Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 4 November 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Deputy minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, and Chile’s deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Claudia Sanhueza, are signing a memorandum of understanding on fisheries and aquaculture in Pretoria today. The memorandum will formalise a collaborative framework that addresses the management of marine resources, research, technology exchange, and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The agreement will strengthen bilateral relations and advance efforts toward sustainable fisheries management and aquaculture innovation.

# CapeNature responded to 89 wildfires between April 2023 and March this year, burning roughly 73-thousand-671 hectares. It managed to contain 54-percent of the fires. A total of 55-percent of fires were attributed to people, whether through negligence or intentional actions such as a braai or fireworks. Natural fires accounted for 14-percent while 12-percent resulted from mechanical operations. CapeNature CEO Ashley Naidoo says as South Africa heads into the warmer, drier months, it is vital for residents to exercise vigilance. 

# And finally: The United Nations 16th Conference of Parties on Biological Diversity ended abruptly in Colombia amid disagreements on a global biodiversity funding roadmap. Countries had hoped to make progress on crucial targets such as protecting 30-percent of the Earth and reforming parts of the global financial system that damage the environment. Governments failed to reach a consensus on funding and on how this decade’s targets would be monitored. However, an agreement on potentially creating one of the world’s largest biodiversity conservation funds was reached.

Stay tuned for more news………….