30 June, 2006

International Conference on "Ecosystem Changes and Implications on Livelihoods of Rural communities in Africa" ...

The Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar Es Salaam will be hosting an International Conference on "Ecosystem Changes and Implications on Livelihoods of Rural communities in Africa". The aim of this conference is to collate sets of information generated through a number of research undertaking for the purpose of sharing such information and experiences, establishing the current state of the art and drawing policy issues related to land use/land cover changes.

Bronchure that provides detailed information about the conference available from "Prof. Pius Z Yanda"

We are currently in the process of prepating registration forms. Both bronchure and registration will soon be on the University of Dar Es Salaam Website. Please submit
abstracts.

New Pacific Institute study on Desalination ...

New Pacific Institute study on Desalination: Released Today

The Pacific Institute is proud to announce the release of our new comprehensive assessment of ocean desalination: "Desalination: With a Grain of Salt" (by H. Cooley, P. Gleick, and G. Wolff) The report, which includes a California review of the 21 plants proposed along the west coast, identifies the risks and benefits of desalination and addresses questions of cost, reliability, environmental impacts, coastal development, and water quality. The potential benefits of ocean desalination are great, but the economic, cultural, and environmental costs of wide commercialization remain high.

The report was funded by the California Coastal and Marine Initiative (CCMI) program of the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Additional support was provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Flora Family Foundation.

The full report, appendices, and press materials are available for free in electronic form at:
http://www.pacinst.org/reports/desalination/index.htm .

Hard copies can be ordered from the Pacific Institute and will be ready
for mailing in a few weeks.

Contact:

Dr. Peter H. Gleick
MacArthur Fellow
President
Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security
654 13th Street
Oakland, California 94612
510 251-1600 phone
510 251-2203 fax

www.worldwater.org (World Water site)
www.pacinst.org (Pacific Institute site)

29 June, 2006

Environmental and Cultural research grants ...

Environmental and Cultural research grants
The Baartman/Biko Environmental Initiative at Forest Hall
Plettenberg Bay

The Baartman/Biko Environmental Initiative's privately funded first Project is a holistic African environmental venture of biome research, evaluation, and active forest restoration of colonially transformed land for the establishment of genetic corridors of indigenous biodiversity supporting the adjacent Tsitsikamma National Park. The project seeks to integrate African historical, social and scientific perspective within the processes of multi-disciplinary environmental studies.

The Baartman/Biko Environmental Initiative is headquartered within the Sara Baartman Private Nature Reserve at Forest Hall, a colonial manor house constructed in 1864 from Outeniqua Yellowwood and unbaked clay brick located on 179 hectares bordering the Tsitsikamma National Park.

Research Grants & Stipends

The Baartman/Biko Environmental Initiative has obtained private funding covering grants, stipends, accommodation and board for research at undergraduate, graduate and Post Graduate levels. Grants of between R5,000 and R25,000 plus accommodation and board are available to researchers for approved projects in the physical Environmental sciences as well as a broad range of multidisciplinary fields contributing to the context of the Environmental sciences including; pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial African history, the History of Science, and Archaeology covering early, middle and late stone age.

The initiative is seeking researchers interested in the indigenous African physical and social environment with special emphasis on:

1) Furthering the understanding of human genetic evolution in the Southern and Western Cape Province during African Middle Stone-Age period between 80,000 and 60,000 years ago.

2) Developing and improving techniques in the working of and dating of African Middle Stone-Age sites within the Western Cape Province

3) Furthering the cross disciplinary understanding of technology, social and language development during the African Middle Stone-Age period.

4) Furthering the understanding of the role of indigenous forests in Khoekhoen and San cultures prior to colonial presence and transformation.

5) Furthering the understanding of the impact of colonial economic activity including slavery on the African social and physical environment.

6) Furthering knowledge of the role of alien vegetation in water availability in the Western Cape Province.

7) The role of the Environment in breaking down the legacy of spatial Apartheid in the Western Cape Province.

8) Knowledge and understanding of the processes and patterns of current (and historic) bio-geophysical features on a ground truthed and spatially explicit basis.

9) Studies relating to the understanding of and implementation of local restoration ecology (inclusive of marine, wetland, Afro-temperate Forests, Thicket and fynbos habitats)

10) Developing sustainable conservation economies within the range of local ecological services (including the marine and terrestrial environments)

11) Continued experimentation and implementation of horticultural propagation techniques and rapid-re-aforestation.

12) Development of "curator-ship" and management techniques within a living-museum milieu and "sense-of-people-and-place" context.

13) Furthering the understanding of the growing and utilisation of medicinal plants

All Grant applicants wishing to be considered for the September 15th Grant of Awards must submit via e-mail to Dr. Bool Smuts, Senior Grant Adjudicator, c/o foresthall@cyberperk.co.za the following information before the 15th of August 06:

1) Name and contact details (email required)

2) Description of Research to be undertaken

3) Detailed CV

4) Recommendation of Advisor from affiliated institution or school for research as submitted.

Forest Hall Facilities

The Forest Hall Manor House, grounds, nursery and various out buildings provide logistical support for the Baartman-Biko Environmental Initiative within the Sara Baartman Private Nature Reserve which is located at (33°59'22.06"S-23°29'34.80"E).

Researcher Accommodation

Forest Hall can accommodate and board up to eight researchers at a time.

Science Lab & Digital Research Centre

Onsite facilities include a basic scientific Laboratory and a digital research centre running state of the art Wintel and Mac platforms[1]. Centre wide wireless LAN and wireless 212k internet connectivity.

Digital production facilities include Video Post-production, Music Production, Web Production, Multimedia Graphic and Stills publishing and book publishing[2].

The laboratory consists of reference works (basic library), GIS, GPS, stereoscopic microscope and basic experimental & analysis equipment and elements. Researchers may be required to bring highly sophisticated or specialized equipment for the duration of their tenure.

Nursery

A functional and experimental nursery has been established at forest hall. The current focus is on the development of adequate stock to support the full range of forest elements needed for effective rehabilitation and restoration practices. Records and data are kept of all experiments and propagation activities and monitoring occurs on a daily basis by trained field staff.

Seed Collection & Propagation
The Centre is licensed to collect and propagate different species of indigenous forbs, trees and shrubs. This licensing will be expanded as needed. Seeds are also obtained from private individuals and institutions like the Kirstenbosch seed services. A re-aforestation and indigenous medicinal plant seed bank is in the process of being developed.

Permanent Institutional Research Participation

Accredited Educational or Research institutions with interest in African Environmental issues may apply to acquire a unit of land within the Sara Baartman Private Nature Reserve for its own or joint research purposes as well as the construction of lodging facilities for students, faculty and researchers. There are currently 6 institutional units[3] available within the Reserve ranging in size from 5 ha (11 acres) to 10 ha (22 acres). The Reserve is adjacent to the Tsitsikamma National Park and all units feature unique indigenous Afro-montane forest remnants with areas historically transformed by colonial economic activity. All units share the Reserves central access to over 100 kilometres of SANParks managed Indian Ocean coastline situated between Plettenberg Bay and Storms River. Two of the Reserve's 10 ha units are on the coast itself and would be highly suitable for institutions interested in the inter-coastal zone or littoral coastal forest/scrub forest. The Baartman-Biko Reserve is nearby several archaeological sites of historical interest including sea side Caves utilized by humans over the past 11,000 years.

This opportunity enables institutions from around the world to establish an African field research facility in an area uniquely suited to the multi-disciplinary study of the African Environmental habitat including, transformed environments, indigenous forest, fynbos, inter coastal zone and human evolution.

For additional information regarding institutional site acquisition inquiry's may be directed to foresthall@cyberperk.co.za :

For any further details regarding the current re-aforestation and other research projects within the Sara Baartman Private Nature Reserve at Forest Hall please contact:
Albert Ackhurst
Albert Arthur Ackhurst
Sara Baartman Private Nature Reserve
Mobille: +27 83 733 2271
Landline: 044 534 8938
e-mail: bertweed@wol.co.za

Workshop on Evaporation 21 July 2006 ...

You are kindly invited to attend a workshop with the focus on
Evaporation. During the workshop important concepts around
evaporation
and methods for its estimation, will be discussed.

DATE: Friday 21 July 2006
TIME: 08:00 to 17:00
PLACE: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg
COST: R500 per person
Presenter: Prof. M.J. Savage

Please register with Mrs Bernie Hoosen hoosenb@ukzn.ac.za asap. A
registration form can be downloaded here.

For any other enquiries please contact Caren Jarmain at
cjarmain@csir.co.za or 021-888-2606.

Please forward this invitation to anyone you think might be interested
in attending.

First SKEP e-news and new web site ...

See www.skep.org and the SKEP e-newsletter

Fundamentals of Environmental Finance ...

Fundamentals of Environmental Finance
“Doing well by doing good”

26 - 29 September and 2 October 2006
University of Stellenbosch Business School
Bellville Park Campus, Bellville

Lecturers:
Emily Tyler, SouthSouthNorth: South Africa Office
Jonathon Hanks, Incite Sustainability
Randall Spalding-Fecher, ECON Analysis

Contact Lecturer:
Jako Volschenk (Convenor of course)
University of Stellenbosch Business School
Tel: 021 918 4234; Email: jakov@sun.ac.za

Moderator:
Prof Wim Gevers
University of Stellenbosch Business School

Introduction:
“There's no doubt about the science. [...] The debate is over. [...] We see the threat posed by changes in
our climate. And we know the time for action is now.”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, The Independent, 3 July 2005

Environmental finance refers to a wide range of issues. It incorporates aspects of risk management, corporate finance, investment analysis, climate mitigation and pollution costs, as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency practices. A number of issues have brought environmental finance to prominence during the last 20 years, of which the energy crises and global warming are the most prominent.

There has also been a rising realisation that human beings have a responsibility towards other living organisms on earth, as well as to fellow human beings and future generations. This awareness has prompted the emergence of various global indices and agreements to encourage economic support to environmentally and socially responsible
investments.

This course aims to empower professionals to incorporate the impact of environmental finance into their decisionmaking. The course will be most relevant to professionals at managerial or technical level in the electricity, oil, mining, investment, agricultural, insurance, environmental and public sectors.

Course Delivery:
The course will be delivered through introductory lectures, case studies and open plenary discussions. Please note that this is an introductory course in environmental finance and time does not permit extreme depth in all the topics discussed. Students will be encouraged to discuss further details with lecturers and speakers during breaks or after class.

West Coast Integrated Environmental Programme ...

Please note that the Final version of the West Coast Integrated Environmental Programme is now available from Fabio Venturi at Fventuri@pgwc.gov.za

This document is exceptionally useful and helps to consolidate and focus efforts in this field as well as outline legal responsibilities. It is a synthesis of inputs from a wide range of stakeholders and is required by the IDP in order to satisfy various environmental requirements.

This is a starting point and a qauntum leap for Municipalities as this is the first in the Western Cape and one of the first in the country. It is a dynamic document and requires constant feedback to make it work. Mr. Tolmay was presented with this document and was very positive about the impact this will make and is fully supportive of it's implementation.

A Botanical Latin Course ...

A Botanical Latin Course in Cape Town will take place from 11--13
October 2006 at SANBI's KRC in Kirstenbosch.

Documentation and registration form available from Dr Marinda Koekemoer - see contact details below. Last day for registration is 30 August 2006. Please register directly with Prof Jacobs. (Details in the documentation from Dr Koekemoer.)

Please distribute this message to a wider network of interested
parties.

Dr Marinda Koekemoer
Deputy Director Pretoria National Herbarium (PRE)
South African National Biodiversity Institute
Private Bag X101
Pretoria
0001
Tel: 012-843-5000 (switchboard)
Tel: 012-843-5037 (direct)
Fax: 012-804-3211
E-mail: koekemoer@sanbi.org
www.sanbi.org

22 June, 2006

Inaugural lecture - Prof Bruce Hewitson - Climate change: Myth and mystery, truth and travesty ...

University of Cape Town

Inaugural Lecture Series

You are invited to the inaugural lecture of

Professor Bruce Hewitson
Environmental & Geographical Sciences
Faculty of Science
on
Climate change: Myth and mystery, truth and travesty

Wednesday 5 July 2006 at 20h15
Lecture Theatre 1, Kramer Building,
Stanley Road, Middle Campus, UCT

Admission: Free

Please RSVP for catering purposes to:
Centre for Extra-Mural Studies
Tel: 021-650 2888 — Fax:021-650 2893
Email: ems@ched.uct.ac.za

21 June, 2006

Energy and Climate Change Short Course ...

The Energy Research Centre at the University of Cape Town will be hosting an Energy and Climate Change Short Course from 28 August – 1 September 2006. The details and application form from Debbie Sparks

Please could forward this to any colleagues you think me be interested
in attending.

Contact: Dr Debbie Sparks
Energy Research Centre
University of Cape Town
Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 650 2420 Fax: +27 21 650 2830
Email: debbie@erc.uct.ac.za

SAPI - Presentation on new EIA Regs ...

SAPI Western Cape is hosting an event to provide more clarity on the new EIA regulations
A small entry fee will be payable at the door for non-SAPI members, to cover costs of catering.

Date: Thursday 22 June 2006
Place: River Club (Observatory)
Time: 17:00

Contact: Philip Grobler
Provincial Integrated Development Planning Co-ordinator
Department of Local Government & Housing
Provincial Government: Western Cape
Private Bag X 9083
CAPE TOWN
8000

Physical address: 27 Wale Street, Cape Town
Tel: + 27 (0)21-4834326
Fax: + 27 (0)21-4835015
e-mail: pgrobler@pgwc.gov.za

Short course: Intro to Integrated Env Water Mgmt ...

Short course: Introduction to Integrated Environmental Water Management
17–28 July 2006, Roodeplaat Dam Training Centre, Pretoria

The FET-Water initiative will be presenting a two-week short course on the background and context of Integrated Environmental Water Management (IEWM).

The material to be presented constitutes Module 1 of a multi-institutional coursework Masters degree in Integrated Environmental Water Management, to be offered from 2007.

The following topics will be covered in this module:

1) Balancing the use and protection of water – broad overview of the philosophy and contextualisation of Environmental Water Requirements (EWRs) within the framework of integrated water resource management. This component provides an introduction to the overall functioning and integrated nature of inland and estuarine aquatic ecosystems.

2) Legal and regulatory framework – overview of the relevant global and national policies and legislation pertaining to the statutory obligation for water resource protection and management, with a focus on the South African situation.

3) Public participation – overview of the role of and statutory obligation for public participation in water resource protection and management, particularly in the South African context.


The short course will be presented by staff from the Institute for Water Research (Rhodes University), private consultants involved in the water sector, and management personnel from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). It will be presented at the Roodeplaat Dam Training Centre (approximately 20km from Pretoria) over ten full days, i.e. 17–21 July and 24–28 July.

A certificate of attendance will be issued to those participants who attend the short course and complete all assignments. A certificate of competence will be awarded to those who attend and successfully complete the assignments and an examination at the end. In addition, a credit towards the degree will be awarded to successful candidates enrolling for the Masters course in 2007.

Who should attend?
Ø DWAF personnel, particularly those in the Resource Directed Measures (RDM) Directorate.
Ø Personnel from other government departments concerned with the sustainable use and protection of water resources.
Ø Scientists and researchers concerned with the sustainable use and protection of water resources in South Africa.
Ø Consultants in the environmental and water sectors.
Ø Members of water management institutions, and of other organisations or associations in the water sector.

Cost
There will be no cost for attending the short course, as it has been subsidised by DWAF. Travel, accommodation and meals (except lunch and teas, which will be provided each day) will, however, have to be personally arranged and paid for by attendees.

Personnel from DWAF attending the short course can claim S&T from the Directorate’s budget, but must provide Roodeplaat Dam Training Centre with the relevant Responsibility and Objective Codes. S&T will NOT be available from the organisers of the course.


Attendance requirements
Anybody who is interested in the material to be presented is welcome to attend the short course. There is, however, a logistical limit to the number of people that can be accepted on this occasion. As such, preference will be given to professionals in the field of water resource management and to potential applicants for the MSc degree in IEWM to be offered in 2007. (Please note that the minimum qualification required for acceptance into the MSc course is a BSc (Hons) degree).


Application details
If you are interested in attending the short course, please fill in and return the attached application form by 7 July 2006. Late applications are unlikely to be processed.

If you are interested in the short course but are unable to attend, please fill the application form in and indicate which dates you would be able to attend and/or which location would be preferable.

The short course will be of particular relevance to prospective students for the Masters course in IEWM to be offered from 2007, as they will obtain a credit for successfully completing this module.

Queries and further information

If you have any queries or would like to obtain additional information about the short course or about the coursework Masters degree in Integrated Environmental Water Management to be offered in 2007, please contact:

Dean Ollis
Freshwater Research Unit
University of Cape Town
Telephone: (021) 650 3638
Fax: (021) 650 3301
E-mail: dollis@botzoo.uct.ac.za

CI training session on international media coverage ...

CI is once again pleased to offer a training/lesson sharing session focusing on The international media & environment coverage and the challenges we face in getting our stories placed. This will be discussed as a give-and-take session with lots of questions and discussion of what works and what doesn't. This training session will be held on the 27th June, at the KRC seminar room, starting at 9am (8:30 for tea) and ending at 11:30

We are please to have as our host for this session, Mr. Tom Cohen, Conservation International's media relations Director who joined CI in February 2005 after 20 years as a professional journalist. Tom is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, with an undergraduate degree in English from Tufts University and a Master's in journalism from the University of Missouri. During graduate school, he worked as an intern for The Associated Press (AP), then joined the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune as city government reporter in 1983. A year later, Tom joined AP as a reporter in St. Louis, and he was promoted to an editing post on the International Desk in New York in 1986. In 1990, Tom was assigned to the AP bureau in Johannesburg, where he spent eight years covering stories throughout sub-Saharan Africa including South Africa's first all-race election and Nelson Mandela's presidency, Mozambique's first democratic election, regional drought, Swaziland's pro-democracy movement, the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko in the former Zaire, a coup attempt in Burundi, and Somalia. He became news editor for southern Africa in 1994.

In 1998, Tom became the AP Central European correspondent based in Warsaw, from where he covered the Kosovo conflict and other regional stories. He was promoted to bureau chief for Canada in 1999 and spent four years writing news stories and features about the country before taking a sabbatical from AP in December 2003 to write and travel. Throughout his AP career, Tom also was assigned to cover major international sports events including the 1990 and 1998 soccer World Cup tournaments, and the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games. When the CI job became available, Tom decided to change from the neutral world of journalism to an advocacy role for protecting the Earth. Tom is married to Lesley Wroughton, a journalist for the Reuters news agency. His hobbies include wilderness canoeing, visiting African game parks, and playing ice hockey.

As you can see, Tom brings to us a wealth of experience as a communicator and I would like to stress that this session is open to anyone who is interested in communicating more effectively about their research, project or programme.

For logistical (and tea&coffee) purposes please confirm your attendance
with me by the 24th June.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Kind regards

Tessa Mildenhall
Communications Manager
Conservation International
S A Hotspots Programme
082 415 2902

19 June, 2006

CFR Environmental Vacancies Blog ...

I receive numerous e-mails advertising environmental vacancies, primarily in the Cape Floristic Region/Western Cape.

I thought it may be useful to post all these on a dedicated blog rather than this Biodiversity and Environmental Sustainability blog, so I have, on a trial basis, created a CFR Environmental vacancies Blog at http://cfkjobs.blogspot.com/

I have included a link to the CFR Environmental Vacancies Blog under 'Links' 'My Sites' on the sidebar.

14 June, 2006

Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve Project Co-ordinator ...

CAPE WEST COAST BIOSPHERE RESERVE
PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR
(24 month employment contract)

The Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve (a section 21 company) wishes to appoint a Project Coordinator responsible for the implementation of the strategic and business plans that have been developed by the company. This project is a partnership between the company and local and provincial authorities and is financed by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.

The ideal candidate is someone who shares the companies’ vision, and has the ability to establish sound project management processes.

The Project Coordinator will:
· Co-ordinate all components of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve (CWCBR).
· Initiate, direct, facilitate and co-ordinate the implementation of projects of the CWCBR
· Provide for the overall technical and financial management of project staff finances, procurement and service providers
· Manage the communication strategy of the CWCBR to facilitate interaction and establish clear communication channels with all stakeholders externally and internally.
· Act as overall representative of the CWCBR and act as secretariat for the project steering committee
· Facilitate social and economic development of local communities through the initiation of projects
· Interact with CAPE task teams across the Fynbos biome
· Identify funding opportunities and secure funding for specific projects
· Develop and manage partnerships, particularly in relation to flagship projects.
· Develop an excellent administration system.

Key qualifications are a relevant degree in Nature or Biodiversity Conservation, Natural Resource or Business Management and at least 3 years of relevant experience in multi-disciplinary project management and grant funding.

Minimum Requirements:
· Relevant post matric qualification
· Knowledge of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve concept and its implementation
· Ability to communicate in at least 2 official languages of the Western Cape Province
· Excellent report-writing skills
· Good interpersonal, communication and negotiating skills
· Ability to function in an integrated cross-cultural environment is essential
· A valid Code B drivers licence
· Good leadership and management skills
· Willingness to travel throughout the Cape Floristic region
· Fully computer literate in MS office and GIS packages

The appointment will be for a 24-month contract period. A competitive remuneration package is offered based on the successful applicant’s qualifications and experience.

This project is financed by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint initiative of Conservation International, the Global Environmental Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.

Applications to: The Project Leader, Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve, P O Box 283, Darling, 7435, or email donne@capebiosphere.co.za before 15 July 2006

Toyota Environmental Grants ...

The FY 2006 Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program provides support to community-based practical projects conducted by NPOs and other private non-profit groups throughout the world under the theme of "Environmental Technology and Human Resource Development Contributing to Environmental Revitalization and Conservation".

The following two grant categories are applied in the FY 2006 Program:
1) General Grants, which has no restrictions, on project implementation site(s) and the limit of the grant amount per project, allowing a project to make greatest achievements with its flexibility, and

2) Small-scale Grants
with maximum grant amount of two million Japanese yen per project, targeting community-based grassroots activities for the protection of local environment (Project implementation sites are limited to Japan only).

A total of about 200 million Japanese yen (approx. 1.8million U.S. dollars) is budgeted for grants in the FY 2006.

Application Period:
From May 30 (Tue) to July 7 (Fri), 2006.
Applications must be received no later than July 7.)

Information on application procedures and further details in the
Program are available here
in English.

Toyota have requested circulation of this information and look forward to receiving entries for the FY 2006 Program.

For any inquiries, please contact Toyota at:
Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program Secretariat
MBE Box 363, 2-3-6 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004 JAPAN
Phone: -3-3272-1925 (9:30-17:30, Mon.-Fri.) Fax: -3-3272-1926
E-mail: toyota-ecogrant@mri.co.jp

New standby capacity for ESKOM ...

Apologies ESKOM but I can't resist this :-)

Many of you may know about ESKOM's recent 'PROBLEMS' at the Koeberg Nuclear Powerstation in Cape Town which have been the source of numerous power outages in Cape Town and surrounds over the past few months.

A colleague has just bought to my attention the new standby power system that ESKOM have arranged for Koeberg. See the photo below:



Did you also hear about the devil and Gatiep.
Apparantly the devil recently became tired of sitting in the saddle between Devil's Peak and Table Mountain smoking with van Hunks so he strolled down the slopes to wander around the streets of Cape Town.
There he met Gatiep.
The devil says to Gatiep, "Hey, do you know who I am?"
Gatiep responds, "Nay, jy's beslis nie van die Flats, gee my 'n hint."
The devil tells Gatiep, "They call me the Prince of Darkness."
"Ja!", says Gatiep, "Nou weet ek. Jy's die 'bigshot' by ESKOM!"

Carbon Credits and Carbon Trading ...

SANBI has invited stakeholders to a seminar on Monday 19 June 2006 in the Kirstenbosch Research Centre seminar room at 13h00.
Tea and biscuits will be available.

Greg Paterson-Jones will talk on Carbon credits and Carbon trading, with a focus on Carbon sequestration and Landuse change, to cater for our research interests.

Greg is from Sterling Waterford Investments - they have developed an investment product in the Carbon Credit market.
www.sterlingwaterford.com for those who want more info.

Please inform others who may be interested.

Ingrid's contact details are below:
Ingrid Nänni
Project and partnership manager
Kirstenbosch Research Centre (Cape Town)
South African National Biodiversity Institute
Private Bag X7
Claremont
7735
Republic of South Africa
Tel: +27 21 799 8652 (direct) 799 8800 (switchboard)
Fax: +27 21 797 6903
nanni@sanbi.org
www.sanbi.org

11 June, 2006

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ...

Great news for the Western Cape is that the IPCC's Working group (WG) II, 4th Lead Author (LA) meeting for the Fourth Assessment Report will be meeting in Cape Town from 11-14 September 2006. This will be an ideal opportunity to showcase the climate change related initiatives that make the Western Cape Provincial (Regional) Government a leader in the field.

The IPCC has three working groups
o Working Group I: The Science of Climate Change
o Working Group II: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability
o Working Group III: Mitigation of climate change
o and a Task Force on Greenhouse Gas Inventories

I have just added a link under Climate Change Links in the sidebar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is an amazing site with comprehensive information about climate change as well as all the IPCC's documents including the 3rd Assessment Report 2001 and a variety of special reports.

09 June, 2006

Workshops for Social Impact Assessment Guidelines ...

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Western Cape, has appointed Tony Barbour to assist in developing Specialist Guidelines for Social Impact Assessments. As part of this process two Half Day Workshops will be held, one in Cape Town and one in George. The Workshops are scheduled to start at 9.00 am (registration at 8.30) and will aim to finish at 13.30.

The aim of the workshops will be to identify key issues that need to be addressed by the SIA Guidelines and the proposed approach for undertaking SIA's. An Executive Summary of the findings of the Literature Review component of the study and a Draft Agenda for the workshops are available from the DEA&DP officials under 'Workshop details' below.

Workshop details:

Cape Town Workshop
Date: Monday 19th June 2006
Venue: 7th floor Tower Block, 4 Dorp Street in Cape Town
Time: 8.30-9.00 am registration
RSVP: Crystal Pedro on 021-4834796 or Chpedro@pgwc.gov.za

George Workshop
Date: Friday 23rd June 2006
Venue: Conference Room at the George Municipality in York Street.
Time: 8.30-9.00 am registration.
RSVP: Terrence Taute on 044-8742160 or Tvtaute@pgwc.gov.za

Please note: Do not reply to Tony Barbour if you wish to attend. Please direct your replies to the contact persons from DEA&DP listed above.

05 June, 2006

Move to Strategic Environmental Management Directorate ...

As of next week I'll be moving (unofficially) to Mark Gordon's Directorate of Strategic Environmental Management. (Out of Dawie Kruger's Directorate of Planning, Biodiversity and Coastal Management).

The new sub-directorate that I will manage still has to undergo a formal Organisational and Development review but will in all likelihood become the sub-directorate of Biodiversity, Climate Change and Energy.

Climate Change and Energy will now become a dominant focus of my function as well as Biodiversity. I'm hoping to have the new sub-directorate comprehensively staffed soon (at last).

There will be other orgainsational changes to follow over the next few months to a year as we are in the throws of yet another departmental realignment (restructuring by another name!) Watch this space (blog)!

03 June, 2006

My absolutely most favourite environmental podcast ...

You just HAVE TO listen to Dori & Val's 'More Hip than Hippie' podcast.
These two gals are reeeely entertaining. They start off each programme with a beer and chocolate tasting! Very light-hearted but packed with useful information for planet-friendly living.

This podcast sure beats listening to 'AM/PM Live' while commuting.

Have you heard about the Tango car and the Beach Solar Laundromat (that won Canada's 2004 best small business for pollution prevention and the best greenhouse gas reduction project in Canada)? Do you know that 2% of air pollution in California comes from petrol lawn mowers?

Get across to 'More Hip than Hippie' from where you can download their latest podcasts and subscribe to their RSS feed.

There is also a link on their site to Podcast Alley where you can learn all about podcasting and RSS feeds. You'll find lots of other enviro podcasts at Podcast Alley.

I have added, and will be adding more links to other science and enviro podcasts that I find informative in the links section of the sidebar of this blog.

Cool electical car ...

Check out these links for what seems to be a real cool small electrical car.
When is it going to arrive here? I'm waiting.
Let's Tango!

http://www.commutercars.com/
http://www.commutercars.com/specifications.html
http://www.spokanecda.com/tango.html
http://picturethis.pnl.gov/picturet.nsf/f/uv?open&AMER-5R9PMR

PS: I'm in the market for a reeeely fuel efficient small commuter. What's available here in SA? Don't tell me about the Toyota Prius(sp?) - waaay too expensive. Leave advice by way of a comment please.

02 June, 2006

New NEMA EIA Regulations Helpline ...

DEA&DP has established a helpline for all queries relating to the new NEMA EIA Regulations.

For any queries or concerns regarding the implementation of the regulations, please contact 021 483 4098 or email: EIAinfo@pgwc.gov.za.

The help line will be active for three months commencing on June 1, 2006.

Provincial workshop on Indigenous Food Crops ...

A provincial workshop on Indigenous Food Crops to be held on 13th of June at the Department of Agriculture Western Cape, Elsenburg. This is a free workshop, with refreshments and lunch included.

To discuss a draft policy.

There are apparently only 40 seats available.
Respond a.s.a.p. to Lynnette Swanepoel at lynnettes@elsenburg.com not
later than Thursday 8 June at close of business.

Further detail and copies of the policy document contact:
Dr. Ilse Trautmann
IlseT@elsenburg.com
Deputy Director: Research
Department of Agriculture Western Cape
Private Bag X1
Elsenburg
7607
Tel. 021-8085016
Fax. 021-8085232

Information seminars on new EIA Regs ...

I have had quite a few enquiries about further information seminars for the districts on the new EIA Regulations.

There was a big 'New EIA Regs' workshop held in CT on Wednesday this week.
The Chief Director Environmental and Land Management (Rudi Ellis, 021 483 3925, rellis@pgwc.gov.za) informs me that the department is in the process of arranging further seminars in the districts.

Watch your local newspapers for announcements and contact Paul Hardcastle 021 483 5687 for details.