Latest news with #BerniceSwarts
The Citizen
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
One million trees campaign kicks off at Botanical Gardens
One million trees campaign kicks off at Botanical Gardens The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) recently launched its One Million Trees campaign at the National Botanical Gardens. Led by Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts, various stakeholders attended the July 7 launch. It followed the One Employee, One Tree launch at the DFFE Head Office in April. 'The country has borne the brunt of climate change and the resultant devastation it causes in communities and economies. We have witnessed fires, deadly heatwaves, heavy rains, floods, and prolonged droughts. These events underscore our shared vulnerability, but also our shared responsibility to act, to adapt, and to do so in a way that leaves no one behind,' Swarts said. President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed that 10 million trees, comprising 60% fruit and 40% indigenous, be planted in the country over five years, ending in 2026. Among others, attendees included: – Deputy Minister of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Mapaseka Steve Letsike – Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Eritrea, HE Mr Salih Omar Abdu – High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, HE Mr Malik Muhammad Farooq – His Majesty Morena Moremoholo Motebang Mopeli of the Bakoena Royal House (Qwaqwa). The DFFE plans to use the campaign to create employment opportunities through tree planting and tackle the high cost of living by integrating fruit trees into food security efforts. 'Tree planting is one of the mitigating factors that are recommended to slow down this environmental threat. It is for this reason that the department is pursuing the co-ordination and implementation of the National Greening Programme,' Swarts stated. She said that if trees that are suitable for a particular area are planted, and we continue working with researchers, the battle against climate change will slowly be won. The DFFE has developed a list of suitable trees that can be planted in different provinces and climate zones. They have also developed a database of nurseries where trees will be sourced through the QR system developed to access the pledge form and the catalogue of the nurseries. Swarts said, 'We have made a provision to accommodate those sponsors who intend to contribute trees. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has designated spaces to be used as a tree bank, where the donated trees will be stored. 'The donated trees will be stored at the 11 National Botanical Gardens across the country and DFFE nurseries, while we are finalising logistics for the one million trees planting day, September 24. We are dedicating that day to planting trees across the country, as we commemorate Heritage Day.' The department has also identified spaces where trees will survive for generations, and the trees will be planted there. These are areas where most of the requirements to plant and care for trees, such as availability of water, dedicated people to take care of the trees, security or fencing, are met. These include public institutions, early childhood development centres, churches, schools, police stations, clinics, some low-cost housing units, and many other places. To date, a list of sites where trees will be planted has been developed and is being refined as input from stakeholders is gathered. Swarts closed off with a quote from the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Kenyan Wangari Maathai: 'When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and hope.' Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
08-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
Fight against climate change: Environment department launches one million trees campaign
Deputy Minister of DFFE, Bernice Swarts in the tree bank of the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens after the launch of the One Tree, One Employee campaign Image: Supplied/ Michael Mokoena DFFE The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) launched the one million trees campaign at the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens under the banner" My tree, my oxygen, plant yours today". Launched on Monday, the campaign aims to encourage South Africans to plant trees with the intention of preserving biodiversity and mitigating the impact of climate change. The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts said everyone has a responsibility of contributing to the cause of planting trees as they are suppliers of oxygen. Ambassadors, traditional leaders, NGOs and learners at the occassion of the launch of the one employee, one tree campaign Image: Supplied/ Michael Mokoena/ DFFE Video Player is loading. 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Next Stay Close ✕ "The country has borne the brunt of climate change and the resultant devastation it causes in communities and economies. We have witnessed fires, deadly heatwaves, heavy rains, floods, and prolonged droughts. These events underscore our shared vulnerability, but also our shared responsibility to act, to adapt, and to do so in a way that leaves no one behind. We have made a plea to our traditional leaders to not harm trees for whatever reason, because sometimes one just needs the leaves, or the bark, not the root, they don't need to harm the tree," said Swarts. According to Global Forest Watch, South Africa lost 10% of its humid primary forest from 2002 to 2024. Further information from Climate Home News indicated that global deforestation reached record highs in 2024 with climate change driving the charge. 6.7 million hectares of primary tropical forest were lost, which is nearly double the loss compared to 2023. Tree planting is one of the mitigating factors that are recommended to slow down this environmental threat. It is for this reason that the department is pursuing the coordination and implementation of the National Greening Programme, remarked Swarts. The country hosted the second African Forum on Urban Forestry from the 18th to the 21st March 2025 and the International Day of Forests, where 2,000 trees were planted at Diepsloot. Swarts outlined that they have chosen to plant one million trees on 24th September 2025 as the country commemorates Heritage Day. Obakeng Ramabodu, Tshwane's MMC for Environmental and Agriculture Management, announces the city's ambitious tree-planting initiative to combat climate change. Image: Supplied / City of Tshwane Meanwhile, Tshwane MMC for Environment, Obakeng Ramabodu indicated that they have embarked on a process of cleaning the city and are exhausting all available avenues to keep it clean. Ramabodu remarked that the City of Tshwane fully supports the government initiative, citing that the planting of trees makes the environment cleaner and safer for everyone. "This is a people's programme, it does not need any political affiliation, it would be good to see our townships get a facelift and look as aesthetically appealing as the suburbs and parts of the inner city, looking clean and with trees. "Please stop peeing on the streets and please stop littering, we are in the process of getting our city clean and we want to keep it that way," he added. IOL News
The Citizen
04-07-2025
- The Citizen
Bridge destroyed by floods reopened at Lowveld Botanical Garden
A R5.7m infrastructure project in the Lowveld National Botanical Garden saw the refurbishment of the suspension pedestrian bridge that was destroyed by the February 2023 floods. The 110m-long bridge over the Crocodile River was officially opened by the deputy minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment, Bernice Swarts, and representatives of the South African National Biodiversity Institute on Friday, July 4. The project also included a new viewing deck of the river. ALSO READ: Kruger National Park announces school holiday access rules and important regulations It was funded by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's Greening and Open Space Management Programme. Swarts said the refurbishments will assist the garden to attract more tourists. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Deputy minister urges urgent action to combat desertification and land degradation
The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Bernice Swarts has welcomed the need for members of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to do more in addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought while continuing to build strong partnerships for integrated solutions. Image: Supplied The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, has welcomed the need for members of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to do more in addressing Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD) while continuing to build strong partnerships for integrated solutions. On Tuesday, on the first day of the four-day conference, the deputy minister delivered her keynote address to various member states and dignitaries gathered at the Radisson Blue Hotel in Sandton. "In the next four days, we will deliberate on issues relating to desertification, land degradation, and drought. I am pleased to confirm that many faces here are not new to me, as I had an opportunity to meet many of you during the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties in Saudi Arabia. "As you may recall, the UNCCD COP16 underscored the need to mobilise additional and innovative resources to support Parties in accelerating actions and interventions on the ground to address desertification, land degradation, and drought, and synergies with other environmental issues." Swarts said desertification, land degradation, and drought form part of the priority focus areas for South Africa's Presidency of the G20 Environment, Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG). Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ "For the first time in the history of the G20 Presidency, South Africa has made a bold commitment by including DLDD issues among its G20 priorities. This commitment fosters global solidarity in addressing the drivers of DLDD while promoting the mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management practices and approaches across key sectors. "The main focus under the G20 ECSWG priority on DLDD is on the implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets and their deliverables," she said. Speaking on the importance of Integrated Land Use Planning (IDN – ILUP) and target setting programme of the UNCCD, Baron Jospeh from the UNCCD Secretariat stressed the need for vertical and horizontal integration strategies. "I embrace the need for vertical and horizontal integration strategies, and the key thing is that once you fully embrace this approach, you are going to be linking various data sets. You are going to be able to better position cross collaborations," he said.
