 The
Vth IUCN World Parks Congress Opens in Durban -
More than 2,500 dignitaries, government officials,
indigenous leaders, businessmen and conservationists
from over 170 countries are converging on Durban for
a once-in-a decade event that will take stock of the
world’s protected areas and set priorities to
safeguard them. For the next 10 days, the Vth IUCN
World Parks Congress will tackle a broad spectrum of
issues relating to protected areas - the national parks,
World Heritage sites, nature reserves, and marine sanctuaries.
The South African Minister of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, said “This
Congress could not have come at a better time for Africa,
as we are looking at the economic revival of our continent
across a whole range of spheres, with conservation
being one of the fundamental priorities.” Minister
Moosa added that, “Parks and protected areas
have a critical role to play in contributing to Africa’s
sustainable development and poverty eradication. The
Southern African initiative for Trans-frontier Conservation
Areas is set to bring enormous economic benefits for
surrounding communities and the participating countries.” “There
is virtually no nation on earth today that has not
made a commitment to parks,” says Dr Kenton Miller,
Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. “While
this is a great achievement, we call for greater support
for protected areas for the myriad of benefits they
provide us with.” With its theme “Benefits
Beyond Boundaries,” the Congress is the first
ever to bring together such a large variety of groups
who will focus on the big issues that will impact on
and influence protected areas in the 21st century. (...) Full
Press Release // DEAT // SANParks // Mr
Nelson Mandela’s Speech
Address From the Opening Ceremony of the Vth World
Parks Congress 2003 // Her
Majesty Queen Noor's Speech Address From the Opening
Ceremony of the Vth World Parks
Congress 2003
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