From left to right: Aimee Ginsburg, SANBI Director Biodiversity Mainstreaming; Flora Mokgohloa, DFFE DDG Biodiversity and Conservation; Mukondi Matshusa, DFFE Acting Chief Director Biodiversity Management and Permitting; Jenifer Zungu, SANBI Project leader Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security; Boitshepo Sechogela, intern at Stats SA; Nokuthula Mahlangu, SANBI GIS Specialist; Bokang Vumbukani-Lepolesa, StatsSA Chief Director National Accounts.
On the eve of Women’s Day, the third national forum on Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) celebrated the pivotal role women and young people play in this important field in South Africa. NCA uses an internationally agreed accounting system to measure a country’s natural assets and resources, like ecosystems, land and water, and track their state over time. It is a way to bring environmental information into the same national statistical systems that give us indicators that have the same status as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
South Africa is at the forefront of a growing global NCA. The country has participated in several pilot programmes to take forward the international standards. A number of accounts have already been published as part of Statistics South Africa’s pioneering ‘Natural Capital’ series. Aimee Ginsburg, from the South African National Biodiversity Institute, exemplifies the strong female leadership in this field. She was recently appointed as the Chair of the Africa National Capital Accounting community of practice (CoP), which includes members from 48 African countries.
The forum spotlighted the experiences of women working in natural capital accounting. Their personal narratives reflect the growing relevance and impact of the topic.
Mukondi Matshusa’s journey into NCA began during her tenure at the National Planning Commission. She discovered that reliable statistics, like the population census and economic accounts, were key to gaining attention and budgets at the highest levels. She sought similar statistics that would convince economists to take the environment seriously. NCA became a way to enter these national conversations on an equal footing.
Nokuthula Mahlangu has a very technical background. NCA relies on precise data and fixed methodology, which demands meticulous professionals with strong analytical skills. While the technical aspects are essential, Nokuthula has learnt that the true impact of NCA is in the social process led in undertaking accounts and exploring policy implications that has the ability to change people’s minds and shift thinking within institutions. Successful NCA has been achieved only through the close collaboration between the country’s statistical agency, Statistics South Africa, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Appointed as Chief Director of National Accounts at Statistics South Africa in 2023, Bokang Vumbukani-Lepolesa has strong experience in economics and statistics. She seldom encountered anything to do with natural resources or the environment in her previous roles. She says that those working in planning, finance or economics tend to forget how fundamentally the economy is dependent natural resources. Since learning about natural capital accounting, those around her have noticed her change in perspective. She is enthusiastic to be part of the future of NCA.
Jenifer Zungu leads the Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security project, a five-year project funded by the Global Environmental Facility. The project has been the latest in a series of initiatives helping to advance NCA in South Africa. Capacity constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a call for interns that yielded an overwhelming response. Sixteen interns were hired instead of the planned six, with three dedicated to NCA . As Jenifer observed, “The energy shifted immediately, you could feel it, they changed the way we work across the project.”
Young people brought new ideas, modern methods, and clever ways to communicate the concepts. They also asked questions of who, what, where and how that helped even the most seasoned professionals to clarify their purpose. Mookho Makanyane, one of the NCA interns aptly stated “Young people are heard differently, their voices inspire.” The mentorship, teamwork and supportive setting have empowered these young interns to shape the future of NCA.