Climate smart careers, “wasterpreneurship” and equipping young people with skills relevant to current and future development in the area.

These are just a few suggestions made in a recent case study done by Conservation South Africa to harmonise conservation with economic development in the Saldanha Bay area.

Locally industrial development and environmental conservation are continuously in a tug of war.

While development for stimulating economic growth and creating jobs is welcome, environmental activists are concerned about planned future developments in the area and the impact these may have on the environment as a collective.

However, local environmental watchdog groups such as the Saldanha Bay Water Quality Forum Trust (SBWQFT) know industrial development is inevitable and necessary, although it can be done in a sustainable way.

According to a case study by Conservation South Africa it is “good for business” when conservation and development are working “in harmony with each other.”

The first draft of this case study, named “Growing South Africa’s Oceans Economy while supporting and expanding Marine Conservation 2022 – lessons from Saldanha Bay Municipality”, was published on the SBWQFT website last week.

In the document key findings shed light on the often-tumultuous relationship between development and conservation, and opportunities for optimising marine conservation and economy are suggested.

Key findings

One of the key findings is the fact that the contribution of ocean and coastal ecosystems to local industry and economic growth in the Saldanha Bay Municipality (SBM) is significant.

However, the protection of these resources is not a key priority for any of the stakeholders involved who are dependent on the long-term sustainability of marine resources.

Another finding involves the sustainable biodiversity conservation of the Langebaan Lagoon and Saldanha Bay. Without serious conservation efforts the economic, social, and cultural value of the area would be greatly diminished.

Also, the study found there was no explicit link between the development of South Africa’s ocean economy and conservation of marine resources in the area.

The rest of the significant issues highlighted by the study include the role of renewable energy in “climate smart economic growth”, innovative financial instruments such as conservation levies generated from tourism, climate smart careers, the re-skilling of the fishing community who are dependant on a depleted resource for their income and the assessing of perceived threats such as air pollution from red dust, green ship recycling impacts, power ships and invasive species.

Opportunities

The study suggests turning possible threats into opportunities. Entrepreneurship in waste management could not only create jobs, but also realise business opportunities that could otherwise be environmentally unacceptable.

For example, one of the concerns that has been raised is ship recycling as one of the industries that the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone (SBIDZ) is trying to attract into the zone.

This type of industry produces significant amounts of waste, which could pose a potential environmental hazard, even though green recycling guidelines will be adhered to.

“Wasterpreneurs” could create a business opportunity by dealing with hazardous waste, while enabling ship recycling as an industrial business opportunity for SBIDZ.

The consideration of other economic opportunities that the oceans could offer beyond fisheries is required, such as tourism or renewable energy.

One of these alternative economic activities suggested in the document is to establish innovative ways of improving funding and financial sustainability for the West Coast National Park.

One way could be to look into improving the integration of the park into the local and regional economy such as the Kruger National Park has done under the “Greater Kruger Strategic Development Programme”.

The SBIDZ could work with the SBM to integrate its growth trajectory with the municipality’s local development plans, and secondly by working together with the YES Hub, training colleges and high schools to ensure that these provide the skills that will be required by the SBIDZ as it grows.

According to Conservation South Africa healthy oceans provide food security, sustain economic growth, regulate the climate, and provide livelihood opportunities for coastal communities.

“South Africa’s oceans and coasts offer huge opportunities for economic development, which could reduce poverty and unemployment,” the study stated.

So far the country has not taken full advantage of this untapped vast ocean resource and the immense potential it presents.

Input and comment

Charissa da Costa van der Berg, regional climate policy specialist at Conservation South Africa, invites stakeholders and interested parties to provide written input and comment on the draft document as soon as possible.

Stakeholders can also contact Charissa, Peter or Julia at 021 100 3950 for more information. Visit sbwqft.org.za to view the study.