Latest News from IERM

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2012-05-10T11:32:48Z

Expanded park opens

2011-12-15T06:59:10Z

Joburg City Parks has become something of an expert in extreme park makeovers, in which neglected, vacant land is turned into green recreational facilities in 24 hours or less. See their latest project here.

Get your December 2011 IFPRA newsletter

2011-12-15T06:58:07Z

To access the Ifpra Newsletter for December 2011 please click on the following link or copy and paste it into your browser: http://www.ifpra.org/newsletters/dec-2011.htm

City makes additional sport and recreational activities available during school holidays

2011-12-15T06:50:10Z

Parents need not worry how they will keep their children entertained over the Festive Season: the City of Cape Town’s Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department is hosting a range of activities at many of its community halls and sports facilities and is offering youth camps during the summer school holiday.

National Tree Expo 2012

2011-12-15T06:47:38Z

Diarize these important dates, 2nd, 3rd & 4th of March 2012 because that’s when the National Tree Expo will take place at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens. Some of our confirmed speakers include Meg Coates Palgrave; Andrew Hankey;Ernst van Jaarsveld.

Urban Forestry & Greening Short Course 26-30 March 2012

2011-12-15T06:44:21Z

There will be an Urban Forestry and Greening short course at Rhodes University from 26-30 March 2012. There are only 30 placeds available so make sure you secure your place soon.

Horticulturist required

2011-11-11T12:55:14Z

The KwaDukuza Municipality seeks to fill the following positions and accordingly invites applications from persons who meet the requirements as indicated.

Park to open for disabled kids

2011-11-11T08:29:23Z

Major renovations are under way at Rose Park in Lenasia, south of the CBD, to convert it into the first public park for physically challenged children in Joburg.

Oscar Oliphant, City Parks’ senior manager for stakeholder relations, says that when the public facility is complete, it will be the first of its kind in the city. "We really want to use this opportunity to show how between civil society and government things can be done.”

The idea for such a park originated when a local resident, Fazel Suleman, a member of the Differability Information and Support Association (DISA), approached Channel Islam International (Cii Broadcasting) saying that a facility of this kind was not available.

DISA is a support group for families of children with disabilities.

This sparked a partnership between City Parks and the satellite radio broadcaster to raise funds for the development, which will include a new section with wheelchair friendly swings, see-saws, roundabouts and other play equipment

“This is the first time we have actually done a project such as this through community effort,” says Oliphant.

Funds
A total of R700 000 was raised for the upgrade. Designs and plans have been drawn up over the last three months, and the development, which started on 31 October, will officially be opened on 3 December.

“It’s been a long road but we are confident that with the partnership between the City of Johannesburg and Cii Broadcasting, this park will become a reality,” says Suleman.

People from across the country helped raise funds between August and October. Joburg residents donated R220 000.

According to Shamsheer Khan, the station manager at Cii, the project is aimed at uniting all members of the community.
“This is going to be a huge improvement in the lives of Lenasia residents. Cii is proud to be a part of bringing the community together. And it doesn’t stop here. This is just the first step. We would like to see similar projects going up all around South Africa.

“Children with physical challenges are often neglected and we need to do more as society to incorporate them into broader activities.”

Oliphant says the project is a classic example of how a public partnership can work with the community. “It is extremely encouraging to see how people have poured their hearts and money into the project … None of us in our wildest dreams thought that this would spark such awareness in the country.”

Rose Park
Rose Park is five hectares in size. It underwent a massive facelift in 2007 and now has rose-lined gardens, a fountain, a township television screen, two mini soccer pitches and play areas with equipment for children, such as a jungle gym, swings and a roundabout.

It can accommodate about 1 000 people for concerts, screenings, filming movies, all sizes of corporate events, weddings, and fun fairs. City Parks is the custodians of Joburg’s parks, cemeteries, open spaces and conservation areas. It oversees 2 343 parks.

Parks are essential green lungs for the city and valuable areas where residents can relax and revitalise. Joburg is filled with leafy trees and has dozens of spacious green lungs. Each region has its own flagship park, among the many smaller ones.

For more information on how you can participate in this initiative, email projects@ciibroadcasting.com or call Azhar Vadi on 011 494 7000.

Written by Romaana Naidoo
Read more: http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7377&catid=88&Itemid=266#ixzz1cj3rsVfE

Less than a month to go before the COP17 Conference starts

2011-11-11T08:28:04Z

The tree planting forms part of the City of Tshwane’s support of the COP17 Climate Change Conference from 28 November to 9 December in Durban.

COP17 will provide South Africa with an opportunity to showcase its successful and progressive greening projects, some of which are firsts for Africa.

The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Agriculture and Environmental Management, Cllr Nkele Malapane, says that in the spirit of building a green legacy for future generations, the City is committed to create forests in its urban environment and will be planting 10 000 street trees per year and an additional 6 000 trees in parks, nature areas and schools. "As sources of building material, food, medicine and simple scenic beauty, trees play a vital role in the health and well-being of our communities," she says.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty arising from the UN’s Conference on Environment and Development. The treaty aims to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions so as to minimise their impact on the earth’s climate. COP is the governing body of the Convention, and advances the implementation of the Convention through its decisions taken at annual meetings since 1995. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was introduced with binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Debate and conflict around the role of developing and developed countries continue against the backdrop of a worldwide recession.

Most of the 194 member states of the UNFCCC will be represented at COP17.

Issued by Tshwane Communication and Information Services

Humewood beach regains blue flag status

2011-11-11T08:26:45Z

One of the greatest natural tourist attractions of Nelson Mandela Bay, its stretches of beautiful beaches, has reclaimed its glory as a prestigious Blue Flag beach. Through hard work and dedication, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was able to reclaim the Blue Flag status of Humewood Beach it lost early this year after the 2010 festive season.

East London does its bit for the environment

2011-11-11T08:25:26Z

The East London Metro is contributing to the fight against climate change by making use of trains instead of trucks to transport waste to its main landfill site. Speaking at a workshop in East London, acting Buffalo City Metro Municipality Municipal Manager Andile Fani said the Metro was working hard to mitigate its impact on global warming and climate change.

Company admits that fracking could be the cause of earthquakes in the area

2011-11-11T08:23:42Z

A Uk company has come out and admitted that its exploration of natural shale gas in the region could be the cause of the earthquakes, this follows seismic tremors in North West England.

A press release from Cuadrilla Resources, who were responsible for exploration in the region, reported that:

"The hydraulic fracturing of Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall-1 well did trigger a number of minor seismic events."

"The seismic events were due to an unusual combination of geology at the well site coupled with the pressure exerted by water injection as part of operations."

The company did add that the chances of such an occurrence happening again would be slim. It predicted that a worse case scenario would result in an earthquake measuring no more than 3.0 on the Richter Scale.

To read the full article click here:
http://www.businessinsider.com/fracking-earthquakes-uk-2011-11#ixzz1dCAQOvaO

Horticulture and Grounds Contract Manager at your service

2011-11-11T08:07:32Z

Peter Mountford, an experienced Horticultural Services Manager and Development Officer from the UK, has just moved to Cape Town from London and is looking for employment in South Africa.

Peter worked as a Horticultural Services Manager and Development Officer for Wandsworth Council and The Royal Parks. He has vast experience and is used to managing vary large contracts covering 300+ sites, dealing with stakeholders, budgets, procurement, staff and health & safety.

Should you be able to assist Peter in finding a relevant job please click here for his C.V and contact details.

All roads lead to Ethekwini

2011-10-12T09:51:52Z

With only a few weeks to go until the IERM Convention, the question is have you registered yet?

The Convention is set to take place from 25 to 27 October 2011 at the Durban Exhibition Centre. It is the premier event on the greening, sport, recreation and cemetery management networking calendar. The 2011 Convention is aimed at attracting local authority decision-makers to develop and create innovative, measurable and sustainable solutions relevant to the industry. The Convention will feature presentations such as:

Educating our university graduates in environment literacy: Circulating a signature module that will ensure that sustainable development practices are integrating into the planning of our cities: By Prof Jimmy Henricks,UNISA
The economic value of public open spaces: By Desiree Galant, City of Cape Town
Cemeteries: Why it’s necessary to think out of the box – Discussion: By Andre van den Berg, Drakenstein Municipality
Sustainable Energy: By Jayson Kelly, Xyst Lt
Planning for sea level rise: By Christo Swart, Ethekwini Municipality

There will be two streams to choose from: Parks and Recreation category and cemeteries category.

We are also pleased to announce that the inauguration of the Incoming President (Patrick Meyer) will be held at the Convention.

If you haven’t registered yet then I suggest you do by clicking here.
Once you’ve registered you can click here for the draft programme

Accommodation
Click here for the list of accommodation in and around Durban Exhibition Centre

Exhibition
There will once again be exhibition space available at the IERM Convention 2011. Are you Exhibiting at the Convention this year?

Click here for the Exhibition registration form

IERM Exco in process of the professionalisation of the horticulture and other related industries

2011-10-12T09:37:46Z

The South African Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession has, in terms of Section 13 of the Landscape Architectural Professions Act, 2000 (Nr. 45 of 2000) (referred to as the Act hereafter) the mandate to accredit institutions that offer programs and courses related to the landscape architectural profession. Due to changes in the industry, SACLAP under instruction from the National Minister of Labor is currently in the process of reviewing its mandate and exploring the possibility of widening the sphere of professional accreditation to include the areas of horticulture and environmental management. As part of this review process SACLAP has been in ongoing engagement with the IERM as a representative body of the horticulture profession within local government.

After attending SACLAP’s Accreditation and Registration Workshop in Cape Town on 28 September 2010, feedback was given to the Executive Committee meeting of IERM on 11 October 2010. The Executive Committee decided that this issue needs to be discussed nationally with feedback at the next Executive Committee meeting. A telecon was set up on 11 February 2011 with Proff J Hendrick (Unisa), Mr M Hazell (Eastern Cape Branch), Mr M Sethaelo (Guateng Branch), Mrs B. Williams (Western Cape Branch) and Mr J. Swart (National Coordinator Education and Training). During these discussions the following concerns were raised:

Lead time for getting accreditation
RPL
How does IERM ensure acknowledgement of the role that they have previously, currently and in future will play in the industry?
Past qualifications
Including Foresters, Park and Recreation Management and other similar qualifications.
The inclusivity and transparency of SACLAP panels, Education Committee, RPL Committee etc.
Representation and transformation
Registration process to acknowledge:
- Current qualifications
- RPL
- Procedures (Tasks etc.)
- Work identification
- No ceiling so that nobody is excluded

SMMEs and smaller local authorities: Are they going to be able to appoint officials not complying to do work as determined in the act on a smaller scale?

At the Executive Committee meeting on 16 February 2011 these concerns were tabled and discussed where after it was decided to:

Request inclusion of cemeteries and recreation into professionalization efforts.
Continue discussions with SACLAP on professionalization as proposed.
Request a change of name for SACLAP to reflect its new scope.
Request a workshop between IERM and SACLAP Councils.
Forward a copy of the education and training committee concerns to SACLAP.

On 11 April 2011 IERM and SACLAP had a meeting to address the concerns as expressed by IERM. Although most of the concerns were addressed at this meeting, the change in name from SACLAP to a more inclusive name was not well received by the SACLAP President. Because of this the IERM members had an informal discussion after the meeting and the option of other possible avenues where mentioned. These options are to either link up with the Department of Environment and Tourism (DEAT) or with the newly formed Environmental Management Inspectorate as oppose to SACLAP who operates as one of the seven built environment professions of the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) which falls under the Department of Public Works.

However, after all other possible avenues where investigated, the one with SACLAP seems to be the one with the best potential in terms of timing and options.

At the last IERM Exco meeting in Grahamstown on 31 August 2011 it was decided to mandate Messrs J Swart (IERM National Coordinator for Education and Training), Prof J Hendrick (UNISA) and Mr A Buff (Gauteng Branch) to represent the IERM on a SACLAP task team to structure professionalisation into the SACLAP Act and processes. The indication is that a meeting between IERM and SACLAP will take place in the first two weeks of November 2011.

Should any member wish to make any comments, suggestions or give input into this process please contact Johan Swart at JurieJohannes.Swart@capetown.gov.za

Johannesburg City Parks scoops two more prestigious awards!

2011-10-12T09:26:01Z

Johannesburg City Parks was recently presented with the coveted National Excellence Awards hosted by the Agricultural Sector Education & Training Authority (AgriSETA). This award comes on the heels of being named as the winner of the prestigious Green-Collar Training Award at the “BhpBilliton Achiever Awards 2011 “for setting the standard in skills development”.

The AgriSETA Awards were announced at a gala dinner on Wednesday, 14 September 2011 and Johannesburg City Parks was commended for its outstanding performance in the “Project employed 50% & more learners Category.” This was based on unemployed youth who were trained in 2009/2010 in Ornamental Horticulture, NQF Level 1 and absorbed by the company. The Learning & Development Division of Human Resources Department at City Parks submitted the project which competed with all AgriSeta levy payers nationally and won the Gold Award plus a Twenty Thousand Rand (R20.000.00) cash incentive.

The BHP Billiton Achiever Awards 2011 was awarded to Johannesburg City Parks for its entry in the Environmental Education category for the “Green-Collar Training Award.”. This programme successfully provided skills development and employment to 105 unemployed youth.

"The project is aimed at creating decent, permanent employment in a sector that is labour intensive, and we are hopeful that this is the beginning of a programme that will be rolled out on a larger scale with support from business," said Johannesburg City Parks' Acting Managing Director, Geoffrey Cooke.

The 105 candidates were identified from the City of Johannesburg's Job Pathways database for the unemployed. The database was largely accessed by municipal-owned entities and contractors that undertook infrastructure development projects on behalf of the City through the Expanded Public Works Programme. The other categories included community-based training, for river clean-ups in partnership with City Parks where communities are encouraged to take ownership of their natural surroundings. The tree planting category was awarded in line with the 200 000 tree planting campaign in the build-up to hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

“Johannesburg City Parks is elated that we have been recognised by these prominent institutions and commits to strive towards service excellence while simultaneously supporting economic activity, prioritising environmental education and building sustainable environments in the City of Johannesburg,” added Cooke.

Councillor Chris Vondo, MMC : Community Development who
oversees Johannesburg City and Ms Flora Mokgohloa,
Executive Director: Environmental Management in the CoJ

Issued by Geoffrey Cooke
Managing Director (Acting) for Johannesburg City Parks

Media Enquiries
Noeleen Mattera
Media Liaison Officer
Johannesburg City Parks
T: 079 994 6345 or email nmattera@jhbcityparks.com
W: www.jhbcityparks.com

The origins and history of ‘The Company’s Garden’, Cape Town

2011-10-12T08:52:31Z

Early History
The origins of The Dutch East India Company’s Garden in Cape Town are set against the dramatic background of ‘The Voyages of Discovery’ in the late 15th century. The sole purpose of these voyages of exploration was the search for a sea-route around Africa to access the fabulous wealth to be gained from the Spice Trade. Thus it was plants such as pepper, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg that played a fundamental role in the connection of Western Europe, Asia and Africa, with all the subsequent far-reaching consequences for these continents.

With the discovery of the ‘trade-winds’ that allowed ships to sail from ‘The Cape of Good Hope’ directly across the Indian Ocean to Asia came also the associated problem of provisioning ships for this arduous voyage. It was the ‘Company’s Garden’ at the half-way point on the sea route from Europe to the Spice Islands which sustained the spice trade with fresh water from Table Mountain and, through it’s production of fruit and vegetables, prevented the ravages of scurvy, thereby enabling sailing ships to embark on this voyage across the Indian Ocean.

When the crew of a Dutch ship, the ‘Haarlem’ were shipwrecked in 1647 on the shores of Table Bay they sowed vegetable seeds near a stream of fresh water beneath Table Mountain in order to survive. They were rescued some six months later by a fleet of Dutch ships returning to Holland and which carried aboard a young VOC ( Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie ) merchant returning home in disgrace after being accused of private trading – his name was Jan Van Riebeeck.

Back in Holland, the ship-wrecked sailor’s reports of the fertility of the land and abundant water convinced the VOC to establish a permanent supply station at the Cape of Good Hope. This decision was also influenced by the fear that at any time the British might annex the Cape. In order to rehabilitate his good name, Jan van Riebeeck volunteered to lead this expedition and so it was that in April 1652 he and 5 ships arrived in Table Bay at Cape Town.

The Start of the Garden
From Jan van Riebeeck’s diary we learn that master gardener Hendrik Boom prepared the first ground in the garden for sowing seed on the 29th April 1652. This makes the garden 358 years old and a Pyrus communis tree ( Saffraan Pear ) planted around this time still exists in the garden to this day and is thus the oldest cultivated tree in South Africa.
The size of the garden slowly increased until, some ten years later, it had grown to 18 ha. Apart from a vegetable and fruit garden, Boom also laid out a herb and medicinal garden. Once these were established, various ornamental plants were also introduced, amongst which were Oak trees and Roses, the first of these Roses were reported to have bloomed on 1st November 1659.

“ The story of the Garden does not end with vegetables and fruits. Man does not live by food alone, and the utilitarian motive leads on to the aesthetic and civilized, so that as time passed The Company’s Garden became a place of beauty and pleasantness….and of special enchantment for the ocean-weary travellers setting foot in an otherwise strange and perhaps alarming land. And then came the further stage in development, when the Garden became botanical and appealed to the mind as well as the senses..” *

Food Garden to Botanical Garden
From 1679, Simon van der Stel, Governor of the Cape, and his master gardeners, Hendrik Bernard Oldenland and Jan Hartog, transformed the original fruit and vegetable garden into a world famous botanical garden with indigenous and exotic plants, shrubs and trees. They built an elaborate system of canals fed by mountain water, and many ornamental species were introduced.
Johan Andries Auge, who became Superintendent of the Garden in 1751, planted many indigenous species gathered on expeditions throughout the Cape. A Streletzia nicolai ( Wild banana ) which is thought to have been planted by Auge still grows in the Company’s Garden today.
By the mid eighteenth century, the Garden had become famous, firstly for its beauty and delight; and secondly for the propagation and export of African plants. This had proceeded under the direction of master gardener J. A. Auge, under whose auspices bulbs and plants were exported to an increasingly lucrative European market. The arrival of Pelargoniums or Geraniums (and their hybrids) and other Cape plants in Europe, date from about this period.

The British occupied the Cape in 1795 to forestall any French interest in the strategic sea route to India and elsewhere. It was during this period that Governor Yonge tried to turn the Garden into his private domain, but there was such on outcry that the traditions of public access to the Garden remain to this day.

Municipal Public Garden
In 1848 the Company’s Garden became ‘The Botanical Garden’ which had general public access and at that time began to take on many of the landscape features which remain until the present, chiefly the sinuous curving pathways indicative of the English naturalistic landscape style which overlaid the Dutch formal grid-layout.

In 1892 it became the responsibility of the Municipal Authority of Cape Town and by 1913 the National Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch were founded on an estate bequeathed by Cecil Rhodes and the Company’s Garden became a public recreation garden.

Layout and Design
This layered landscape has become one of the unique features of The Company’s Garden today. It is a garden in which the formal ‘Dutch Baroque’ landscape style of the early 18th century was overlaid by the informal, ‘Victorian Romantic’ or ‘Picturesque’ landscape style influenced by the late 18th century English landscape designers, namely, Capability Brown, William Kent and Humphrey Repton.

Typical of the Dutch landscape style were formal walkways lined with avenues of Oak trees and clipped hedges which were crossed at right angles by smaller paths. Two such examples still exist : Government Avenue, which is the traditional public promenade through the garden precinct, as well as the main axial walkway through the ‘old garden’ itself. These long straight walkways lead the eye to distant vistas – which may be prominent buildings or natural views. Government Avenue, for example leads the eye to views of Table Mountain and makes it part of a ‘borrowed landscape’. The Dutch Baroque landscape style also included rectangular plant-beds grouped into fours with corners cut away at central focal points. Parterre gardens were prominent and today these still exist at the old Governor’s residence, Tuynhuis, which has become the modern President’s Cape Town residence. This is situated about halfway along Government Avenue, and itself forms a vista from the garden. These elements were typical of the Baroque-era garden style and the Company’s Garden reflected this influence with the combination of the ordered style of the Dutch Kitchen Garden and the “ flamboyant expression of grandeur and power of the officials of the Dutch East India Company “ * who were largely inspired by contemporary landscape influences in Europe at the time, the epitome of which was the Palace Garden at Versailles.

This era of landscape design that emphasised man’s control over wild nature and it’s transformation to his will gave way to the English Picturesque style, which sought to emulate nature in it’s natural beauty and was influenced by the landscape painters of the time who portrayed idyllic landscapes. Victorian landscape design was characterised by this new romanticism that featured curved lines, flowing contours and idealised natural plantings.

The transition between these two landscape styles is captured by The Company’s Garden in which the two landscape design periods are interwoven and layered on top of one another. Axis pathways are linked by a curving ‘sinuous’ pathway that encircles the garden and links the many outdoor rooms within this matrix. The Company’s Garden is unique in this blend of styles and has been conserved as an unbroken link with the past history of The Cape of Good Hope and is a tangible reminder of Cape Town’s heritage which residents and tourists enjoy to this day.

Written by Rory Phelan
Manager of The Company’s Garden

An alternative watering method for trees

2011-10-12T08:49:03Z

In water scares country like South Africa every drop of water counts. This alternative manual way of watering trees was observed in Melbourne Australia (see picture).

This method has been implemented by the City of Cape Town City Parks Department in the Strand Service Area for the past two (2) years. The management team there reporting that they have achieved more success with this method than the conventional hand watering method.

How is it done - with this system two drainage pipes is placed in the hole when the tree gets planted (preferably with the end openings just next to the tree root ball). After planting there will be no dam or tree basin made for watering and the area around the tree gets mulched. When the tree is watered both the two pipes gets filled to the brim from where the water drain into the root area by gravity feed.

I am finding this system very simple and more effective than the traditional method. An advantage of this system is that the roots gets “trained” to search for there water on a deeper level which is not the case with traditional surface watering

Article and photograph done by: Francois Loubser

Preparations for COP17 on track

2011-10-12T08:47:18Z

With less than 50 days to the kick-off of the 17th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17), South Africa is well on track with its preparations for the conference.

Speaking at the 50-day countdown to COP17 and 7th meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP7) in Soshanguve on Saturday, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said logistical arrangements for the conference were progressing well.

South Africa was "on top" of aspects such as accommodation and venue preparation, security, protocol support and transport.

The minister called on all South Africans to ready themselves to receive COP17 visitors in the "Ubuntu style" shown during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Durban, where the conference will take place between 28 November and 9 December, is expected to play host to about 20 000 delegates from 194 countries.

Explaining the significance of the conference, Nkoana-Mashabane said countries will talk to each other and negotiate with the aim to agreeing on measures to address the challenges of climate change.

"We all feel the impacts of climate change in the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, coastal erosion and flooding as a result of rising sea levels, increase of the occurrence of certain diseases, loss of biodiversity and economic impacts, and an increase in the number of environmental refugees.

"Climate change has therefore become, without any doubt, the most pressing sustainable development issue of our times," she said.

Finding consensus among the diverse group of the 194 member states of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) would be no simple task, the minister acknowledged.

"The Conference in Durban will not be an easy meeting. However, it will be in Durban where parties will be held accountable to the global citizenry - ordinary people that suffer daily from the impacts of climate change and who have high expectations from their leaders to show leadership by being responsible, but also bold enough to find effective solutions to the threat that climate change presents to their livelihood, quality of life, dignity, and in many cases, their very existence on Earth," she said.

COP17 will be an ideal opportunity to shape the future global response to climate change, the minister added.

"As the incoming COP17/CMP7 President, we have appealed to Parties arrive at COP17/CMP7 with the willingness to compromise and yield from their current positions..." Nkoana-Mashabane said.

"There is a resurging sense that agreement and progress in Durban are possible if Parties are willing to shoulder their responsibilities and properly fulfil their leadership roles," she added.

The minister said during her recent visit to Panama - where a session of the UNFCCC in preparation for Durban took place - it was evident there that there was urgency among negotiators and groups to finalise text to serve as a basis for negotiations in Durban.

This, she added, gave her renewed hope that an acceptable and credible outcome could be reached in Durban.

"It is therefore our duty as incoming President of the Conference to spare no effort to make sure that Parties to the Convention find common ground and that they are able to agree on a fair, transparent and credible outcome we all want," Nkoana-Mashabane said.

BuaNews

World Water Monitoring Day

2011-09-12T13:27:23Z

Don't forget that the 18th of September is World Water Monitoring Day. For those who don't know World Water Monitoring Day™ is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies.

So what are you going to do this World Water Monitoring Day?