DRAFT WESSA Strategic Review Narrative Report June 2022

Terrestrial Pollution opportunities

When we protect biodiversity and habitats, we are also supporting Africa’s development need and protecting the needs of future generations. For this to be truly successful it does require us to rethink the way we consider biodiversity and habitats and in fact to make it a part of the development agenda. We need to work outside the boundaries of the traditional protected spaces and work with people on how this can be done in their everyday lives so that we can add to the formally and informally protected areas. There has been a failure of management of state-owned protected areas. BIODIVERSITY AND HABITAT INTEGRITY

• We will leverage the IUCN Green List as an opportunity to work with protected areas to support the processes for certification. • We will leverage on WESSA’s legacy and connection to the Kruger National Park and understand our role and how we can make an impact with the Kruger turnaround plan. • Obtain endorsement from the Minister of the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment to lobby international funding, through the IUCN SA committee to provide training and capacity-building for KNP rangers. • Developing our role in how to influence the Wildlife Economy in South Africa.

• Fostering of new African leaders (government and business and civil society) for provincial park development • Partnering with provincial and national conservation agencies • Development of renewable energy private protected areas • WESSA can provide capacity-building/training of rangers/conservation personnel to support them and thereby improve the management of protected areas. • Development of mini biodiversity hotspots, focusing on the biome and teaching biodiversity through the school curriculum. • Creating a connection between vulnerable protected areas and the children from these areas for long-term stewardship. • Developing partnerships with stakeholders to reduce the threat to protected areas.

Three sub-themes have been identified under the key theme of biodiversity and habitat loss:

Freshwater Systems opportunities • Reviving some previously developed projects like the Amanzi impilo concept (water is life). • Strengthen partnership with Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) through engagement. • Align with strategic stakeholders in the sector • We will encourage and support membership activities through clean-ups of wetlands, estuaries.

Aquatic systems

Marine systems

Terrestrial systems

(fresh water and estuarine)

(Protected areas, sustainable resource utilisation, wildlife economy)

Marine Systems opportunities

How

• Support the Integrated Coastal Management Act implementation • Optimise the Green Coast label on our coastline (e.g. West Coast, St Lucia, Kosi Bay etc) • Leverage the iCAN (Integrated coastal action network) concept by creating a youth community of marine and coastal user groups (e.g. surf, spearfishing, fishing community) revolving identification of local issues, and support in the development of an action plan to address these. Individual actions combine to create collective outcomes and integrity of systems. • Focus on advocacy around marine systems (for all sub themes), and WESSA will be thought leaders in this space.

WESSA Education

Partnering with provincial and national conservation agencies

Playing a convening role

Citizen science for estuary health monitoring

Green Coast with specialised estuarine focus

Advocacy through the WESSA Environmental

Governance Committee

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