‘We need to appreciate and celebrate the diverse and intricate environment which supports our daily existence because, without it, life for humans would be impossible.” These are the words of Rejoice Mabudafhasi, the deputy minister of water and environmental affairs, who will be putting environmental problems, solutions and opportunities on the table at South Africa’s annual , environmental conference, EnviroCon.
Endorsed by the Peace Parks Foundation, this year’s conference is being held at the Gallagher
Convention Centre in Midrand onm November 11 and 12 and will focus on a wide range of issues, from ecological footprints to carbon capture and storage.
The first EnviroCon was held last year in Limpopo and was hailed a huge success. Mabudafhasi, in her former position as deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism, opened
the inaugural event and encouraged the private sector to become more involved, emphasising that the relationship between corporates, NGOs and government is strengthened by efforts to improve environmental management and conservation in Southern Africa.
Mabudafhasi will again be the opening speaker, giving an overview of current environmental issues affecting South Africa. A number of local and international experts have been invited to cover a variety of topics in presentations and workshops.
‘This initiative is an effort to provide a stage for all involved in environmental management to network and share solutions and opportunities created by the problems and challenges our environment encounters,” says Emile van Druten of Environmental Assurance, founder of EnviroCon.
‘We are striving to bring together experts from a range of fields to provide the delegates with the latest information on the most pertinent environmental issues of our time. ‘It is hoped that speakers, exhibitors and delegates will share their innovative ideas to help solve some of the environmental problems currently afflicting the world.”
Van Druten says the 2009 conference will highlight some of the most important environmental management and conservation issues to be raised during the past year, both in South Africa and internationally. ‘We decided to extend the programme this year and will offer much more than just excellent delegate bags and presentations from leaders in the field,” says Van Druten.
‘This year will see a full programme of information-sharing workshop sessions, facilitated by acknowledged experts in their respective fields and an array of exhibition stands from local service providers and government alike.”
Van Druten says specialised speakers and facilitators will cover topics in two parallel sessions over the two-day conference. ‘All presentations and executive summaries will be made available to registered delegates and workshop sessions will be used to contextualise company-specific or individual environmental challenges and opportunities.”
Among the topics to be discussed at EnviroCon will be environmental problems associated with the use of the Vaal River; a local perspective on environmental trade and industry; the challenges of managing primates at a major international tourism resort; advanced fossil fuel use; and climate change adaptation strategies.
Workshop sessions will include topics such as using South African ingenuity to overcome environmental challenges; environmental law and updates of legal compliance; and environmental awareness and public participation.
This year will see the launch of a new feature at EnviroCon — the Soap Box. This is a small stage in the exhibition hall where exhibitors, delegates, students, or anyone interested in environmental issues, will have a 20-minute slot to present his or her problem or solution and will provide an opportunity for peer review, comments and feedback.
‘Slots will have to be booked beforehand and topics will be screened,” says Van Druten. ‘Participants in the Soap Box should provide constant entertainment in the exhibition hall while at the same time stimulate some interesting debates. I think that each delegate, including those from the various exhibition stands at EnviroCon 2009, will gain immense value from participating and will leave with many practical examples and theoretical references.”
For a full programme and registration forms, visit www.envass.co.za
Paving the way
The Peace Parks Foundation (PPF), which endorses EnviroCon 2009, is the embodiment of a dream held by three great men — Nelson Mandela, Prince Bernard of the Netherlands and South African conservationist Anton Rupert.
The dream was of Africa as an unfenced wilderness, where fauna and flora were left free to flourish and where people could reap the benefits of nature while at the same time supporting it.
Through the establishment of transfrontier parks and transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs), or ‘peace parks”, and through the development of human resources that support sustainable economic development, the PPF aims to ensure the conservation of biodiversity as well as regional peace and stability.
A transfrontier park is defined as an area where two or more protected areas are managed collaboratively across international borders.
A TFCA is defined as an area straddling two or more international borders where the natural and cultural resources are managed collaboratively by the governments or authorities involved.
There are 10 parks/TFCAs: Ai-Ais/Richtersveld; Kgalagadi; Greater Mapungubwe; Maloti-Drakensberg; Great Limpopo;Lubombo; Malawi/Zambia; Kavango-Zambezi; Lower Zambezi-Mana Pools; Liuwa Plain-Mussuma.
For more information visit www.peaceparks.org