MAVUSO MSIMANG: SA can unlock unprecedented economic benefits by embracing the power of nature
Biodiversity is good for business, and SA needs good business
25 February 2022 - 05:05
byMavuso Msimang
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On a global level there is plenty of evidence that the economic value of increasing globally protected areas to cover 30% of the world’s land mass and oceans. A Cambridge University report found that the economic benefits of protecting 30% of the planet outweighed the costs of achieving this by a ratio of at least five-to-one.
Ina reportpublished in 2020 the World Economic Forum found that a transition to a nature-positive economy could generate up to $10.1-trillion in business value every year and create 395-million jobs by 2030. The 30% goal could also provide a third of climate mitigation needed by 2030, thus saving money and lives.
Global figures and reports such as these are all well and good, but what does this mean for SA? President Cyril Ramaphosa recently said it was time for SA to “grasp the nettle” and embark on a “transformative path” towards a climate-resilient society. But such a journey, he argued, must be just and cause no harm to the livelihoods and incomes of the poor.
He was entirely right. The good news is that conservation and economic growth are not necessarily mutually exclusive. SA’s marine and mainland protected areas could be the “just” tool Ramaphosa needs. The country is already more than halfway towards its goal of protecting 30% of its land and ocean waters by 2036, and the possibilities these areas present are immense.
SA’s biodiversity offers vast potential for creating jobs and sustainable incomes, particularly in rural areas. We must throw aside stereotypes about conservation and start embracing the power of nature.
The sheer scope of opportunity was outlined in a reportby the Brenthurst Foundation, a think-tank in Johannesburg, which argued that protecting biodiversity was the key to a prosperous, healthy, sustainable SA. Amanda Driver of the SA National Biodiversity Institute has notedthat more than 418,000 jobs are directly related to biodiversity, with 17% directly related to conservation and 83% resulting from biodiversity-related industry.
This figure is only 16,000 short of the number of jobs in the mining sector, the big difference being that jobs in biodiversity are sustainable. The value they create supersedes the needs of the elite few but spreads across whole communities. And since many areas of biodiversity importance are located outside cities, these jobs can support the rural development SA desperately needsand will be music to finance minister Enoch Godongwane’s ears, who proclaimed in Wednesday’s 2022 budget speech that “we need to strike a critical balance between saving lives and livelihoods, while supporting inclusive growth”.
Addressing injustices around land ownership should remain a primary concern in SA, but there is no need to jettison the conservation imperative.Goals such as 30x30 are not meant to protect biodiversity by banishing people, but rather to allow them to live on their land and at the same time benefit from its preservation. Expandingconservation in a rights-based way is at once desirable and possible. In fact, we can see it in action alreadyamong theGumbipeople, who have conserved essential biodiversity while creating plenty of jobs.
Let us also not forget that this is not just about seizing economic opportunities. It is also about avoiding economic catastrophes and costs we can never repay. Without well-managed protected areas we will miss countless employment and economic opportunities. We will also put our citizens’ futures in jeopardy. Those who depend on the land and sea for food and income will find stocks empty; increasing pollution will cause more respiratory diseases and illness; drastic weather patterns and land degradation will decimate agricultural diversity and drive further migration — all of these will negatively affect our bottom line and our quality of life.
Understandably, the big question in the Global South is who is going to pay for the management and expansion of our protected areas? We have seen time and again how those who contribute most to climate change and biodiversity loss hand out diktats on emissions, global goals, and environmental policies but leave the South to figure out how to pay for it. That cannot continue. SA’s economy is already precarious, and while I have no doubt we can build a self-sustaining green economy, we need a helping hand.
That is why I am particularly enthused by the work being done ahead of the UN Convention on Biological Biodiversity’s COP15. The tide is turning. In the past six months we have seen philanthropists pledge $5bn to the Protect Our Planet Challenge; a fund earmarked for the 30x30 goals. Germany, France, Britain and Canada have increased their financial contributions to biodiversity protection.
If SA wants a piece of this growing pie we must commit to prioritising our protected areas and recognise the potential our biodiversity economy holds. By being bold, by supporting 30x30, increasing biodiversity funding, and obtaining the informed consent of indigenous peoples and local communities, we can rise to the challenge and meet the president’s noble aim of “achieving sustainable and inclusive growth, to secure the health and wellbeing of our people and safeguard the future of our planet.”
• Msimang was a senior member of the ANC in exile and served on the military high command of Umkhonto we Sizwe. In 1977 he joined the UN, working in Zambia, Kenya and Ethiopia. He returned to SA in 1993 and served as executive director of SA Tourism, CEO of the SA National Parks and CEO of the State Information Technology Agency. He was a founding member of African Parks.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
MAVUSO MSIMANG: SA can unlock unprecedented economic benefits by embracing the power of nature
Biodiversity is good for business, and SA needs good business
On a global level there is plenty of evidence that the economic value of increasing globally protected areas to cover 30% of the world’s land mass and oceans. A Cambridge University report found that the economic benefits of protecting 30% of the planet outweighed the costs of achieving this by a ratio of at least five-to-one.
In a report published in 2020 the World Economic Forum found that a transition to a nature-positive economy could generate up to $10.1-trillion in business value every year and create 395-million jobs by 2030. The 30% goal could also provide a third of climate mitigation needed by 2030, thus saving money and lives.
Global figures and reports such as these are all well and good, but what does this mean for SA? President Cyril Ramaphosa recently said it was time for SA to “grasp the nettle” and embark on a “transformative path” towards a climate-resilient society. But such a journey, he argued, must be just and cause no harm to the livelihoods and incomes of the poor.
He was entirely right. The good news is that conservation and economic growth are not necessarily mutually exclusive. SA’s marine and mainland protected areas could be the “just” tool Ramaphosa needs. The country is already more than halfway towards its goal of protecting 30% of its land and ocean waters by 2036, and the possibilities these areas present are immense.
SA’s biodiversity offers vast potential for creating jobs and sustainable incomes, particularly in rural areas. We must throw aside stereotypes about conservation and start embracing the power of nature.
The sheer scope of opportunity was outlined in a report by the Brenthurst Foundation, a think-tank in Johannesburg, which argued that protecting biodiversity was the key to a prosperous, healthy, sustainable SA. Amanda Driver of the SA National Biodiversity Institute has noted that more than 418,000 jobs are directly related to biodiversity, with 17% directly related to conservation and 83% resulting from biodiversity-related industry.
This figure is only 16,000 short of the number of jobs in the mining sector, the big difference being that jobs in biodiversity are sustainable. The value they create supersedes the needs of the elite few but spreads across whole communities. And since many areas of biodiversity importance are located outside cities, these jobs can support the rural development SA desperately needs and will be music to finance minister Enoch Godongwane’s ears, who proclaimed in Wednesday’s 2022 budget speech that “we need to strike a critical balance between saving lives and livelihoods, while supporting inclusive growth”.
Addressing injustices around land ownership should remain a primary concern in SA, but there is no need to jettison the conservation imperative. Goals such as 30x30 are not meant to protect biodiversity by banishing people, but rather to allow them to live on their land and at the same time benefit from its preservation. Expanding conservation in a rights-based way is at once desirable and possible. In fact, we can see it in action already among the Gumbi people, who have conserved essential biodiversity while creating plenty of jobs.
Let us also not forget that this is not just about seizing economic opportunities. It is also about avoiding economic catastrophes and costs we can never repay. Without well-managed protected areas we will miss countless employment and economic opportunities. We will also put our citizens’ futures in jeopardy. Those who depend on the land and sea for food and income will find stocks empty; increasing pollution will cause more respiratory diseases and illness; drastic weather patterns and land degradation will decimate agricultural diversity and drive further migration — all of these will negatively affect our bottom line and our quality of life.
Understandably, the big question in the Global South is who is going to pay for the management and expansion of our protected areas? We have seen time and again how those who contribute most to climate change and biodiversity loss hand out diktats on emissions, global goals, and environmental policies but leave the South to figure out how to pay for it. That cannot continue. SA’s economy is already precarious, and while I have no doubt we can build a self-sustaining green economy, we need a helping hand.
That is why I am particularly enthused by the work being done ahead of the UN Convention on Biological Biodiversity’s COP15. The tide is turning. In the past six months we have seen philanthropists pledge $5bn to the Protect Our Planet Challenge; a fund earmarked for the 30x30 goals. Germany, France, Britain and Canada have increased their financial contributions to biodiversity protection.
If SA wants a piece of this growing pie we must commit to prioritising our protected areas and recognise the potential our biodiversity economy holds. By being bold, by supporting 30x30, increasing biodiversity funding, and obtaining the informed consent of indigenous peoples and local communities, we can rise to the challenge and meet the president’s noble aim of “achieving sustainable and inclusive growth, to secure the health and wellbeing of our people and safeguard the future of our planet.”
• Msimang was a senior member of the ANC in exile and served on the military high command of Umkhonto we Sizwe. In 1977 he joined the UN, working in Zambia, Kenya and Ethiopia. He returned to SA in 1993 and served as executive director of SA Tourism, CEO of the SA National Parks and CEO of the State Information Technology Agency. He was a founding member of African Parks.
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