1 Monitoring the Environment The South African case study J de Beer

2 Mandate and context Statistics Act, 6 of 1999 Purpose of the Act –Advance planning, production, analysis, documentation, storage, dissemination and use of official and other statistics –Provide for coordination with other organs of state (section 5, 7 & 14) –Provide for cooperation between producers of official statistics Role players in the Act –Minister in the Presidency responsible for National Planning: Approval of plans –Statistician-General: Producer, Coordinator and Certification –Statistics Council: Advisory –Heads of Organs of State: Producer Vision: Your leading partner in quality statistics Mission: To lead and partner in statistical production systems for evidence based decisions

3 To raise the profile of statistics in policy formulation, planning, monitoring and evaluation To address gaps in the statistical production process –Information gap –Quality gap –Capacity gap To guide and govern statistical production in the country Statistical production system required

4 Economic statistics –Employment –National Accounts (including Environmental Economic Accounts) –Business cycle –Government statistics –Price statistics Social and Population statistics –Household surveys –Service delivery –Population Census Scattered environment statistics –By chance –Module approach to existing surveys Stats SA core areas

5 Partnerships –Memorandum of Understanding with The Presidency; Dept of Environmental Affairs; Energy; Mineral resources; Water Affairs; Agriculture, water and fisheries –Inter departmental working groups Stats SA publications – updated annually –EEA: Water Accounts for South Africa: 2000 –EEA: Energy Accounts for South Africa, 2002 to 2006 –EEA: Minerals Accounts for South Africa, 1980 to 2008 –EEA: Fisheries Accounts for South Africa, 1990 to 2008 International participation –Opportunities for development, relevance, quality improvement –UNCEEA, London group, Oslo group –SADC workshops (UNSD support) –UNECA Current work programme

6 Environmental information is becoming increasingly important as an assessment tool for: –Main drivers of change; –Identifying trends; and –Responses. Environmental information informs: –Public debate; –Policy development; and –Decision-making. Importance of environmental info

7 South Africa’s ecological footprint is higher than global average. South Africa Importance of environmental info

8 Partners in statistics – Line Ministries ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS Stocks and inventory statistics Impact statistics: emissions / contamination Response statistics Activity statistics: resource extraction / harvesting ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS State Impact Pressure Response ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMIC ACCOUNTS (EEA) – PHYSICAL ACCOUNTS Opening and closing stocks Extraction, harvest, discoveries, natural growth Residual flow account INTEGRATED PHYSICAL AND MONETARY ACCOUNTS Opening and closing stocks; depletion, accumulation, degradation; production and income Source: Statistics South Africa, 2009 Stats SA Linkages

9 Strengths: –Formalized agreements; –Expert knowledge in line ministries; and –Existing informal networks. Weaknesses: –Limited budget allocations; –Environmental statistics not mainstream priority; –Framework Development for Environmental Statistics (FDES) not established within Stats SA; –No resources in Stats SA to collect environmental data; and –Institutionalization lengthy process preventing publishing official reports. Strengths and Weaknesses We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

10 Thank you Joe de Beer DDG: Economic statistics