SANParks Strategic Plan 2016/17 to 2019/20

[Toko]

DOWNLOAD PDF: South African National Parks Strategic Plan for 2016/17 - 2019/20

[Toko]

Committee Meetings Environmental Affairs
South African Weather Services, South African National Parks & Isimangaliso on their 2016 Strategic & Annual Performance Plan
Chairperson: Mr Z Makhubele (ANC)
Date of Meeting: 14 April 2016

In the afternoon session, the Committee was briefed on the South African National Parks strategic plan and annual performance plan. Public holidays, especially Easter and Christmas were identified as the busiest days of the year for SANParks, and the fact that Easter 2015 and 2016 fell in the same financial year, together with the Christmas period, explained why they had performed so well in the past financial year.

There had been increasing attempts to poach rhinos, elephants, abalone and cycads, but the organisation had significantly decreased the success rate of poachers due to the presence of skilled and sufficient rangers patrolling the parks.

Some of SANParks’ key objectives included effectively managing eco-systems, growing tourism income, diversifying and enhancing tourism opportunities, progressive transformation and optimising the contribution to the green and blue economies by enhancing awareness and skills.

Key risks identified were:

Inadequate revenue to realise the objectives of its mandate;
Wildlife crime, which posed a huge risk especially with its impact on species, the reputation of the country and visitor security;
An inadequate and obsolete tourism reservation and property management system;
An inability to acquire new firearms or retain existing ones;
Infrastructure maintenance – specifically road infrastructure and staff accommodation.
In the discussion, the Committee drew particular attention to the need to prevent poaching completely and not just to maintain the current success rate.

https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/22374/

[Toko]

South African National Parks (SANParks)

Ms Lize McCourt, Chief Operating Officer (COO), said SANParks had been established in terms of the now repealed National Parks Act 57 of 1976 and continued to exist in terms of the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003, with a mandate to conserve, protect, control and manage national parks and other defined protected areas and their biological diversity.

Easter and Christmas were the biggest visiting times of the year, and in the 2015/16 year there were essentially two “Easters.” However, in 2016/2017 Easter would not be falling in the financial year.

The SANParks mandate was to excel in the management of a national park system. Only North West Province and KwaZulu Natal did not have national parks managed by SANParks. Top level positions had been filled and there would be no more acting positions in the executive team. SANParks had a staff establishment of over 4 000 people, but at the senior level it did not have good demographic representation of. Over 50 000 people went to the national parks for work on a daily basis.

Over the medium term strategic framework (MTSF) period, SANParks would be spending R672 million on infrastructural projects. 2% of conservation fees were invested directly in the neighboring communities. This was mostly beneficial to schools, through science laboratories, and recently old age homes had been beneficiaries. SANParks managed quite a number of trans-boundary parks, together with Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia.

There had been an increase in incidents of elephant poaching, along with rhino, abalone and cycads.

SANParks contributed toward transformation through the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment BBBEE charter.

In terms of alignment with the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), the following key strategic objectives were of particular relevance:

Biodiversity conserved, protected and threats mitigated;
Fair access and equitable sharing of benefits from biological resources were promoted;
Ecosystems restored and maintained;
Adequate and appropriately skilled staff;
Secure, harmonious, transformed and conducive working environment;
Effective and efficient information technology services;
Equitable and sound corporate governance;
Improved access to information;
Improved sector education and awareness; and
Effective knowledge and information management for the sector.


Looking at the Annual Performance Plan (APP), the strategic objectives were closely aligned with the pairing of the departments. Over the MTEF, SANParks would pursue the following key strategic goals:

Sustainable conservation assets: SANParks had a key objective – improved representative conservation assets to ensure that the land they did add was representative of under-represented ecosystems;
Effectively managed eco-systems: With regard to species and cultural heritage assets, to effectively manage sustainable ecosystems focusing on environmental crime for the sustainability of species.
Responsible and diverse tourism: to grow tourism income, and to diversify and enhance tourism opportunities.
Progressive, equitable and fair transformation: to optimize contribution to the green and blue economy – enhanced awareness and skills.
Cross cutting: enhanced knowledge for decision making – making science-based decisions, ensuring knowledge and information by SANParks and government, and enhancing stakeholder engagement.
Effective resource utilization: Adequate, appropriately skilled, transformed and diverse human capital, a conducive working environment, optimised business processes and knowledge management systems, accountable corporate governance and financial sustainability.


Ms McCourt said the MTSF priorities included an improved representative conservation estate. Total areas added to national parks should be in line with the biodiversity framework, line grants and other funding utilized for this purpose. The state of biodiversity rating of three or above was a new baseline, and concerns had been expressed that SANParks may be neglecting biodiversity management and therefore had to measure the state of biodiversity in the parks and constantly monitor. The Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) score had gone down in the 2015/16 and this was not because they had performed poorly, but because the tool to manage had changed. The state of area integrity assessment was an instrument used in parks up until ten years ago, and with wildlife crime and public safety, it was becoming important to reassess this.

SANParks aimed to reduce the percentage of fossil fuel-generated energy consumption by 2%, as well as water, by using new and cleaner methods. In terms of wetlands, the target for total hectares of land rehabilitated/restored had been reduced because of the amount of work being done, the need, and the budget.

Effectively managed ecosystems, species and cultural heritage was not just focused on rhinos and elephants, but other endangered species. By aiming to reduce the success rate of poachers, SANParks wanted to widen the gap between attempting to poach and the success of the poacher.

In the area of enhanced knowledge for decision making, the organisation now had junior and senior scientists, with varied demographics and gender. Internal bases were favouring black scientists.

The target for enhanced tourism return had not been increased due to decreases in the growth of the South African market as well as the fact that there would be no Easter weekend in the coming financial year.

Ms McCourt said that for diversified and enhanced tourism opportunities, the emphasis was on both scientific processes and cultural heritage. SANParks was currently working on a methodology to count the number of people accessing parks. To enhance stakeholder engagement, it had a high engagement on social media, but needed to work out its impact on information sharing. It was actively working to improve access for people with disabilities. To promote workplace cohesion and harmony, and healthy working environment, it aimed to provide conducive working conditions. Business processes and knowledge management systems were being optimised. SANParks fostered a systematic and robust approach to corporate governance to optimise its efforts to efficiently achieve it. Organizational revenue streams would be sustained through the effective and efficient management of financial resources.

Ms McCourt identified some key risks. These were:

Inadequate revenue to realise the objectives of SANParks’ mandate.
Wildlife crime – a huge risk, especially the impact on species, the reputation of the country and visitors’ security.
An inadequate and obsolete tourism reservation and property management system.
An inability to acquire new firearms or retain existing ones.
Infrastructure maintenance – specifically road infrastructure and staff accommodation.


Mr Rajesh Mahabeer, CFO: SANParks, added there had been no real growth in revenue due to the climate and other factors mentioned by the COO. Tourism income was currently sitting at R1.2 billion. The organization had done well to resource its own infrastructure by generating income. Their balance was in good shape and they could cope as an organization. There had been a decline in sales of flora and fauna, but this had been due to the impact of drought on the purchase of animals and plants. Donation income had increased, however.

Discussion

Mr Mabilo said it was important for a balance to be kept between people arrested and those convicted. For 2015/16, SANParks had said rhino poaching had stabilised. The Committee’s key concern was prevention. With regard to the inability to retain firearms, one could not plan to lose firearms – was the entity projecting that people would lose their firearms, or were they being stolen?

Ms Kekana asked what the project on Tsitsikamma entailed.

The Chairperson asked whether, in the light of the budget cuts, SANParks was still able to provide laboratories to communities and schools where national parks were present. To what extent had it been able to meet its expected outcomes? In relation to the green and blue economy, it was understandable for the green economy that it would be accumulating, but for blue economy it had been indicated as “one” throughout. How did it remain at one?

With reference to rhino poaching, without overemphasizing the point, the concern was that as while poaching continued, what happened to the breeding? Was there any comfort that perhaps there was a replenishment of the species? In terms of the gender point and the institution being male dominated, it did not seem that SANParks was making serious efforts to do change the current situation. The Committee had been made to believe that the situation would change with time. With 21 years into democracy, the expectation was that change should happen.

With the challenge of insufficient budget to deal with infrastructure maintenance, would there be a situation where everything deteriorated to levels never seen before, all in the name of budget cuts or the economic situation? One should rather maintain the infrastructure than support other projects which it may not be able to maintain. There must be a portion of the budget for maintenance instead of cutting budgets for new projects. How was SANPark’s programme for the reduction of the fossil fuel-generated energy doing? What was the situation with the “wild card” system which used to exist, where people subscribed and could gain access to all the national parks?

SANParks’ response

Ms McCourt said SANParks was striving very hard to maintain and improve on job creation.

The organisation had not lost a single rhino over the past two years. There had been a substantial increase in poaching, but it was preventing incursions. It had deliberately not included the conviction rate because this was out of its area of jurisdiction, although it was being measured by the DEA. SANParks was as concerned about cycads and abalone as it was about rhinos and elephants. A census had been conducted on how rhinos were doing, but it was not at liberty to comment because it was being discussed at Cabinet level and the Minister would make an announcement once the results were available. There was evidence that there was at least one elephant remaining in the Knysna forest.

SANParks was not projecting that it would be losing firearms, but rather that there might be thefts or they might be lost. This had to be highlighted as a risk factor, because it was reliant on firearms to prevent poaching.

She said there had been incredible cooperation through the trans-frontier parks in terms of exchanging conservation technology, combined enforcement activity between the parks and the training of staff.

To enhance sustainability, SANParks was using solar power to conserve energy. The retrofitting process had started in some of the remote areas. Because of power outages, some remote areas had had to rely on solar energy only.

The blue economy in Tsitsikamma was being maintained at the “one” level because there was no control over how long the process was going to take.

The percentage of game sales seemed low because some “sales” had been donated to communities on loan basis, but they had committed to them being firm sales.

There were no targets for public-private partnerships (PPPs), because SANParks was currently employing the same economic strategy, although there was one in the Table Mountain National Park.

Regarding the employee gender split, SANParks had taken the Committee very seriously. Its targets were indicating that by 2017/18 there would be a 50% female complement.

The “wild card” was back, fully functional, and in use by all its members. SANParks was bringing in pensioner and student products. The challenge was that the old wild cards had cost less and were still valid and being used, so there was a loss of income.

If replacement was cheaper than carrying out maintenance, then SANParks replaced. The maintenance budget was not being used for other programmes, but the need for infrastructure was evaluated on the basis of what was best -- replacement or maintenance.

Ms Ngcaba, the DEA’s DG, added to the responses. She said that to curtail rhino poaching, the police had an operations centre within the Kruger National Park. A broader initiative focusing on how one dealt with convictions, not just for SANParks, was being coordinated by the Department.

Most of the marine areas were also managed by SANParks.

The cooperation with countries both within and outside the SADC was not only in the control of SANParks, but involved agreements in international cooperation.

Regarding the maintenance of infrastructure, SANParks had historically had to deal with a backlog in staff accommodation that was not up to acceptable standards and therefore had to be rebuilt for health reasons. The rest of the infrastructure renovation was linked to its own revenue.

Mr Ishaam Abader, Deputy Director General, DEA added that the conviction of poachers was outside the Department’s control. Around Kruger Park there had been an increase in poaching activity and at the same time, the number of arrests in the area had increased substantially. There was a need to be patient with conviction rates and success in capturing poachers. However, legislation was improving and sentences being handed to poachers were high, as ten and 12 year sentences had been imposed.

Mr Mabilo said the DEA should be interested in both the number of arrests and the conviction rate, and suggested that this was an area where it could improve. He requested that it provide a holistic figure on the outcome of conviction cases.

The Chairperson said what was being sought was clarity on where this was happening and what the results were, rather than being given information on a case by case basis.

Ms McCourt added that SANParks did have a mandate to arrest poachers, which was why it could set a target for arrests, but what happened with those arrests was out of its control.

[Toko]

The organisation had not lost a single rhino over the past two years.

[Toko]

The correct info is: there were no rhino lost to poaching in any of the other 6 national parks (other than Kruger) under SANParks management during the 2015 calendar year.

Don't fool the public and the parliament

[Puff Addy]

I've become too allergic to their corporate-speak to read this all in its entirety, but one thing that stuck out was this:

The rest of the infrastructure renovation was linked to its own revenue.

So, some visitor lodging starts to be run down and it is not generating enough revenue to be renovated. Time goes by and it becomes more run down, but in spite of that it becomes more expensive to visitors. Said visitors begin to avoid said lodging, because who wants to stay in dilapidated lodging that's overpriced? Said lodging then falls further and further into disrepair as it generates less and less revenue. Meanwhile, huge amounts of money are being spent on consultants for new lodges and activity hubs that could be spent on maintaining and renovating existing lodging. Great way of doing things!

[Toko]

A long list of planned developments and projects in the parks:

New Developments and Projects Planned - SANPARKS_STRATEGIC_PLAN_2016TO_2017__2017_TO_2019_CONTENT_2016_web.pdf

(136.69 KiB) Downloaded 178 times

[Puff Addy]

I forgot to include the buliding of new lodging while the old lodging is falling into disrepair.

In Toko's most recent pdf, there are some MZNP projects that illustrate this case perfectly:

- Construction of 8 new chalets
- Mountain cottage upgrade to 3 bedrooms
- Additional 3 units of staff accommodation

So, looks like the filthy bedroom carpets and the filthy chair cushions in the lounges (which have probably been there since day one) of the existing chalet accommodation won't be changed anytime soon.

[Richprins]

You are welcome to post under our maintenance threads, Puffie!

[Lisbeth]

First the hard facts

There had been an increase in incidents of elephant poaching, along with rhino, abalone and cycads.

and then the embellishing in the pesentation

There had been increasing attempts to poach rhinos, elephants, abalone and cycads, but the organisation had significantly decreased the success rate of poachers due to the presence of skilled and sufficient rangers patrolling the parks.

Shows just how different a disaster sounds when presented adding a few sentences