SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS -Environmental and conservation management actions in the Southern Cape will take centre stage at the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) year-end seminar on Wednesday 9 December.
At this report-back event, which will be held virtually, key regional stakeholders will reflect on actions they undertook during 2020, the challenges they faced, showcase their projects and make projections as to what they plan for 2021.
In a media statement this morning, 17 November, Cobus Meiring of GREF says it was seen worldwide that Covid-19 and the resultant lockdown measures implemented have had a positive impact on nature and the environment we share and depend upon for survival.
“From crystal clear waterways in Venice to dolphins frolicking in places they were never to be found in modern times, clear and unpolluted skies in places like China and India, a dramatic drop in illicit animal trade, including reduced rhino poaching and the closure of wet markets in Asia, there is general consensus that the impact of humans on natural ecosystems is vast,” he says.
“Closer to home, natural systems got a short break from constant and increasing human pressure, ranging from reduced emissions [due to] the absence of thousands of vehicles on our roads during lockdown, zero activity on beaches, and a temporary pause on habitat destruction to make way for new houses and infrastructure.”
This, according to Meiring, illustrates that much of the damage can be addressed proactively if the will to do so can be generated among the collective population.
He stresses that, throughout 2020, it was clear that the changing climate causes calamities globally. The Philippines was hit by ten typhoons and two super typhoons, and California suffered from the worst wildfire disaster of all times, leading to untold destruction, human displacement, and environmental damage and loss of biodiversity.
The GREF event will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. For more information, visit the website.
The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) is a regional forum for collaboration in conservation, environmental adaptation and community interaction. The forum aims to coordinate regional conservation efforts, serves as a catalyst to drive climate adaptation practices in the Southern Cape and strives to establish a better-coordinated approach to environmental management.
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