The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs celebrates Environmental Monitors Day 02 December 2013 The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, today marks the achievements of Environmental Monitors of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere, who form part of the Department’s Environmental Monitor Programme in partnership with SANParks. Environmental Monitors participate in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (K2C) programme - an extensive community-driven initiative - that provides additional support to the Kruger National Park as well as numerous private host institutions bordering the park. It is an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) funded by the Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Programmes (EPIP) of the Department of Environmental Affairs implemented by the South African National Parks (SANParks). According to Environmental Monitoring programme coordinators, the purpose of the day is to celebrate the contribution made by the Environmental Monitors and demonstrate what return-on-investment, the programme has yielded. Biosphere reserves are conservation flagships that showcase the Department’s approach to sustainable development. The Kruger to Canyons Biosphere, one of the Department of Environmental Affairs’ six biosphere reserves in South Africa, received the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) registration in 2001 and is rated the third largest biosphere reserve in the world. It contains a unique mixture of protected areas, forestry, agricultural and rural landscapes. The Deputy Minister noted that a Biosphere designation is given by UNESCO to special landscapes where people are collaborating to ensure their environmental integrity, as the basis for their economic development. “The Department of Environmental Affairs plays a central role in empowering communities around the area through its Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Programme (EPIP) branch, and has nominated the K2C biosphere as one of its flagship programmes in this regard,” she said. “The programme has been running for fourteen months and has already seen 862 Environmental Monitors appointed, of which 168 jobs have been created in the K2C Biosphere. It has also succeeded in developing a solid network of land owners, communities and private and public institutions in and around the area, to increase public awareness of both the value and threats to biodiversity in the region, and to drive sustainable, environmentally-sound development,” she said. The Environmental Monitors’ focal point is on accredited training of beneficiaries to support rangers in daily activities, located in the lowveld and escarpment regions of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. This includes operations such as patrolling to curb poaching as well as monitoring of biodiversity integrity in and around the protected areas. To access the Deputy Ministers speech, click on the link below: >> Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi’s speech during the Environmental Monitors Day at Swadini Forever Resort in Hoedspruit, Limpopo For media enquiries, contact: Peter Mbelengwa Cell: 082 611 8197 E-mail: [email protected] https://environment.gov.za/mediarelease/mabudafhasi_environmentalmonitorsday
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 17:09:20 +0000
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