The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa will address the Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs colloquium tomorrow, Tuesday 13 September 2016.
Minister Molewa will present a state of readiness, issues for and expectations for the upcoming 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which will take place at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg from 24th of September to 5th of October 2016.
The colloquium will also discuss in detail the management and conservation of rhino populations in the face of ongoing poaching on state-owned parks. It will also provide a platform for a panel discussion on successes, challenges and pitfalls in anti-rhino poaching strategies.
The Minister released a report back on progress in the implementation of the Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros, which showed that “between January and the end of August 2016, a total number of 458 poached rhino carcasses were found in the KNP, compared to 557 in the same period last year. This represents a 17.8% decline in the number of rhino carcasses.”
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the colloquium as per the details below:
Date: 13 September 2016
Venue: Good Hope Chamber, Good Hope Building, Parliament, Cape Town
Time: 08:30 - 14:00
For media queries, contact:
Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483
