The Swaziland Environment Action Plan (SEAP)

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO THE SWAZILAND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN (SEAP)

Swaziland has a rich natural resources base, favourable climate, and a culture which has traditionally promoted living in harmony with its environment. During the long reign of King Sobhuza II (1921-1982), a number of significant environment protection measures were taken, e.g. Orders in Councils in the 1950s to establish soil-erosion control measures and the first survey of natural resources in 1967, the establishment of Hlane Game Reserve, and in 1972, the establishment of the Swaziland National Trust Commission, a parastatal body charged with the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage in the kingdom. Since then, Swaziland has actively participated in global forums, including the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and established its own Swaziland Environment Authority (1992) with the mandate to promote sound environmental management in the kingdom.

Nevertheless, rapid population growth (3.4%), industrialisation, urbanization, increasing agricultural demands, and a declining economy are among factors which are fast degrading the natural resource base, and this in turn, is posing a threat to sustainable development.

In recognition of the important role which sound environmental management plays in the course of Swaziland's development, and to honour Swaziland's commitment to alleviating the global environmental crisis through the implementation of Agenda 21, the government, with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme, embarked on the preparation of a national plan, the Swaziland Environment Action Plan (SEAP), to ensure integration of environmental concerns into the national development planning process.

1.1 The SEAP Process

The development of the SEAP was facilitated by the Swaziland Environment Authority (SEA), under the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Energy (the SEA is now under the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Communications). A National SEAP Coordinator was appointed for the duration of the process (15 months) and was assisted by an international consultant (2 months) and two local consultants (5 months). All the SEA staff were involved in various capacities throughout the process.

A participatory approach, involving all sectors and levels of the Swaziland community, was used and included the following components:

Study and review of relevant documents;
Public awareness campaign on the SEAP process;
Focus group meetings with relevant stakeholders, e.g. farmers, women, teachers, decision-makers, local authorities, parliamentarians;
Two series of regional workshops, one to collect input and another to review the plan;
Two national workshops, one to collect input and another to review the SEAP document;
Six technical working groups, with a combined membership of over 70 people, meeting regularly and providing input in the areas of:
- Biodiversity,
- Water and Climate,
- Infrastructure and Energy,
- Land Resources,
- Industry, Manufacturing and Tourism, and
- Human Settlements and Health;
Three technical working groups, involving more than 30 people, providing cross-sectoral input in the areas of Economic and Social Issues, Policy, Legal and Institutional Issues, and in Public Participation and Education;
A synthesis task force to advise on the format of the document and to assist with compilation and editing;
Review and approval by the SEA Board and then by Cabinet;
Participation by all SEA staff in the SEAP activities; and
A national coordinator facilitating the process from beginning to end.

1.2 The SEAP Objectives

The Swaziland Environment Action Plan provides the framework within which Swaziland's environment can be managed in a sound and sustainable manner. Central to the definition of this framework is the recognition of the cross-sectoral nature of our environmental problems, the identification of the relationships which exist between the environment and key sectors within the overall macro-economic framework, and the need for active and lasting community involvement and participation in environmental protection and natural resource management.

The objectives of the SEAP are as follows:

Provide a state-of-knowledge overview of the environmental conditions in the country;
Identify, prioritize and where possible quantify environmental problems;
Propose solutions to immediate environmental problems in the form of programmes and projects, and institutional and legislative reforms, together with details of their funding requirements and their human resource/capacity-building needs;
Establish a clear indication of government's priority areas with respect to the environment so as to guide and give proper orientation to donor intervention in this field;
Establish a framework which provides coherent direction for the process of environmental monitoring and action planning in the future; and
Provide a framework for continuous development and environmental policy dialogue within the country and with donor partners.

1.3 SEAP Process Outcomes

The process of developing an environmental strategy is valuable in itself, independently of the final planning and/or other documents. An IUCN review (IUCN, 1993) concludes that the preparation of a strategy provides:

A forum and context for debate on general sustainable development issues and the articulation of a collective vision for the future;
a framework for processes of mediation, negotiation, consensus building, planning and research development;
a means of focusing these processes on a common set of priority issues and key actions to be taken;
a mechanism for developing organisational capacities and other institutions required for sustainable development;

The Swaziland Environment Action Plan consists of two main volumes:

Volume 1: The Environment Action Plan - the main report (including the overall state of the environment, the infra-structure for environmental management, major environmental problems and recommended solutions), the implementation plan (a medium term plan for implementing recommended strategies to address major environmental issues and problems), and implementation and monitoring strategies.
Volume 2: The Policy and Strategy Framework - The policy and strategy basis for the medium term Environment Action Plan (Volume 1). This framework is presented in a hierarchical manner, which provides a holistic perspective and a meaningful basis for all kinds of national policy development to ensure sustainable development. In addition, the document has compiled a comprehensive list of strategies proposed for environmental management. (Volume 1 only contains the initial priority actions to be addressed by the Action Plan).

Other documents compiled during the consultative process of the SEAP include:

Reports of two National Consultative Workshops, reports of Regional Workshops (4 to obtain input and 4 to review the draft SEAP documents);
Reports of focus group meetings to obtain input at local level and from special groups;
Reports of technical working groups (Biodiversity, Water and Climate Change, Land Resources, Infrastructure and Energy, Manufacturing, Industry and Tourism, and Human Settlements and Health);
Reports from cross-sectoral groups (Policy, Legal and Institutional Working Group, Social and Economic Issues Working Group, and Public Participation and Education Working Group).