Key
Issues
Please note that
this page is under construction. We plan to have
new additions and more comprehensive information
on all issues in the near future.
Deserts
and Desertification
 The
United Nations (UN) has announced 2006 the International
Year of Deserts and Desertification in an effort
to profile desertification as a major threat to
humanity. "Land degradation affects one third
of the planet's land surface and threatens the
health and livelihoods of more than one billion
people in over one hundred countries" (UN
press release). The impact of desertification
is felt no more strongly than in Africa, where
two thirds of the continent is desert or dryland.
Further reading:
Climate
change
The effects of climate change
on the environment and natural resource management
are being felt in Africa and around the globe.
They include more frequent and severe weather
cycles, loss of wildlife habitat, and rising sea
levels, all of which pose major challenges for
humans.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) came into force in 1994 in response
to the need for a global response to climate change,
and has been signed by 189 countries. Last November
(2005) the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP-11)
to the UNFCCC was held in Montreal Canada, together
with the first meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol. Current key issues being discussed by
participants at the UNFCCC meetings include proposals
to enhance capacity building in developing countries,
incentives for reducing deforestation, and adaptations
to the inevitable impacts of climate change.
Further reading:
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United
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Learn more about COP-11, background on the
global response to climate change, and the
latest headlines and publications.
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FRAME
Climate page
FRAME is a gateway to knowledge sharing
for the environment and natural resource
management community. Their Climate page
has a wealth of documentation on the topic,
including links to regional information.
The January 2006 edition of FRAME's monthly
publication - FRAMEgram
- is dedicated to the climate change issue
and includes news, recent papers, and links
to further resources.
Impact of Climate Change on LIfe in Africa
- PDF document can be downloaded here. |
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ENB
Coverage of Climate and Atmosphere Meetings
Daily coverage of meetings, including summaries,
analyses, and audio recordings. |
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IISD
Climate-L List Serve
Climate change policy and issues, breaking
climate news, announcements of workshops
and conferences, job listings, new publications,
and online resources. |
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Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The IPCC assesses scientific, technical
and socioeconomic information relevant for
the understanding of climate change, its
potential impacts, and options for adaptation
and mitigation.
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HIV/AIDS
and Natural Resource Management
HIV/AIDS is well-known for its devastating impact
on people and communities in southern Africa.
Increasingly, this impact is extending to the
ability of communities to manage the natural resources
upon which they depend for their livelihoods.
The environmental implications of HIV/AIDS are
not fully understood, but they can include land
degradation and decreased productivity, loss of
knowledge and capacity for conservation, and even
conflict over land rights. The illness or death
of income earners, for example, can leave families
dependent on alternatives to labour-intensive
farming, such as poaching or timber harvesting,
which are not sustainable. Trees are particularly
vulnerable to overharvesting, due to their myriad
uses, but so are medicinal plants, which can be
vitally important to people and communities affected
by HIV/AIDS.
The conservation and natural resource management
sector is particularly affected by the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. Many organizations suffer from loss
of knowledge and leadership, lack of enforcement
capacity to protect resources, and declining morale.
They must often divert funds away from their core
work towards treatment and extra training of employees,
which further reduces their ability to achieve
goals.
Human well being is heavily dependent on biodiversity
and the services provided by local ecosystems.
This is no more evident than in the case of HIV/AIDS-affected,
and especially poor, communities, which may not
be in a position to take a long-term or integrated
approach to natural resource management. Clean
air and water, food, fuel, medicinal remedies
and shelter, as well as many income generating
opportunities can greatly improve livelihoods
when biodiversity is preserved. The conservation
of natural resources is an important means, therefore,
of mitigating the impacts of HIV/AIDS. Many organizations
in southern Africa and elsewhere are developing
strategies to direct the means and goals of conservation
towards the delivery of health and livelihood
services, and integrating the realities of HIV/AIDS
is an essential element of these efforts.
Further reading:
People
and Parks
IUCN is committed to conservation
programmes that bring real benefits from conservation
and protected areas to communities. Poverty alleviation
and social equality are key priorities for South
Africa, and by making them focal areas of our
current four-year programme we aim to identify
and develop opportunities for development that
is both socially as well as environmentally sustainable.
South Africa has recently passed
new legislation for protected areas, reflecting
a shift in focus from the protection of species
through the exclusion of people (with the exception
of tourists), to promotion of biodiversity management
and sustainable use through equitable participation
of all stakeholders. The 2003
Protected Areas Act (PDF) also highlights
the role that protected areas play in poverty
alleviation and local economic development.
Visit our People
and Parks page or link directly to the workshop
summary report to learn more.
Further reading:
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Cape
Vidal Memorandum.
On the eve of the 5th World Parks Congress
(WPC) held in Durban September, 2003, representatives
from a number of communities residing in protected
areas within South Africa gathered to discuss
experiences regarding the way in which biodiversity
conservation could be linked to local economic
development and poverty alleviation programmes.
The issues discussed and resolutions taken
are contained in the Cape Vidal Memorandum.
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IUCN
5th World Parks Congress, Durban, South
Africa (September 2003)
Target 10 of the WPC Action Plan (PDF,
html)
addresses the restitution of indigenous peoples’
traditional lands and territories that were
included in protected areas without free and
informed consent. This target is particularly
relevant for South Africa, which is making
efforts to reverse a history of dispossession. |
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Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) - Seventh
Conference of the Parties (COP 7)
Element 2 of the COP
7 Programme of Work on Protected Areas
deals with governance, participation, equity
and benefit-sharing, and explicitly urges
countries to enhance and secure the involvement
of indigenous and local communities and relevant
stakeholders. As a signatory to the CBD, South
Africa is committed to implementing the COP
7 Programme of Work. |
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