GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The annual Garden Route Environmental Management and Climate Change Indaba was hosted by the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and Garden Route Environmental Forum (Gref) on Thursday 23 June.
The theme for the event, which took place in Wilderness, was "Preparing the environment for a changing climate" and stakeholders shared experiences and ideas to equip the GRDM to better prepare the region for the expected climate change.
In a recorded opening address, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Minister Barbara Creecy said recent tragic events in KwaZulu-Natal, and localised flooding in the Western Cape have brought home to everyone that climate change-related disasters are now part of our lives.
"It is therefore the responsibility of every level of government to ensure climate resilience strategies are in place with suitable funding for their implementation."
Shocking temperature rises
She referred to long-term adaptation scenarios and assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that suggested that by 2100, temperature warming is projected to reach an average increase of 3°C to 4°C along the coast and 6°C to 7°C in the interior.
"With such temperature increases, life as we know it will change completely: the western part of the country will be much drier and increased evaporation will ensure an overall decrease in water availability.
"The eastern part of the country will experience increased rainfall with increased storms and other severe weather events. Coastal communities in general will be at risk from storm surges and sea level rise," she said.
Adaption strategies
The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy that Government adopted in 2020 sets out national priorities for building climate resilience to guide government, society and the economy.
To further help municipalities to create resilience, the department introduced the Provincial and Local Government Climate Change Support Programmes that provide guidance on how to integrate climate change response strategies into municipal planning processes.
DFFE has also assisted municipalities to develop project proposals to access climate finance opportunities.
"Thus far, all provinces and district municipalities in the country have undertaken risk and vulnerability assessments and developed climate change response strategies through this programme and all municipalities have been trained on how to develop project proposals to catalyse climate action," said Creecy.
"An important step in our efforts to tackle the effects of climate change has been the adoption of the Climate Change Bill by Cabinet in September 2021. Once passed by parliament, the bill will make it mandatory for all levels of government to develop and implement climate response strategies."
The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) was also established in 2021 to develop a common framework for a transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient society. It meets on a quarterly basis.
Addressing fire risk
Creecy said GRDM is one of three municipalities that form part of DFFE's Adaptive Capacity Facility Human Settlement Pilot programme. This programme supports the GRDM in responding to the growing risk of wildfires in the region.
"Interventions include the installation of an early-detection camera system that monitors smoke and can detect fires in their incipient stage; development of fire-breaks to create defensible spaces between vulnerable human settlements and fire paths; the construction of a training academy that focuses on fire safety and firefighting training as well as the supply of fire-safety tool kits to remote and vulnerable communities in the district."
Garden Route National Park management
She said DFFE is also revising the National Coastal Management Programmes according to the requirements of the integrated Coastal Management Act.
"The department, with support from SANParks, initiated the process to establish and declare the coastal management line for the Garden Route National Park to manage the risks from the likely future negative effects of climate change, such as changes in dynamic coastal processes and sea-level rise, in the park. The final line is currently in the process of being approved for gazetting."
Topics by the various speakers included preparing agriculture for a changing climate, networks and partnerships for water security in the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma, coastal management in the face of climate change, water quality and the impact of climate change on water resources, and proactive vegetation management.
Some of the presentations will be available soon on the website of the Southern Cape Land Initiative.
The annual Garden Route Environmental Management and Climate Change Indaba in George is an institutional arrangement, and continues to provide a strong and valuable platform for cooperation and communication between all entities on matters central to sustainable environmental management and climate change.
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