Page 48 - Estimates of Public Entities Revenue & Expenditure 2023

PROVINCE OF THE EASTERN CAPE ESTIMATES OF PUBLIC ENTITIES REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE 2023/24

6. Programme details

Biodiversity and Conservation: the unit focuses on management of the provincial protected areas

and the expansion of the protected areas network through the stewardship programme. The
biodiversity and conservation functions are supported by four specialised units:

• Scientific Services (Research, Monitoring, Ecological and Integrated Planning, Game
Management and Scientific Support);

• Protected Area Expansion (Stewardship);

• Protected Area Management (Regions, Reserves, People and Parks, and Reserve Tourism);
and

• Project Management (Infrastructure and Social Responsibility Projects)

Destination Development: focuses on developing the tourism industry with the attention to

developing the tourism capacity of reserves. The overall intention is to ensure that tourism, eco-
tourism and wildlife economy value chains and products prosper. The transformation agenda is
advanced in order to increase representation and participation of previously disadvantaged

individuals and groups in tourism aspects of the biodiversity economy.

Marketing: responsible for marketing and promoting of the Eastern Cape Province as a tourism
destination. It is further tasked with promoting accommodation and activities on Reserves, as well as
managing and executing internal and external corporate communication and public relations

functions. Promoting tourism products, experiences and routes under a unified destination brand
aligned to South African Tourism is a core feature of the work of this department.

Corporate Management Support: responsible for ensuring that all non-core functions of the
organisation are executed effectively and efficiently to facilitate the unfettered delivery of mandated

services by the core programmes, Biodiversity and Conservation, Destination Development and
Marketing.

7. 2022/23 Performance review

7.1 Key achievements

At the end of the third quarter, ending December 2022, the Biodiversity and Conservation Department
achieved a performance average of 88.5 per cent. The first cohort of cadets graduated from the
ECPTA’s Ranger Academy in 2022, ensuring that ECPTA now has a pool of skilled potential staff

from which to invite applications for entry-level posts on reserves. All candidates were drawn from
reserve-adjacent communities, underscoring ECPTA’s commitment to facilitating the development of
communities as conservation partners. This collaborative approach is also evident in ongoing

collaboration among environmental law enforcement agencies (Hawks, Stock theft unit of SAPS,
Green Scorpions (DEDEAT)), private landowners, interest groups and Government has seen a
decline in poaching incidents in the province.

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