The French Biodiversity Agency commits to its South African partners

On Tuesday 7 June 2022, the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) signed a partnership agreement in order to strengthen exchanges between South Africa and France in the field of biodiversity protection.

This partnership, which brings together the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the South African National Parks (Sanparks), the French Development Agency (AFD) and the OFB, is valid for three years.

It will cover several areas:

• Assistance in the development of management plans for three new South African marine protected areas (Addo Elephant National Park, Robben Island, Namaqua National Park)
• Exchanges and advice on marine protected area management plans
• Sharing expertise on data collection and analysis
• Sharing knowledge on aerial surveillance and technology to prevent illegal fishing and exploitation of marine resources
• Marine spatial governance in areas including or adjacent to marine protected areas.

To monitor the progress of this agreement, reviews will be produced twice a year.  Depending on the achievements, these reviews will also allow the work programme to be adjusted.

"This project will significantly enhance Sanparks' capacity to manage marine protected areas in South Africa. We are delighted to partner with the OFB and are confident that our collaboration and knowledge sharing will facilitate learning in a critical area of conservation, namely our oceans, while strengthening our country's position in biodiversity conservation."
Dr Dziba, Director General of Conservation, South African National Parks

"I hope that the sharing of experiences planned as part of this project will enable us to learn from each other's good practices and to advance the common cause of protecting biodiversity for the well-being of our peoples and local communities."
Pierre Dubreuil, Director General of the French Office for Biodiversity