Environment Southern Africa

Darling 'choking on factory dust'

Article originally published in the Cape Times on 28 June 2006

Darling residents are angry about billowing clouds of dust pollution from a new factory that has caused school pupils to have to wear masks.

Doctors in the area say they have noticed an increase in respiratory ailments since the factory started operating, while the Malmesbury municipality has resorted to taking the factory owners to court.

But the factory owners say the dust is not toxic and the residents have "got their knickers in a knot".

For the rest of this article, please Download darling_choking_on_factory_dust.pdf

New laws will clamp down on SA whale watching

Article originally published in the Cape Times on July 03, 2006  

New laws in the pipeline will clamp down on people who harass whales and dolphins and will make it easier to take the culprits to court and convict them. 

Draft regulations by the department of environment affairs and tourism on whales, dolphins and turtles have increased the distance any boat or aircraft has to keep between itself and whales and dolphins from 300m to 500m.

For the rest of the article, please Download new_laws_will_clamp_down_on_sa_whale_watching.pdf

UNEP - Poverty and Environment Project

Original article posted on www.unep.org/dpdl/poverty_environment/ (July 2006)

UNEP’s Poverty and Environment Project is founded upon the premise           that the sustainable use of ecosystems on which people rely will contribute           to poverty reduction. This is so because poor people rely           disproportionately on ecosystem services for their basic needs, such as           food, water, and shelter, because they lack the financial resources to           meet these needs through the market. Thus, by finding creative ways of           improving access to and management of natural resources, the capacity           of  poor people to make decisions that will contribute to their well-being           will increase. Not only will poor people be more able to meet their daily         needs, but environmental sustainability will be promoted.

      

In recognition of this link, UNEP has developed a four-year project that aims to increase developing countries’ capacity to mainstream environment into poverty reduction policies and programmes. Such mainstreaming will ensure that efforts to reduce poverty are not undermined by the unsustainable use of resources. The project, currently in its pilot phase, is being implemented in seven African countries: Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

For more information on this project, please visit http://www.unep.org/dpdl/poverty_environment/Projects/index.asp

Uganda: NEMA Okays DDT Use Against Malaria

Original Article on www.allafrica.com (posted on the web on 19/06/2006 by Charles Ariko)

  ENVIRONMENT watchdog NEMA has approved DDT for indoor residual spraying to fight malaria.

Dr. Sam Okware, the acting director in-charge of clinical and community health, yesterday said a NEMA Environment Impact Assessment found out that indoor DDT spraying had no negative impact on the environment.

"We have been cleared by NEMA. What is remaining is the resources for us to buy DDT and we start spraying immediately," Okware said.

For the rest of this article, please Download uganda_nema_okays_ddt_use_against_malaria.pdf

Regulations for quality air to be published

Article source: Equinox Daily News (07/06/2006)

Yesterday (06 June 2006), Environmental Affairs and Tourism minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said the first regulations stipulating national standards for ambient air quality would be published in the Government Gazette on Friday for public comment. He said the quality standards for harmful substances such as benzene and sulphur dioxide was extracted from the Air Quality Act and would be incorporated into individual licences for atmospheric emissions.

Shilowa to launch Gauteng ‘city region’

Original article on www.businessday.co.za 24 May 2006 by Chantelle Benjamin

GAUTENG will be launched as a “city region” this August, joining the likes of London, Tokyo and Sao   Paulo to become more competitive by creating a common development plan for the entire province.

As Gauteng is projected to have a population of 14,6-million by 2015, the province’s leadership is concerned that it will not be able to “meet its significant development challenges” unless all three spheres of government work together and are thinking beyond the boundaries of municipal structures.

The executive mayors of the province’s three metros — Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni — and mayors from the districts of West Rand, Sedibeng and Metsweding, support the “city region” concept.

For the rest of this article please Download shilowa_to_launch_gauteng_city_region.pdf

New Biodiversity strategy launched

Original article on www.iol.co.za, 22 May 2008

Biodiversity policies must be integrated into economic decision-making for South Africa's flora and wildlife to be conserved, says Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

He said on Monday up to four-fifths of the country's biodiversity lay outside its game reserves, marine parks and other protected areas.

"Given the geographic spread and extraordinary diversity of our plant and animal species, it is impossible to conserve the majority of species and ecosystems through a traditional protected areas approach alone."

For the rest of this article please Download new_biodiversity_strategy_launched.pdf

Ozone hole may vanish by 2050

Original article on www.news24.co.za; 22 May 2006

The ozone hole over the Antarctic is likely to begin contracting in the future and may disappear by 2050 because of a reduction in the release of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting gases, according to a team of Japanese scientists.

The findings are based on a series of numerical simulations carried out by Eiji Akiyoshi of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, near Tokyo, using projected emissions of chlorofluorocarbons and other gases blamed for the ozone hole.
For the rest of the article please Download ozone_hole_may_vanish_by_2050.pdf

Canada wants Kyoto deal scrapped – reports

Original Article on www.iol.co.za, 22 May 2006

Ottawa - Canada will to try to block efforts to set stricter emissions targets in the Kyoto Protocol's second phase starting in 2012 and wants the climate-change accord scrapped in favour of a separate, voluntary deal, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Saturday.

The report sparked outrage among environmental activists and opposition Liberals, who accused the Conservative government of trying to undermine years of international effort to counter global warming.

For the rest of the article please Download canada_wants_kyoto_deal_scrapped_reports.pdf

Game auctions in SA are vital to conservation

Article by By Jerome Cartillier, www.iol.co.za on 17 May 2006-05-18 

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, South Africa - South Africa's vibrant game auctions replete with animals ranging from rhinos to giraffes are being seen as a key element to the country's conservation efforts.

As game hunting as well as camera safaris and eco-tourism earn mega bucks, more and more people are being lured to open game farms. 

Over the past 10 years, rich South Africans have been increasingly veering towards investing in game farms in the same manner that their European counterparts are putting money into vineyards.

For the rest of this article, please Download game_auctions_in_sa_are_vital_to_conservation.pdf