May 7, 2021 | Position papers
We welcome the decisive action taken by the Minister to end the captive lion breeding industry and restoring South Africa’s key role in conserving critical species. That the panels’ report is a significant step in creating a common vision for the region and in developing a “Policy on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable use and adopting a One Welfare approach for wildlife.”
At this time in South Africa’s history when biodiversity, including, but not limited to the species mentioned, is under considerable threat it is fitting that a troubling situation is getting such high-level attention.
We look forward to contributing to a draft White Paper on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use and hope that many of those involved in ethically sustainable wildlife and habitat conservation efforts will bring their expertise and experiences to this process so that learning can be shared and good practices both strengthened and replicated.
A comprehensive, science-based census of key endangered species would be a good place to start such a process.
For more information please contact:
Patrick Dowling – Chair of the WESSA Environmental Governance Committee
033 3303931
communications@wessa.co.za
May 7, 2021 | Archives
After successfully recruiting a full complement of 104 second year Beach Stewards, WESSA’s Tourism Blue Flag Project enjoyed a number of firsts with them over April:
We enjoyed a problem-free first round of accredited tourism guiding training, over the second half of April. The training facilitators have reported all the groups of stewards to have been receptive and attentive.
Staff of the National Department of Tourism Project undertook their first round of site inspections at our KZN and Cape Town Year 2 hosts. This was followed up with our first Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting on 15 th April, at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The meeting was fairly well attended by contact and virtual host representatives. The general consensus was that the new stewards were settling comfortably into their new workplaces with few teething troubles. Some opportunities for hosts collaborations on events were initiated.
About a quarter of our stewards work permanently at beaches, being hosted at municipal beach offices. The majority are gaining work experience at tourism partner hosts; but fulfil their beach steward role over the school holiday periods. These stewards undertook their first beach session over the April school holidays. Below are a selection of photos of the stewards undertaking beach visitor surveys and leading beach activities for local visitors and tourists.
May 7, 2021 | Position papers
Dear Minister Lindiwe Sisulu,
Rivers of Sewage
Water is life, and South Africa does not have enough of it. Our water scarcity, currently acutely experienced in many parts of the country but particularly the Eastern Cape, is projected to become more serious in the future. Recently the Daily Maverick published an article entitled South Africa’s Rivers of Sewage. The gist of the article is that three-quarters of the 910 municipal-run waste-water treatment plants in the country are achieving less than 50 percent compliance with effluent standards. In most parts of the country inadequately treated sewage (if it is treated at all) is flowing directly into rivers and streams. Many purification works for providing drinking water are not designed to deal with water that is so contaminated, not to mention the adverse impact on agriculture and biodiversity that rely on this water. The situation is inconsistent with the Constitution, particularly section 24 (everyone’s right to an environment that is not harmful to health and well-being) and s 27 (right of access to water) and demands action.
This is not information that has suddenly emerged – there are numerous media articles going back almost a decade that have dealt with this. Moreover, the Department’s Green Drop Reports, first published in 2009, painted such a dismal picture that they were discontinued in 2013. The problems will take an enormous amount of money to fix and even with the necessary political will, it is clear that there is not and nor will there be sufficient resources to fix the problem at local government level. Section 3 of the National Water Act 36 of 1998 places the responsibility for conserving South Africa’s water resources on national government, through the Minister responsible for Water Affairs. The Minister and national government have palpably failed in meeting this responsibility, as identified by experts in the field. WESSA requests national government – because this is something that needs to be confronted at national level – to explain to the country what it intends to do to address this problem. It needs to address the apparent cooperative governance problems (that are based on misinterpretations of the law) and confront the crisis head on, before it is too late. It may already be.
Yours sincerely,
The WESSA Environmental Governance Committee
033 3303931
info@wessa.co.za
Apr 19, 2021 | Position papers
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) would like to express its concern about the now well-documented decline (more than 50%) of the rhino population in the Kruger National Park (KNP) over the last 10 years and the subsequent low number of these animals now remaining in the park.
We note the SANParks press release explaining the rationale for personnel shifts in the KNP and the security issues pertaining to these. However, considering the statement about the rhino population decline over the last ten years, WESSA advocates strongly for the deployment of staff in a way that logically confronts the scale of the challenge, not as an HR exercise.
We acknowledge the excellent work already done by the dedicated SANParks staff to protect this iconic species and encourage the organisation to continue to use staff skills, resources and expertise in the most strategic way possible to decrease the rate of poaching in the park. It is our view that protection of the remaining populations of black and white rhino should be a matter of priority and that all operational plans and conditions of service for critical staff should be adapted in a manner that ensures the greatest possible protection for these remaining animals.
WESSA would also like to acknowledge the Department of Environment, Fisheries and Forestry (DEFF) for the presentation of critical rhino population figures in the South African National Parks Annual Report 2019/20. We would like to encourage the department to continue to provide regular updates on the total population figures of rhino in the KNP to the public. The accuracy of these is obviously a key concern.
Poaching, trafficking, and over-exploitation of wildlife, small and large, terrestrial, and marine, continues to plague our country and has indeed now become not only a threat to our wildlife species but also to national security. The extent of organised criminality, threats to border integrity, impact on institutional functionality and our economy, as well as the perceptions of the international community are all factors which make this issue a threat to national security. It is critical that, together with steps to disrupt wildlife trafficking syndicates, we also take urgent and decisive steps to root out corruption at all levels. WESSA would like to strongly endorse the call already made by many organisations, for the urgent approval and implementation of the National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking as a means to ending the relentless onslaught on our wildlife heritage.
For more information please contact:
Patrick Dowling
Chairperson – WESSA Environmental Governance Committee
084 966 1249
www.wessa.org.za
Feb 19, 2021 | Archives
At our graduation ceremony held in Simonstown on Friday, 16 previously unemployed Western Cape
youth graduated from the Tourism Blue Flag Project. Funded by the National Department of Tourism
(NDT), and implemented by WESSA, the TBF Project is a youth skills-training programme. Mr Jonga
Kuhlane of the NDT spoke of how the project aimed to create 200 learnership opportunities over two
years in the tourism sector for unemployed, disadvantaged youth. The placement of these youth, called
Beach stewards, with host institutions also aimed to support municipalities managing the Blue Flag
status beaches and marinas. The project also supported private tourism companies working to build
back better from the severe impact of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
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Representing WESSA at the event, Sustainable Tourism General Manager, Mr Vince Shacks, indicated
that of the 23 youth who entered the Programme in March 2020, 16 were graduating after a year of
being placed with local hosts to gain marketable skills and work experience. These include beach
environmental monitoring, visitor surveying, arranging activities and events for beach goers,
administration, guiding, reception, social media updating, enviro-education and visitor services. Of
these stewards, 75% were young women and 2% were disabled youth, all who are being given an
opportunity to enter the tourism economy. Our host organisations included: the Overstrand Local
Municipality, Whale Coast Tourism, Old Harbour Museum, Kleinmond Tourism, Harbour Island Marina,
Shark Spotters, Seaforth Penguin Monitors, Gravity Adventures, African Eagle Day Tours, City of Cape
Town, Shark Warrior Adventures, Edith Stephens Wetland Park, SANCOBB, and the Two Oceans Aquarium.
The graduating Beach Stewards received their certificates of competency for their year-long accredited
tourism guiding training. WESSA TBF Project Manager, Morgan Griffiths shared his concern of how the
tourism industry had significantly contracted due to Covid-19 impacts; however he was encouraged at
how these stewards graduating today have earned for themselves a place in the blue economy, helping
to develop a more sustainable future for themselves and for their local communities. A key element of
their training, which continued virtually over lockdowns, was how to start their own small businesses to
create innovate tourism products. Of the youth who exited the programme over the course of the year,
a number left to start their own small businesses or took up full-time employment. Beach Steward Carol-
Ann Jantjies congratulated her fellow stewards on persevering over the long lockdown periods, and to
take encourage and action from all they had learnt about tourism, networking and creating their own
small businesses.
WESSA is proud to implement this highly impactful youth development programme, and together with
our stakeholders, the NDT, municipalities, and private host institutions, will induct a new group of 104
Tourism Blue Flag Beach Stewards in early March 2021.
For more information please contact:
TBF Project Manager, Morgan Griffiths: Email: morgan.griffiths@wessa.co.za : 072 417 5793
WESSA Group HR, Marketing and Communications Manager: sarah@wessa.co.za : 076 213 9873
www.wessa.org.za
Nov 28, 2020 | Archives
WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), the National Operator for Blue Flag officially launched the 2020/21 Blue Flag Season in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The ceremony for this prestigious environmental award was held at Ushaka Marine World on the 27 November 2020. In recognition for excellence in safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards, 58 Blue Flags will be proudly flown at 48 beaches, 6 marinas and by 4 sustainable tourism boats around South Africa over the forthcoming 2020/21 South African Blue Flag season. The season officially opens on the 1st December 2020.
The Blue Flag programme also allows for new sites to participate in the Pilot programme in an effort to get themselves up to full Blue Flag status in future. Nineteen Pilot sites received recognition for their efforts in working towards the minimum requirements for Blue Flag Status.
This year, Blue Flag South Africa is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. In 2001, South Africa was the first country outside of Europe to join the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) on the Blue Flag programme. Since then, many countries outside of Europe have followed South Africa’s example and joined Blue Flag, giving the programme its international recognition. Today the Blue Flag programme is active at 4671 sites in 47 countries.
Attending the launch, eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda stated the commitment of eThekwini to improving and increasing the number of Blue Flag beaches along the coastline in order to encourage and attract both domestic and international tourism to all their beaches, over and above the Blue Flag sites. The Mayor went on to say that eThekwini, with over 100km of coastline with tourist attractions and the busiest port in the continent, brings economic benefit to the people of eThekwini and the entire continent.
The keynote speaker at the event was the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Ravi Pillay. The MEC referred to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has devastated communities and disrupted the economy, however was proud and positive that even with the estimated 10 to 26 % decrease in holiday makers, the Province still achieved more than the traditional base of 600 000 visitors during the 2020 season. He went on to say “the Province is quietly confident about attracting some 750 000 domestic visitors who come to KwaZulu-Natal to experience it all – the natural backdrops, diverse cultures, the taste of our unique range of cuisine, the myriad of attractions and – of course – our glorious Blue Flag and many other stunning beaches, for which KwaZulu-Natal is so widely renowned.’’
Grotto Beach in the Overstrand Municipality and Humewood Beach in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality received a special award on the day to recognize the achievement of 20 consecutive years of Blue Flag awards for these two popular South African beaches.
WESSA is committed to continue working together with local municipalities and tourism operators to grow the Blue Flag programme in South Africa. The programme provides an excellent international standard for municipalities and tour operators to strive toward. Sites flying the Blue Flag are showing their commitment to conserving our fragile marine and coastal environment, raising environmental awareness and increasing sound environmental practices.
For more information please contact:
WESSA Group HR, Marketing and Communications Manager
sarah@wessa.co.za : 076 213 9873
www.wessa.org.za
