R 010835Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4945
INFO AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 
AMCONSUL DURBAN 
AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 
AMEMBASSY GABORONE

UNCLAS PRETORIA 001426 
 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI, OES/ENV, AND AF/S 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV SOCI SF
SUBJECT: KWAZULU NATAL - THE GREENING OF A PROVINCE 
 
¶1.  Summary.  The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot, a floristic, 
climatic and geologically complex area, runs throughout 
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province.  EST Officer met with KZN Department 
of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA) Environmental 
Services (South Region) Manager Sharon Allan, and with DAEA 
eThekwini District (metropolitan Durban) Office Manager Asia Khan 
for a wide-ranging discussion of environmental activities within KZN 
on March 31, 2008.  Two provincial inspectors recently completed 
Environmental Management Inspector (EMI) training.  DAEA 
concentrates on awareness building, rather than strict enforcement. 
EThekwini District sponsors several capacity and awareness building 
programs, including an innovative indigenous tree promotion program. 
 That program has provided free trees and training to over 8,000 
homes in the southern portion of KZN.  End Summary. 
 
---------------------------- 
KZN - A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2.  Conservation International (CI) has classified the entire east 
coast of South Africa from the southern tip of Mozambique to the 
Eastern Cape Province as the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot. 
CI notes that the region is floristically, climatically and 
geologically complex.  Vegetation in the region includes forests, 
bushveld and grasslands.  Approximately eighty percent of South 
Africa's remaining forests are found here.  According to CI, these 
forests have the highest tree diversity of any temperate forest in 
the world.  There are also succulent stem flora, three types of 
thicket, six types of bushveld and five types of grasslands. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
KZN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICES (DAEA) 
PROVIDE MYRIAD OF SERVICES 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3.  EST Officer met with KZN Department of Agriculture and 
Environmental Affairs (DAEA) Environmental Services (South Region) 
Manager Sharon Allan, and with DAEA representatives from the 
eThekwini District on March 31, 2008.  (Note.  The eThekwini 
Metropolitan District is the Municipality created in 2000 that 
includes the city of Durban and all the surrounding suburbs and 
towns.  It is one of the eleven districts of KZN province and the 
majority of its three million plus residents (2001 census) speak 
Zulu.  End Note.) DAEA provides agricultural, environmental and 
conservation services to promote progressive agricultural land use, 
food security and environmentally sustainable livelihoods.  The 
eThekwini 2002-2006 Integrated Development Plan requires planning, 
developing and managing Durban in an integrated and sustainable way 
that does not exceed the carrying capacity of the natural 
environment. 
 
¶4.  DAEA sponsors programs removing invasive species, and promoting 
biodiversity.  DAEA links its efforts with local government 
entities.  Allan noted that the National Environmental Management 
Act (NEMA) defined activities that require the province to conduct 
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).  The provincial MEC and the 
DEAT minister may identify additional activities requiring an EIA or 
may specify certain geographic regions where specified activities 
may not be undertaken due to environmental sensitivity. 
 
¶5.  Allan noted that the eThekwini district handles approximately 
35% of all KZN EIA assessments.  The office initially lacked 
capacity to conduct all the NEMA-required EIAs.  Two provincial 
inspectors recently completed Environmental Management Inspector 
Qinspectors recently completed Environmental Management Inspector 
(EMI, aka the Green Scorpions) training and an additional two have 
been assigned from DEAT to assist. 
 
¶6.  District Office Manager Asia Khan said her office concentrates 
on environmental education, awareness, capacity building and 
empowerment, rather than strictly enforcement.  One EMI handles 
compliance, monitoring and enforcement; the other deals with waste 
and pollution.  Khan believes that education and the empowerment of 
local communities will bring greater compliance over the long term. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
DAEA SCHOOL PROGRAMS GROWING RAPIDLY THROUGHOUT PROVINCE 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7.  DAEA operates several programs promoting public awareness, 
including eco-school projects, environmental art poster contests for 
local schools, school aquarium building competitions, and workshops 
to build capacity/awareness for teachers.  Fifty schools within 
eThekwini participated in environmental education programs in 2007. 
Eighteen schools achieved "green flag" status in 2007 and sixty-nine 
achieved that status in 2008. (Note.  Green Flag status denotes 
schools that have integrated environment into the curriculum and 
have conducted at least three environmental projects during the 
 
school year.  End Note.) 
 
¶8.  One key DAEA program is "Siyazilimela" (We are growing) which 
has now been incorporated in 50 schools throughout the province. 
This project promotes food farms at local schools; agribusiness and 
marketing experts also provide advice to the schools on both crop 
selection and marketing.  The school with the highest sales figure 
wins a trophy.  Provincial officials visit each school in the 
program at least three times during the year to insure the school 
receives the necessary support and assistance. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
DAEA COMBATS ADVERSE IMPACTS CAUSED BY HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶9.  Khan noted that housing development projects, especially those 
for low-cost homes, "flatten everything" during construction.  Khan 
commented that these projects often include 6,000 houses and have a 
"severe" environmental impact.  She commented that housing 
developments are increasingly being built on land previously used 
for agriculture, which negatively impacts food security within the 
province. 
 
¶10.  DAEA promotes an indigenous tree program, proving one 
indigenous fruit tree per household at a cost of R180 per tree. 
This program also supplies seeds for small food gardens and 
medicinal plant seedlings.  Workshops in both farming and marketing 
are held for all participants.  Khan commented that most 
participants are first-time farmers with no knowledge of gardening 
techniques.  The program also trains interested participants in 
techniques used in medicinal plant nurseries. 
 
¶11.  Khan and Allan said the program is more than mere 
skills-building; it also promotes self-esteem and pride of 
ownership.  The program has been introduced in four areas of KZN; 
over 8,000 homes have received a tree.  The program will expand 
inland towards Pietermaritzburg and up the coast towards Tugela in 
¶2009.  Allan noted that the northern area of KZN uses a different 
methodology because the geography and geology is more complex, 
making both construction and the "greening" of housing projects more 
difficult.  At present, the northern section of the province has two 
active indigenous tree programs involving 1,500 homes. 
 
¶12.  DAEA sponsors a "Quality Living Environment" program working 
with micro-organizations within communities.  Allan said the goal of 
this program is to find ways communities can work together to 
maintain biodiversity, conserve natural resources, restore 
biodiversity that has been destroyed, and encourage sustainable 
development.  DAEA chooses one person for each group of twenty-five 
households and trains that person for three months in biodiversity 
management, environmental practices and community support.  Allan 
noted that the program produces skilled people who can monitor and 
evaluate projects, educate community groups and become private 
contractors.  Allan said the project encourages pride in ownership 
and self-esteem.  Residents learn to make home repairs and achieve 
additional financial independence by tending small garden crops. 
 
¶13.  DAEA provides financing for solar panels for some low-cost 
houses at a cost of R11,000 ($1,375) per home.  Khan notes that the 
solar panel reduces energy costs to the resident by about R400-500 
($50 - $65) per month.  Allen commented that DAEA also has a program 
educating residents about energy efficient appliances. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
COMMENT: GREENING THE PROVINCE ONE HOUSE AT A TIME 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶14.  DAEA is fully committed to the dual goals of promoting 
sustainable development and encouraging environmentally sound 
practices.  DAEA believes the best way to accomplish these goals is 
by showing residents why environmentally sound practices are 
beneficial to them.  DAEA has made a substantial financial 
commitment.  Its programs involve thousands of homes, and almost 
seventy schools.  DAEA's far-reaching impact is a tribute to the 
commitment of its small but highly dedicated staff. 
 
TEITELBAUM