South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings:...
-
Upload
rudolph-gibson -
Category
Documents
-
view
217 -
download
0
Transcript of South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings:...
![Page 1: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
South African National ParksOur view of the National Water
Act, as at present
Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22 October 2008, Cape Town
Freek Venter GM: Conservation Management
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK Cell: 082 9082687
Email: [email protected] Web: www.sanparks.org
![Page 2: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Problem Statement• SANParks mission - biodiversity conservation in a
representative set of parks for national interest– biodiversity of rivers strongly connected to social benefits – Indirect biodiversity benefits of the tourist economy particular
significance for the country • Parks are part of the wider landscape, as exemplified by
rivers• River management is mainly a DWAF mandate: in Parks
social process. We are dependant on and constantly have to engage other departments and water user sectors to achieve our goals
• Kruger Nat Park Rivers Programme in 1990s contributed to these goals.
• Currently involved in all initiatives (CMA’s, WRC & CSIR projects, Bilateral with DWAF at Sen. Management and Operational levels), trying to play our role as responsible partners
![Page 3: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
National Water Act BackdropWe endorse and emphasize the following
• Initial principles (social + economic + environmental sustainability of societal well-being)
• The Environmental Reserve sustainability for human use of many kinds, through ecosystem services. Only achievable if social, econ, environ are ALL met
• The Reserve was determined through a rigorous, sound scientific & participative process
• We take note of the progress in incorporating aquifers and estuaries
• We also recognize some significant successes, e.g. Letaba River doesn’t stop flowing every March as in past!
• ‘‘Some for all for ever’Some for all for ever’
![Page 4: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
MONTH1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Base flow
Hypothetical “building block” hydrological year
Flood
Spawning flow
Sediment flushing flow
Channel maintenance flow
Seedling establishment flows
![Page 5: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Some problems with the NWA
• We recognize that the goals in the Act are long-term, and that quality is generally linked to flows, our view is:
– there are some improvements in some rivers (moving towards achievement of the Environmental Reserve)
– but, contrary to the intention of the Act, most rivers are deteriorating (getting further from the Environmental Reserve)
• We recognize moves to include water quality in the Reserve but wish to underline difficulties around e.g. slowly-accumulating persistent organics (in principle the Act says any long-term accumulation should not be allowed)
![Page 6: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
• The reach of the Act in terms of inappropriate land-use is important (“land-use will be considered” is vague – closer cooperation with Dept Agric, DEAT, etc.)
• Alien invasive aquatic plants partly covered by Working for Water, but almost no control of alien invasive fish, some highly threatening
• International issues - impacts on neighboring countries e.g. Mozambique and vice versa (e.g. damming with back flooding into KNP gorges)
Some problems with the NWA
![Page 7: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Conclusions• Commitment and support by DWAF appreciated, but
slow implementation shackles SANParks’ mandate. We see this as mainly related to:
• technical complexity e.g. of the river classification process, licensing – human capacity limitations – slow building of collaborative networks (e.g. CMA’s) and the
appropriate resulting ethos
• SANParks involved in further activities, e.g. Water Research Commission projects on shared learning with other stakeholders in adaptive catchment management, and on institutional arrangements to achieve this
• We hope these research initiatives help mainstream the success of the most progressive Water Act in the world
![Page 8: South African National Parks Our view of the National Water Act, as at present Public Hearings: Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry : 22.](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022082517/56649e735503460f94b73781/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Recommendations
• Foundation of NWA: Initial principles (soc + econ + environ sustainability) = sound and well though through! – stick to them
• Stronger cooperation between sister departments (Agric, DEAT)
• More emphasis on the ER – our perception is that present implementation lean towards economic and social
• Fast track implementation in critical areas – in Kruger in Kruger Park we have a crisis! Park we have a crisis! Maybe a specific strong body needs to be put in place to push this hard.
• Focus on key deliverables (e.g. River Classification) to get the old momentum back
• Need Big Imbizo