Phosa declares February as Provincial Grassland week
The Provincial Grasslands Week will surely enhance cooperative governance and promote environmental sustainability within our beautiful grassland covered province.
NELSPRUIT – In an effort to create awareness about the significance of the Grasslands to the economy of the Mpumalanga Province and its eco-system, economic development, environment and tourism MEC, Ms Pinky Phosa, has declared the last week of February as the Provincial Grasslands Week.
“Our grasslands and the eco-system continues to be threatened, hence as a Province, we are taking this initiative to declaring the last week of February as the Provincial Grasslands Week. I am delighted to announce that we are the trend setters hence we are the first province in the country to declare the week. We will during this week, from next year and beyond, create awareness about the significance of grassland to the growth of the economy,” explained Phosa.
The declaration of the Provincial Grasslands Week will assist the provincial government to honour the National Grassland Declaration, as well as the two International Grassland Declarations, that is, the Hohhot and Bariloche declarations.
Through this declaration the Mpumalanga Provincial Government acknowledges that: Grasslands are Mpumalanga’s most used and pressured landscape and they are under significant threat; they provide environmental infrastructure and environmental services essential for life on earth; and they provide essential eco-systems infrastructure and environmental services necessary for economic development.
“We believe that the Provincial Grasslands Week will surely enhance cooperative governance and promote environmental sustainability within our beautiful grassland covered province. We therefore encourage all stakeholders to support this initiative by partnering with us in creating awareness in their local areas about the importance of Grasslands,” added Phosa.
This Grasslands Week Initiative is supported by the Forestry Division of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Threatened Grassland Species Programme, Birdlife South Africa, MTPA, Sappi and the National Grasslands Programme – SANBI.
