The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, will officially open the 9th People and Parks Conference on 31 March 2022.
The Conference is hosted by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
The People and Parks Conference is a biennial event which focuses on the interface between communities and conservation. Due to the various levels of national alert lockdowns to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the last conference was held in 2018 in Limpopo.
The 9th People and Parks conference will be held from in Gauteng from 31 March 2022 to 2 April 2022 under the theme Banking on Conservation Areas for rural development and economic recovery.
The conference will draw attention to how communities can play a greater role not only in protected areas in South Africa, but also in a growing wildlife economy – one of three pillars of the Biodiversity Economy.
This year the conference aims to provide space for informed policy dialogue among stakeholders on policy options to enhance community benefits, participation, governance, strengthen access to land by all land users, including women and youth.
It will also provide an opportunity for advocacy and resource mobilization in support of national and provincial initiatives geared towards the enhanced implementation of the People and Parks programme i in South Africa and unlock complicated land claims within conservation space.
In line with the country’s post-Covid recovery plan and the negative impact the pandemic has had on rural and local communities, the Conference will look to mainstream conservation areas for rural development and economic recovery, particularly in the tourism sector.
Media are invited to attend the Conference over the three-day period. The opening ceremony is also open to the media.
Details are as follows:
Opening Ceremony: 31 March 2022
Venue: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Time: 09:00 to 12:00
A virtual link will be distributed to media unable to attend the conference in person.
Source: Government of South Africa