The Sunday News
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Correspondent
THE Government has assured the nation that the formulation of a National Environment Action Plan (NEAP) will provide an opportunity for putting up a strategic framework that integrates environmental management into all developmental projects and programmes.
This, will ensure an equitable balance between the three pillars of sustainable development which are the economic, socio-cultural and environmental.
Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu
This was revealed by the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Cde Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu in a speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary Mr Munesushe Munodawafa during a consultation workshop on the formulation of the NEAP held in Bulawayo last Friday.
The National Environment Action Plan (NEAP) is a strategic environmental plan provided for under the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) and originated from the recommendations of the Earth Summit that took place in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992.
The theme of the summit focused on how nations could attain sustainable development and called on all States to prepare Environmental Action Plans as a tool for integrating environment into national planning and development processes.
Thirty years after the Rio Summit and 20 years after passing of the EMA Act, the nation has been waiting for this process which has finally kicked off.
“The NEAP will support our National strategic planning framework as it will provide quantitative environmental standards for monitoring and evaluation of the attainment of NDS1 objectives on promoting new enterprise development, employment and job creation; strengthening social infrastructure and social safety nets; and ensuring sustainable environmental protection and resilience,” said Minister Ndlovu.
“The NEAP we are formulating must therefore provide strategies and measures for the management, protection, restoration and rehabilitation of the environment, including measures for the protection of ecological processes, natural systems as well as the preservation of biodiversity in the natural environment; sustainable utilisation of natural resources; the prevention or mitigation of activities that contribute to climate change, the disturbance of the environment as also a result of human activities.”
He further urged all stakeholders including Ministries, Departments and Agencies in their areas of jurisdiction to ensure the environment is streamlined in the planning processes and thus sustainably managed.
Emphasis was also made on the plan to focus on providing sustainable prospective solutions towards the attainment of set regional goals.
Eenvironmental Management Agency (EMA)
Meanwhile, the acting EMA director-general Mr Christopher Mushava said the plan should be comprehensive, effective and implementable.
“The plan is founded on the need to provide a clean, safe and healthy environment, ensure a balance between all the pillars of sustainable development and participation of all key stakeholders including the general public in environmental management,” he said.
EMA has been supporting local authorities over the years in the development of the Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAPs) for the management of the areas under their jurisdiction as provided for in Section 95 of the Environmental Management Act.
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