aware of the importance of for example the bull frog and the elephant in their daily existence. Indigenous knowledge needs to be harnessed in order to allow communities to adapt to changing conditions. We must also empower our communities to join hands with government to deal with unscrupulous people who loot our natural resources to a point of depletion. For working together we can do more to ensure that we build a society that lives in harmony with its environment, whose patterns of consumption are mindful of the devastation that could be visited upon our resources. I would like to call on all communities to jealously guard their natural resources against such actions.
Of course much more work still remains to be done if we are truly to come to terms with the sheer abundance of life on earth and how it all fits together for our survival on this planet. The launch of this International Year of Biodiversity in South Africa is momentous, as South Africa is the third most mega-diverse country in the world.
This means we have a diversity of landscapes and natural beauty to match our diversity in culture and language. South Africans should have a sense of pride to be living in a country that is so beautiful, with our natural landscapes, our nature reserves, our wetlands and our unique fauna and flora. However, our country is faced with the double challenge of climate change and loss of biodiversity. We cannot also forget the challenge of addressing the millennium development goals (MDGs).
Rural development remains a priority for the South Africa government. The rural areas are often where the biodiversity hot spots are. Increasingly, this natural beauty is used to untangle the social injustices of the past and unlock economic benefits to local communities. Land redistribution is a priority. However, we understand the need to balance the integrity and protection of ecosystems with sustainable development.
Unsustainable developments present pressure on ecosystem integrity and cause habitat destruction and ultimately the loss of biodiversity. Again, promoting growth and building a better South Africa is a balancing act. The environmental impact assessment process and the variety of innovative tools developed for land use planning ensure efficiency and effectiveness, moving towards sustainability.
We are also aware of environmental crimes that diminish our natural resources even further, for example: poaching, illegal hunting and trade issues. We must not be discouraged by these challenges as our successes in effective management of our natural resources can only be measured by our commitment and interventions. This must be led by government but embraced by society as a whole.
Globally the challenges are the same if not worse. Further, in order to ensure successful implementation of our interventions, to arrest biodiversity loss, to ensure sustainable utilisation of our natural resources and equitable sharing of benefits of natures gifts, so that we can grow into a prosperous and healthy nation, towards a better quality of life for all its citizens, we need the full engagement of all people living in our country, all states and all citizens of the world.
It is only through broad-based partnerships, commitment, cooperation, coordination, communication, capacity and capital that we shall succeed in ensuring that life will continue to flourish on earth for the benefit of all species, including the human species.
This year is also significant as for the first time in the history of the United Nations a high level meeting of the General Assembly devoted to biodiversity will be held in the United States of America in September this year with the participation of heads of states and governments. Political will to preserve life is gaining momentum.
This marks the start of a global campaign which will culminate in a Global Biodiversity summit in Nagoya, Japan. This International Year of Biodiversity is the beginning of a long lasting alliance of all stakeholders to meet the unprecedented challenges facing humanity of the loss of biodiversity compounded by climate change.
I call upon all of us, civil society, governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), schools, business and all sectors, to embrace this International Year of Biodiversity. Each month has a dedicated theme linking the benefits of biodiversity to society in every way.
* January: Biodiversity is life
* February: Biodiversity is precious
* March: Biodiversity is fresh water
* April: Biodiversity is food and energy
* May: Biodiversity is wealth
* June: Biodiversity is security
* July: Biodiversity is clean air
* August: Biodiversity is health
* September: Biodiversity is heritage
* October: Biodiversity is beautiful
* November: Biodiversity is threatened
* December: Biodiversity is our future
More information about these themes is available and my department will continue to support your endeavours. The themes are broad and are not meant to be prescriptive, rather allow for creativity and innovation. Embrace it and align all your planning processes, service delivery programmes and celebratory events to these themes.
This is what the International Year of Biodiversity is all about. Let us not miss this unique opportunity. “Lost chances are the worst misfortunes”. And this is an opportunity we simply cannot afford to squander. Let us all unite in a global alliance to protect Life on earth: Invest in Biodiversity as you would invest in yourselves, Biodiversity is Life, Biodiversity is OUR Life.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs
1 February 2010
