Word from the CEO

Yolan Friedmann, CEO

The Endangered Wildlife Trust was well-represented at the inaugural Biodiversity Economy and Investment Indaba, themed: “Collective Action for Thriving Nature and People” in Gauteng from 25 to 27 March 2024.  As the EWT’s CEO, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion under the theme of leveraging biodiversity-based features to scale inclusive ecotourism industry growth in seascapes and in sustainable conservation landuse. Along with fellow panellists from the WWF-SA, WildTrust, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Nature Speaks and Heals, the focus was on what is required to establish mega-living conservation landscapes through voluntary involvement in suitable state, private and community areas.

The crux of the message that I conveyed was that we already have a Biodiversity Economy in South Africa because no economy can exist without food, air, water, energy, soil, plants, animals and all the components of biodiversity that give us life. Our human-constructed financial economy depends entirely on the natural environment and cannot be seen as separate and biodiversity already IS what makes our economy work. Second, I emphasised that humans are a component of biodiversity and also cannot be separated out; we are an integral part of nature, and we need to start talking about humans, biodiversity and our economy in an integrated, interdependent fashion. Third, I emphasised the significance of the responsibility of the current generation which is, to quote Jarred Diamond, the most privileged generation to potentially ever live. The current generation has all the benefits of modern communication, technology, transport, medicine, and cheap food, among others, and whilst the generations to come may benefit more from advancements in these components of life, they will bear the brunt of the disasters of climate change, biodiversity loss, soil erosion, desertification and air pollution, again, among others. We therefore cannot ignore the intergenerational rights enshrined in our constitution which remind us that we are simply the custodians of our environment and are managing it for the generations yet to come. We cannot destroy it all in the pursuit of short-term gains and inequitable financial wealth. For equitable benefit sharing in a sustainably managed environment in which no species go extinct, ecosystems flourish and nature thrives, we need to think creatively about how to invest in nature-positive development options that drive equitable prosperity for all and this should be the crux of the inaugural Biodiversity Economy and Investment Indaba.

After the panel discussions, breakaway sessions were held to unpack options for nature-based job creation, the financing of entrants into the Biodiversity Economy, finding ways to expand investment in the wildlife, biotrade and eco-tourism sectors, as well as the need for skills development and transfer, the acknowledgement and integration of traditional knowledge systems into contemporary conservation practices, and developing a robust strategy to engage and involve communities meaningfully, in policy development and the cocreation of protected areas of the future, to underpin the successful expansion of South Africa’s economy.

The EWT congratulates the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and her Department, for putting on a highly successful Biodiversity Economy and Investment Indaba

Yolan Friedmann,

CEO, Endangered Wildlife Trust