Sep 10, 2021 | Archives
This week, WESSA welcomed Dr Andrew Baxter as the new Chief Executive Officer. Andrew starts his journey at WESSA in September 2021 with the key priority of leading the organisation through an important strategic review and implementation process as it seeks to reaffirm its role as one of the country’s leading conservation and environmental organisations.
Andrew is known for his strategic and innovative approach to leadership and has experience both in the corporate and non-profit sectors. He is the former head of business development at WWF-South Africa and more recently was the care-taker CEO of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust. Andrew has consulted to a wide range of organisations on strategy development, business development and leadership development. He hails from Cape Town and has a well-developed professional understanding of the environmental and conservation sectors in South Africa – across both public and private spheres. Andrew holds a PhD in palaeoecology from UCT and has special interests in landscape ecology, biodiversity conservation and climate change. He is a director on the boards of the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, African Habitat Conservancy and is a founding Trustee of the Cape Leopard Trust.
Asked what environmental challenges facing South Africa he believes are critical to address, his list included: Climate change; habitat destruction/biodiversity loss; advocacy – especially around poor environmental governance (both corporate and government); hydric stress and water scarcity – with implications for agriculture and food security; pollution in all its forms and the implications for human wellbeing; the transition from carbon-intensive to renewable sources of energy; protecting our oceans and; addressing issues of (over) consumption and waste.
Andrew is mindful that the tremendous legacy of WESSA, coupled with the commitments from many loyal supporters and stakeholders, will provide strong rallying points to take the organisation forward as it seeks to address critically important environmental issues that confront the well-being of South Africans and the nation’s biodiversity and protected areas on a daily basis.
Andrew believes that Integrity, empathy, and communication are the most important attributes of successful leaders today. He is extremely humbled to be entrusted with the leadership of WESSA, an organisation with a long and proud history rooted in conservation, environmental education and public participation. In a rapidly changing world, he will be leading a diverse, innovative and extremely passionate team of champions. We are looking forward to beginning this new phase of WESSA’s work under Andrew’s leadership.
For more information contact:
Sarah Alcock
WESSA Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel 033 3303931 / 076 213 9873
Email: sarah@wessa.co.za
www.wessa.org.za
May 16, 2021 | Archives
Nominations are invited for the 2021 WESSA Annual Awards. The goals of the WESSA Awards are as follows:
1. To give appropriate, high level recognition to people, groups or institutions for advancing the cause of environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa in an exceptional and sustained manner.
2. To provide an opportunity for WESSA to increase public awareness of local or national achievements in environmental conservation and/or education.
In general, the main criterion for all the WESSA Awards is as follows:
“Any individual, corporate/organisation, community group, educational group, conservation or environmental group who have done outstanding and sustained work for the benefit of environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa.”
Note:
1. The above contribution can be made at a local level, but it should be deemed to be of national significance or be able to be replicated at a national level.
2. In exceptional cases, the WESSA Awards Committee may consider submissions where the activity has not been on a sustained basis.
3. WESSA staff are not eligible for the awards.
Who can make nominations?
Anyone can nominate a candidate for these awards. Nominations are directed to the WESSA Awards Committee at awards@wessa.co.za. www.wessa.org.za 2
Nominations time schedule:
By 30th June 2021, written nominations, signed by the proposer, must be sent to the Awards Committee at awards@wessa.co.za. The Awards Committee will make decisions about the award nominees.
By 15th August 2021 the successful nominee/s will be notified that they are to receive an award. They are requested not to make the award public until they receive the award at the WESSA National AGM.
The awards will be presented to the successful recipients at WESSA’s AGM to be held online on the 11th September 2021
Please note that the Awards Committee’s final decision will be based entirely on the contents of the submission. They will not, as a rule, undertake further research into the achievements of the nominees or the veracity of the claims made. Nominations must therefore be both substantial and substantiated.
Announcement of the awards:
The first public announcement of the awards will be made by the CEO at the WESSA AGM on the 11th September 2021. No public announcement may be made prior to this date.
Procedure for WESSA Awards nominations:
Nominations must be in writing and should include:
1. Full name of person nominated (nominee).
2. Full name and signature of person proposing the nominee (proposer).
3. Present address and contact telephone number and e-mail address of the nominee.
4. Full motivation for the nomination in which the candidate’s exceptional and (where appropriate) sustained contribution(s) to environmental conservation and/or education are described, with a specific focus on outcomes and achievements.
5. An abbreviated Curriculum Vitae of the nominee.
A list of the past recipients of WESSA Awards is available on our website www.wessa.org.za . Only in exceptional cases may previous award recipients be nominated again.
What awards can be made
WESSA AWARD FOR INDIVIDUALS
This is WESSA’s premier award to an individual. The person nominated must be considered to have made an outstanding contribution to environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa over a sustained period of time and at a national level. “Outstanding contribution” in this context is understood to be a contribution over and above what would normally be expected from their work.
WESSA AWARD FOR YOUTH
Youth are increasingly taking on environmental issues and making them their life’s work. In the Youth Award category WESSA would like to acknowledge a young person, under the age of 35 years, who has committed themself to environmental conservation and/or education. This individual should be making an “outstanding contribution” that is having positive outcomes at a national level. www.wessa.org.za 3
WESSA AWARD FOR CORPORATES
This award is made to corporations or institutions for outstanding contributions to environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa over a sustained period of time and at a national level.
WESSA AWARD FOR GROUPS
This award is made to any group of volunteers (e.g. community, educational, environmental) who have done outstanding work for the benefit of environmental conservation and/or education over a sustained period of time. Such contribution could be in their local area but should be of a national significance or be able to be replicated nationally.
WESSA AWARD FOR TEACHER OF THE YEAR
This is a new WESSA award and celebrates the unique contribution of teachers to the Schools and Youth Unit and honours their commitment to improving the quality of environmental education in the South African school curriculum and enriching the lives of their students.
The intention is that a single award be made in each category each year. However, there is no restriction on the Awards Committee to limit awards made in one year. Furthermore, should no suitable candidate/s be nominated, the Awards Committee reserves the right to make no awards or call for more nominations.
Any questions or clarification about the WESSA Awards should be addressed to Sarah Alcock sarah@wessa.co.za
Date: 14th May 2021
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
