As the global community works towards declaring 30% of land and oceans as protected areas by 2030, South Africa will only be able to protect 28% of its land and 10% of its oceans by 2036, says the minister of environment, forestry & fisheries, Dion George.
South Africa hosted the fourth annual Earthshot Prize awards in Cape Town this week, a first for the continent, where George acknowledged that progress towards achieving the goal had been slow.
He told a panel discussion that while policies and legislation had been put in place to tackle environmental challenges, implementing solutions required time.
“Thirty by 30 is a global commitment, but we need to be aware of the fact that most of the green land that needs protection is in Africa, which puts a lot of pressure on developing-economy countries from developed nations.”
George said part of the problem for developing countries was finding the financial backing to fast-track the process.
“The financial architecture is one of the distortions that play a role in reaching this goal,” he said.
Thirty by 30 is a global commitment, but we need to be aware of the fact that most of the green land that needs protection is in Africa, which puts a lot of pressure on developing-economy countries from developed nations.
Thirty by 30 is a worldwide initiative for governments to designate 30% of earth's land and oceans as protected areas by the end of this decade. To date, more than 190 countries have committed to achieving it.
George said the main focus was to ensure the safety of species and ecosystems unique to the country. While it seemed as though South Africa was lagging behind, it had done well in implementing policies and legislation to ensure it meets its 2036 target.
“We have institutions in the country that are driving conservation, which is very important. We have policy frameworks such as the South African National Parks (SANParks) Vision 2040 to guide us,” he said.
SANParks’ Vision 2040 is an initiative that aims to revolutionise how the country approaches conservation. It seeks to break down barriers between protected areas and surrounding communities, fostering inclusivity and sustainable development.
“In South Africa we need to expand our conservation lands by an additional 14-million hectares as we create a vast network of interconnected, ecologically vibrant areas,” SANParks said in a statement.
The country’s just energy transition was another project George highlighted as an active step towards protecting the environment.
In 2022, the World Bank approved a R9bn loan to help the country decommission the Komati coal power plant.
“We have been the architects of the just energy transition, but it comes with some challenges. Things like poverty and it’s effect should be catered for in the journey so we don’t leave anyone behind in this transition.”
George said oceans around the continent had been neglected, with no consolidated solutions to address this. In South Africa only 10% of the marine space would be protected by 2036.
“We need to get to a point as a continent where we have solutions for the oceans. Now we have no consolidated plans when it comes to plastic pollution. However, as much as there are so many challenges, we can only tackle one thing at a time,” he said.
Earthshot is a global organisation founded by the UK's Prince William in 2020 with the aim of finding solutions to environmental problems across the world by 2030. The organisation's goals are to protect and restore nature, clean the air, revive oceans, build a waste free world and fix the climate.
Every year the organisation awards five winners £1m (about R22m) to help accelerate and scale their projects.
Two of this year's winners were African innovators, who set out to create solutions for their communities.
First prize in the “clean our air” category went to the Green Africa Youth Organization, which was recognised for its zero-waste model to drive behavioural change in waste management across Africa and cut greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution.
In the “build a waste free world” category, Kenyan based Francis Nderitu was honoured for his work as the founder of Keep it Cool, a company offering cold chain services to farmers in an effort to reduce food spoilage.
Closing the award ceremony, Prince William said it was encouraging to see the different innovations coming from Africa.
“I believe our world can be rich in possibility, in hope, and in optimism. That is why the Earthshot Prize exists. To champion the game-changers, the inventors, the makers, the creatives, the leaders; to help them build upon the amazing things they’ve already achieved,” he said.
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