Celebrating biodiversity under lockdown
THE GLOBAL havoc brought by the Covid-19 outbreak is not only exposing the triple challenge (inequality, poverty and unemployment) in South Africa, that we have always known about (National Development Plan: 2030, Africa Agenda: 2063, and Sustainable Development Goals: 2030, etc), but how slowly have we acted on fixing them.
As painful and rapid as it is, Covid19 undoubtedly taught us several lessons, one most prominent is that united we can conquer!
Many countries, including South Africa, reacted immediately by shutting down (lockdown) virtually all services, except essentials. The immediate actions by a united people of South Africa and political leadership managed to flatten the curve significantly compared to other countries that took longer to implement lockdowns.
South Africa’s economy is strongly based on the utilisation of natural resources, such as land, water, biodiversity, etc. It is number three in world biodiversity rankings. It’s this extraordinarily beautiful landscape that is the centre of attraction for tourists.
South Africa is ranked 48th out of 141 countries on the UN World Economic Forum International Tourism Competitive Index (National Department of Tourism 2017).
It is ranked the top tourist destination in sub-Saharan Africa, and the second most popular destination in Africa, after Morocco, based on international tourist numbers.
The tourism sector relies on both the domestic and international tourism markets and generates significant socio-economic benefits to South Africa. The sector contributed R375 billion in 2015 and is projected to contribute R941bn by 2026 to the country’s gross domestic product and1.56 million to 2.2 million jobs. Last year, the country predicted 21 million tourists by 2030. Will this be the same after the Covid-19 lockdown?
This disaster is only adding to long-term biodiversity threats already posed by the escalating rate of natural ecosystems degradation, especially due to climate change, spread of alien and invasive species, pollution of limited water resources, and job loses!
Celebrated on June 5 since 1974, about 143 nations will observe World Environment Day today, but this time under Covid-19 lockdown conditions. Thanks to technology, millions will still access the event-based event in Colombia through virtual means.
The theme for this year is Celebrate Biodiversity. This day is a global call for action and sustainable use of natural resources.
The paucity of environmental ground data in Africa, and many developing countries, is a major constraint for proper management of natural resources.
The delay in the engagement of technology in monitoring ecosystems has been clearly demonstrated during the Covid-19 lockdown where fieldwork has been brought to a standstill. The fieldwork as part of the research will never be the same again, new procedures incorporating safety protocols will have to be developed and strictly adhered to.
It is important that fieldwork is limited mainly to verification, while technological approaches critical in real-time data collection are embraced. So, let’s celebrate and save our biodiversity for now and future generations!