State of the environment and indicators Rudi Pretorius 3 June 2003 North West Province

Why do we need to report on the state of the environment?  World is changing faster than ever before Climate change, desertification, loss in biodiversity to name a few A few examples…….

What is our response?  We need to respond to the changing condition of the environment Policies, plans programmes are all aiming to improve the environment and contribute to sustainable development.  Agenda 21 – chapter 40  Constitution of South Africa  NEMA As government we have responsibility to inform citizens on the state of environment

What is a state of the environment report?  Purpose: To support sustainable development decision making through the provision of credible environmental information  Three characteristics Interpretation, assessment and integration of data Development of spatial and temporal trend information Linkage between environment and socioeconomic considerations

What are the requirements for a good status report?  Must be consultative  Must address at least 3 critical elements What is the state of the environment? Why is the status the way it is and what are the implications and impacts? What are we doing about it and what could/should we be doing?  Information must be scientifically sound  Content of the report must be user friendly Different formats, media and languages  Must be integrated into planning instruments  Recommendations must be applied

Levels of reporting – global to local  Global reports Global Environment Outlook (2002) UNEP State of the World (2002) WWI  Continental reports African Environment Outlook (2002) UNEP  Regional reports Southern Africa State of the Environment (1994)  National Report  Sub-national reports Provincial Local/City Sectoral reports

State of Environment reporting in South Africa  1999 National  1999/2000 Cities  2000 State of Rivers  2001State of Estuaries  2002 Provincial initiative  2003 Local Authority initiative

The challenge!  Integrating SoER with environmental planning and reporting regime IDP (5-year cycle – annual reporting)  Vision (future desired state)  Assessment (SoER)  Development of priorities, objectives, strategies  Spatial development framework  Disaster management plan  Financial plan  KPIs EMP (4 year cycle – annual reporting) EIP (4 year cycle – annual reporting)  Need a common denominator – common currency

Indicators!......and Targets! Indicators are tools to measure progress towards a goal, a target or desired future state Environmental indicators will provide us with the hard, quantitative data to ensure a sound basis for both environmental and economic policy in the future Indicators can serve as a continuous call to arms – and ongoing protection against environmental complacency” Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, Canada 25 May 2001, Toronto Canada

Indicator initiatives  International: Indicators of sustainable development Millennium declaration JPI indicators  Regional SADC environmental indicators  National: National environmental indicators (2002) KPIs (IDP – 2002) Human Rights Indicators  Local LA21 indicators KPIs

Water: Two billion people are dying for it JPI Targets  Half the proportion of people in poverty by  ….by the year 2015, to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water.  … to halve proportion of people without access to proper sanitation by 2015.

Access to safe drinking water – South Africa  Total proportion of people that have access to safe water has increased from 78.5% in 1996 to 84.3% in 2000 Urban 98% Non-urban 59.6%

National targets and goals  7 million people have access to clean, safe water  7 million more people to be provided with clean, safe water over next 3 years

Measuring development progress: Sub-Saharan Africa

Measuring development progress: East Asia

World Environment Day Theme Water: Two billion people are dying for it