Attorney 'encouraged' by potential settlement in African Penguin conservation case
The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to settle African Penguin conservation matter out of court.
FILE: African penguins in Cape Town, South Africa. Picture: © surz/123rf.com
John Maytham speaks to Kate Handley, Environmental attorney at Biodiversity Law Centre
Listen to the interview in the audio below.
Dr Dion George is pursuing an out-of-court settlement around the closure of areas surrounding African Penguin colonies to fishing.
The purpose of this initiative to ensure the penguins have enough food near their breeding grounds, which conservationists say is essential.
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A panel of scientists recommended closing these areas to former minister Barbara Creecy, but she chose not to follow all of the recommendations
The new minister is now aiming to correct this decision out of court.
If penguin conservation is not made a priority the African Penguin could go extinct as early as 2035 according to recent science.
Handley says the statement the Democratic Alliance (DA) made on this matter was very encouraging, as it showed the minister’s intention to help protect the penguins.
However, she says the litigation is still ongoing and they are still far off from a settlement.
“One party’s intention cannot be construed as an out and out settlement.”
- Kate Handley, Environmental attorney at Biodiversity Law Centre
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.