NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN SOUTH AFRICA

WHAT IS THE NBSAP Framework for managing country’s biodiversity Goal: Conserve and manage terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity to ensure sustainable and equitable benefits to the people of South Africa, now and in the future Strategic component (20 years) Desired outcomes to be achieved Actions to achieve outcomes Roleplayers needed to achieve outcomes Priorities of actions needed Lead agents Support partners Targets Indicators

WHY THE NBSAP Fulfill requirements of the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity (art 6) Plan to achieve 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) targets Translate 1997 Biodiversity White Paper into action Implement 2004 NEM: Biodiversity Act

NBSAP PROCESS Project concept document developed over a period of two years finalised in November 2002 Submitted to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to obtain the amount of USD 448,080 Prepared by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism during period May 2003 to 2005 Steering Committee consisting of departmental officials and UNDP Stocktaking, assessment and analysis to identify priorities, existing initiatives and stakeholders on following thematic areas: -Policy and legislation -Institutional capacity -Social aspects of conservation -Sustainable use -Economics and poverty alleviation -Access and benefit sharing -Invasive alien species Two year consultation process including national departments, provinces, NGO;s, academics, industry etc

STRUCTURE OF NBSAP GOAL: Conserve and manage terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity to ensure sustainable and equitable benefits to the people of South Africa, now and in the future 5 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES (15 YEAR TARGETS) Policy framework for biodiversity management Institutional framework for biodiversity management Integrated management of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems Sustainable use of biological resources Conservation areas A number of outcomes have been identified for each of these strategic objectives, with five year targets and indicators, and activities to achieve the outcomes, complete with priority, lead agency, support partners and role of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

NATIONAL SPATIAL BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENT (NSBA) AND COUNTRY STUDY Using systematic biodiversity planning techniques, the NSBA provides the spatial component of NBSAP, indicating nine priority areas for conservation action integrating marine, river, terrestrial and estuarine ecosystems SOUTH AFRICAN COUNTRY STUDY 2005 Country study was prepared as part of stocktaking and assessment phase of the NBSAP development process. Country study is detailed examination of the status of South Africa’s biodiversity and the current socio-economic, policy and institutional context

ROLEPLAYERS IN THE NBSAP PROCESS National departments of which work impact on the environment Provincial environmental departments Non governmental organisations Community based organisations Local governments Scientists Academia Industries Conservation agencies Research institutions Funding agencies Etc

MAINSTREAMING OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION: BIOREGIONAL PLANS Biodiversity Act makes provision for bioregional plans in section 40 Bioregional approach to protected area management NSBA provides guidance for national and provincial government regarding biodiversity priority areas Several bioregional plans and programmes e.g. -Cape Action for people and Environment (C.A.P.E) -Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme (SKEP) -Subtropical Ecosystem Planning (STEP) - Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area -National Grassland Biodiversity Area Guideline for publishing bioregional plans in process of being approved

CAPE ACTION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT Large-scale, multi stakeholder, multifaceted programme Conserve Cape Floral Kingdom and adjacent marine environment Funded by GEF Partnership between government, private sector and communities Spatial plan identified areas that need to be conserved Strong focus on: -mainstreaming -participatory -public private partnership -international partnership -co-ordinated approach

Building the biodiversity economy through CAPE It is envisaged that in the period 2004-2009 that the implementation of the CAPE will be accelerated through the laying of the foundations for an economy based on biodiversity. This will be done: Through cooperation of relevant institutions which will collaborate in order to develop a foundation for mainstreaming biodiversity in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) into social and economic development Adapting programmes for sustainable management to enhance conservation of the CFR

SUBTROPICAL THICKET ECOSYSTEM PLANNING (STEP) Goal: To promote the conservation of critical and globally significant biodiversity in the Eastern Cape while delivering economic and social benefits Aim: to enhance the capacity of municipal and land-use planners and decision makers to use bioregional planning tools Integration of social, economic and environment factors into planning, implementation and decision making CAPE, SKEP and STEP intersect in the Eastern Cape SANBI project leader

SUCCULENT KAROO ECOSYSTEM PROGRAMME

Covers 116 000 sq km from southern Namibia through Namaqualand into the Little Karoo Unique approach to conservation planning that integrate high level scientific expertise with on the ground socio-political, economic and institutional expertise Started in 2003 with USD 8 million from Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund identifying 6 strategic funding directions: -Expand protected area corridors through public-private-communal partnerships -Engage key industrial sectors in meeting conservation objectives -Retain and restore critical biodiversity in areas under greatest land-use pressure - Mainstream conservation priorities into land use planning and policy making -Increase awareness of the Succulent Karoo hotspot -Create the capacity to catalyse the SKEP Programme

Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area Collaborative initiative between the Governments of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa . The main objectives -to conserve the globally significant biodiversity that occurs in the catchments of the 300km border straddling the Maloti and the Drakensberg mountains, and -to stimulate integrated nature-based tourism development with maximum participation of local communities Implementation of the five-year project is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank). On July 26 2002 , the Governments of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa , and the World Bank signed the GEF Trust Fund Grant and Project Agreements. The Maloti-Drakensberg Mountain bioregion has globally significant plant and animal biodiversity, with unique habitats and high levels of endemism largest concentration of rock art and paintings in sub-Saharan Africa led to the declaration, in December 2000, of one of the largest parks in the bioregion, the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park , as a World Heritage Site. The Maloti-Drakensberg bioregion, a 300km long alpine and montane zone, is also the most important water catchment area for the people of Lesotho and South Africa . Two of the largest civil engineering projects in southern Africa, the Tugela-Vaal Scheme and the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, supply water from the mountains to the rest of the Kindom of Lesotho and the economic powerhouse of Africa, the Province of Gauteng. Threat from commercial uses, timber plantations and agricultural practices that are unsustainable. In addition to specific conservation and development projects implemented on the ground, two specific outputs of the project will be a 25-year bioregional conservation strategy and a tourism development strategy for the bioregion.

NATIONAL GRASSLANDS BIODIVERSITY PROGRAMME UNDP funding of USD 8.3 million AIM: Sustain and secure biodiversity and associated ecosystem services of the grassland biome Mission: -to ensure that the wise management of biodiversity contributes to sustainable development in grasslands biome -to ensure the production and development activities are appropriately located and managed -to mobilise and empower land uses and landowners to be effective stewards of the landscape Strategy involves -implemented scaled backed activities within key areas -prioritising human resource needs Work with various sectors: -urban -forestry -agriculture -coal mining

THE WAY FORWARD Communication strategy involved launching at International Biodiversity Day NBSAP sent to all stakeholders Implementation Committee in process to be established with assistance of UNDP Results of NBSAP rewritten into law (National Biodiversity Framework in terms of section 38 of Biodiversity Act) Stakeholders compelled to implement the National Biodiversity Framework

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