Deputy Minister Of Water And Environmental Affairs Opens Talks Between South Africa And Vietnam

Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi opens official talks between South Africa and Vietnam on Biodiversity Conservation and Management.

Honourable Dr Bùi Cách Tuyến, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) of Vietnam;

Distinguished officials of the Vietnamese delegation;

Senior Officials from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the South African National Parks (SANParks);

Ladies and gentlemen.

It is indeed an honour for me to warmly welcome you to South Africa.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of South Africa, we are honoured to be hosting you and your delegation at the Department of Environmental Affairs at a time when our country is celebrating the successes of 20 years of Democracy and preparing for landmark elections in May 2014.

I understand that your visit will be a relatively short one, but I am sure it will be fruitful for both of our countries and respective organisations mandated in biodiversity conservation and protection.

I would like to begin by recognising that both of our countries are blessed with a rich array of biological diversity, cultural and natural heritage, diverse landscapes and ecosystems, all of which provide natural goods and services which we have been entrusted to conserve, manage and protect for the benefit of present and future generations.

As you are aware, rhino poaching across South Africa and Africa has risen sharply in the past few years and has threatened to reverse the hard-won progress achieved by conservation authorities during the 20th Century.

Disturbingly, the number of rhinos poached for their horn in South Africa last year totalled 1004, up from 668 in 2012. Since the start of this year, 189 rhino have been poached, 121 of these in the Kruger National Park, which you will be visiting later this week.

In order to address the poaching problem, the South African Government and various other roleplayers have initiated a range of interventions to address the worrying surge in rhino poaching. These include engagements with countries where rhino horn is known to be traded and consumed.

Since 2011, South Africa and Viet Nam have been actively engaging on measures to address the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products.

I wish to recall that a significant milestone in our cooperation was achieved when the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Cao Duc Phat and Minister Edna Molewa, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Biodiversity Conservation and Protection in Hanoi on 12th December 2012. The signing of the MoU signalled a significant intervention in the bid to address an array of wildlife and conservation challenges. These include the scourge of rhino poaching in South Africa and the illegal trade in rhino horn and related products beyond our borders.

The signed MoU addresses, in particular, the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, which has become a significant problem worldwide.

Furthermore, the MoU serves to promote cooperation between our two countries and enhance compliance with international Conventions such as the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as CITES.

The MoU between our two countries provides the framework to promote the exchange of information, expertise and experiences for the benefit of both parties in wildlife management and enforcement.

South Africa recognises the immense value for both our countries to share information, policies and legislation on biodiversity protection broadly; as well as experiences in the implementation thereof.

There is significant scope for information and technical skills we can exchange and much we can learn from each other in doing so. Hence I am happy that you, Deputy Minister are here this week to take this cooperation between our two countries further.

It was just more than 10 months ago – from 6 to 10 May 2013 – that Dr Ha Cong Tuan, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam led a delegation of senior officials on a working visit to South Africa.

The focus of the visit was on wildlife management, and together, we signed the Plan of Implementation for the MoU to put into action those steps that we had agreed were necessary to conservation and protect the wildlife and plantlife, including forests, in our two countries.

The plan of implementation is now in force and we are looking forward in reaping the benefits of its implementation.

I hope that the Implementation Plan will serve as a framework and a guide to ensure that we achieve the required cooperation and enhancement stipulated in the defined fields, and, that through this MoU, we will be equipped to deal decisively with the challenges confronting our countries in regards to biodiversity conservation, management and protection.

I have noted from the programme for your visit, that you have already had an opportunity to take in the scenic beauty of South Africa, and one of our country’s proud world heritage sites -- Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town.

You will also be visiting the iconic Kruger National Park where I hope you will, hopefully, experience the pleasure of seeing all members of the Pride of Africa’s “Big Five”. I am confident that during your visit to the Kruger National Park you will obtain further insights into South Africa’s wildlife management as well as the protection of our rich of biological diversity.

I trust that the interactions with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the South African Police Services and the National Prosecuting Authority will be beneficial to both countries not only in furthering understanding of legislative and policy measures and how these could be aligned and further developed to ensure optimal management and protection of our natural world, but also in furthering your understanding of how our law enforcement agencies are engaging in addressing the scourge of rhino poaching.

Your Excellency, in conclusion, I would like to wish you and your delegation a pleasant stay in South Africa. I hope the deliberations this week will be fruitful and that the working visit will further strengthen the bond between our two nations.

I thank you.

Issued by:
The Department of Environmental Affairs