31 July 2014

MEC for Agriculture, Land and Environment Affairs;
Mayor of Bushbuckridge;
CEO of SANParks;
Other dignitaries present;

Ladies and gentlemen

South Africa faces the challenge of deteriorating environmental quality due to various factors including environmental crimes. If the current challenges are not effectively addressed they will exacerbate the rate of environmental degradation and have the potential to undo or undermine many of the positive advances made in meeting our country's development goals.

While this is a responsibility that rests squarely on the shoulders of each one of us , Rangers are the men and women that work at the sharp end of environmental crime. It is therefore a great privilege and honour for me to be part of an event of this nature where we can celebrate and pay homage to these true guardians of our environment.

Every day these brave men and women put their lives at risk to protect our endangered flora and fauna, tracking and detaining poachers, monitoring animals and preventing wildlife crime. Year in and year out, they brave bitter cold and searing heat in honour of their pledge to protect the environment.

Nowhere is the importance of the work of Rangers more clearly illuminated than in the fight against rhino poaching. South Africa houses more than 80% of Africa's rhino population and has been most affected by poaching. According to SAN Parks itself the average annual growth of rhino poaching in South Africa between the years 2010 - 2013 was 44% with the Kruger National Park accounting for 61, 3°/o of this total. 1283 rhinos were poached between 2011 and 2013 while an average of 1, 77 rhinos were killed since the beginning of January 2014 to date.

Many Rangers regularly face armed poachers at tragic cost to their own safety. Often outnumbered and outgunned by well-armed and well organised poachers and criminal gangs, they continue to soldier on and for this they deserve nothing but our deepest respect and admiration.

It is appropriate therefore that we have a day set aside to acknowledge and salute these guardians of our environment.

This is what today, World Ranger Day all is about. World Ranger Day offers a chance to pay tribute to rangers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. It is also a day on which we as Government can say to Rangers that their work and wellbeing matters to us. It is a day on which we can re-affirm our assurance to them that we stand fully behind them and will continue to support them by building their capacity through training and equipping them with basic field gear as they do battle with poachers and natural elements every single day of their lives.

As government we need to boost the morale of Rangers by showing them their battle against poachers and other environmental crimes are not in vain. We want to tell you that we understand and fully appreciate the fact that rhino poaching goes much deeper than mere physical security. Social and economic problems such as unemployment and poverty are part of the problem. In other words it is a multi-dimensional problem that extends beyond provincial borders, countries and government departments and we are committed to develop a multidimensional combat strategy in support of your efforts.

But our support will only extend as far as those who are committed to execute their function in an honest manner. It will be naive of us to deny the potential for bribery and corruption fuelled by large amounts of cash offered by poaching syndicates.

These poaching syndicates are well organised and have the financial means to buy services of government officials. This is a reality everywhere and I have already heard of instances in some other countries where corruption among rangers is becoming a serious obstacle in the fight against poaching. In the face of huge wads of money being thrown around by poaching syndicates, it may be very tempting to turn a blind eye to the illegal killing of rhinos.

To counter this we need to look at strategies to minimise the potential scope for corruption among those to whom we entrust the responsibility to look after our rhinos and other endangered wildlife species.

I am confident that the majority of our rangers are good honest men and women who are doing this job for the love of it. Without these unsung heroes and heroines there would be no conservation. They need our respect and proper support.

In conclusion I want to re-emphasise the importance of community i involvement in our conservation efforts. As communities we share the same space as our wildlife and fauna and flora. Without community involvement therefore, there will be no conservation. Rangers also play a critical role in this regard through community awareness programmes.

I want to take this opportunity to thank SAN Parks for hosting this event in recognition of the work done by our rangers. I am sure it will serve as further motivation and encouragement to our rangers to continue their good work. I know you will go away from this event with the full knowledge that you are not alone in your fight against poachers and other environmental criminals.

Thank you