A campaign to clean nature reserves in the Free State is underway. This is a joint effort by different spheres of government and is in support of the People and Parks Wetlands Month 2023.
The Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Destea) and the South African National Parks (Sanparks), together with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (Deff), have been aiming to rally support among rural communities to make this three-day clean-up and awareness campaign a success.
The campaign started on Monday (30/01), targeting tourism venues that include the Gariep Dam Nature Reserve, the Tussen Die Riviere Nature Reserve near Bethulie and the Seekoeivlei Nature Reserve near Memel.
It coincides with World Wetlands Day on Thursday (02/02), encouraging communities to protect the biodiversity of these habitats.
It also promotes the importance of wetland ecosystems as host to animal and plant life; as well as the critical importance for the survival of humans – from the mitigation of climate change, to the protection of human settlements from floods.
The People and Parks Programme (P&PP) initiative aims at facilitating the active participation of rural communities, supporting resolutions of land claims in Protected Areas (PAs), strengthening governance participation, and implementing a capacity-building awareness-raising strategy.
In South Africa, the cleaning campaign arose from the problem of plastic pollution and the improper disposal of garbage by citizens, as well as the lack of recycling.
The forming of illegal dumping sites is a common occurrence in most South African communities, and in many cases waste is disposed of without regard for what the sewerage or garbage disposal system can accommodate.
Adding to these woes, the inability of municipalities to manage waste, which includes raw sewage spillages, has seen selected beaches close throughout the country.
