Page 15 - Environmental Affairs

Promoting the sustainable use of

biodiversity and ecosystem services

By Tshegofatso Ndhlovu

Above: Mrs Mamrhasi from Hobeni Village, South Africa, displays wild Above: Volunteers from Kaya planting and environmental education
spinach that she has collected from her home garden. ( Image by initiative. Nature-based solutions have huge potential to help
Katie Tavenner). communities cope with the impacts of climate change ( Image by
Kaya Responsible Travel).

osted under the theme “strengthening the management to restore and maintain ecosystem
evidence and informing policy” by the goods and services while investigating technologies
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the that can be used in consideration of the 4th industrial
HEnvironment, the 2nd Ecosystem-based revolution,” said Mr Mbanjwa.
Adaptation (EbA) Community of Practice (CoP) took Mr Mbanjwa added that we need to provide education
place virtually from 17-18 March 2021. The EbA virtual and awareness on climate change adaptation at all
CoP aimed to bring together key stakeholders from levels and sectors, including government, private and
national, provincial, and local departments, public public sectors and at a school level to ensure that
entities, Non-Profit Organisations, research institutions people are able to deal with the consequences of
and the private sector to participate in an intellectual climate change.
discussion on EbA and identifying common challenges
and major barriers and developing practical solutions for The 2nd EbA CoP saw stakeholders share concrete
implementing EbA in South Africa. experiences and results on the implementation of
EbA in South Africa while Identifying entry points for
EbA promotes the sustainable use of biodiversity and strengthening EbA within sector policy frameworks,
ecosystem services to enable people to adapt to institutions and governance structures at national and
climate change and has been defined as an effective subnational level. The stakeholders also identified
and cost-efficient way to reduce vulnerability to climate options for financing EbA measures through public
change while enhancing sustainable development and private initiatives and provided evidence on
and as such contributes simultaneously to socio- EbA effectiveness by showcasing ecosystem-based
economic development, climate change adaptation adaptation projects that have been implemented in
and mitigation and biodiversity conservation. South Africa.

Discussing the National Climate Change Adaptation Giving a report on the Buffelsdraai Community
Strategy (NCCAS), the Director for Climate Change Reforestation Project, Manager in the Restoration
Adaptation-Natural Resources, Mr Sibonelo Mbanjwa Ecology branch at the City of eThekwini, Mr Errol Douwes
said that the NCCAS is a tool that can be used to said that the project has produced biodiversity benefits
highlight the work being done in South Africa to adjust that have seen an increase in bird species diversity
to climate change. around the area.

“The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy is a “We have been able to successfully plant over 140
reference point for Climate Change adaptation efforts species of trees and shrubs into 580 hectares of land
in our country that guides stronger coherence and which has brought with them different kinds of bird
coordination between different institutions and levels of species into the area while also encouraging the
government. The strategy can also help us in adopting exchange of plants for food and essential goods,” said
climate-resilient approaches to natural resource Mr Douwes.
www.environment.gov.za : Environment Quarterly 13