Assistant Secretary for Insular and Worldwide Affairs Carmen G. Cantor and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Director David Applegate wrapped up a week-long journey to Cape City, South Africa, the place they led the Division of the Inside’s delegation to the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Ministerial Summit. In the course of the go to, the leaders highlighted the Division’s commitments to cooperating with worldwide companions to sort out the local weather disaster via collaborative science-based partnerships.
GEO is a partnership of 115 United Nation member governments and 154 non-governmental organizations that work collectively to advance broad and open sharing of Earth observations globally and promote their utilization in decision-making.
On the GEO Ministerial Summit, Assistant Secretary Cantor and Director Applegate participated in conferences of GEO’s Govt Committee, plenary periods, and quite a few bilateral conferences with principals from South Africa, Paraguay, the UK and Australia.
Assistant Secretary Cantor delivered statements on behalf of america that targeted on the GEO International Ecosystems Atlas. USGS and the Nationwide Aeronautics and Area Administration (NASA) have offered important and foundational scientific assist, together with the event of the preliminary science imaginative and prescient and framework, for the Atlas. America additionally endorsed the Cape City Declaration, which aspires to advance inclusion and fairness throughout the GEO Work Programme, in addition to enhance engagement and capability constructing for using Earth observations amongst nations with an emphasis on co-design and co-development.
All through their participation within the Summit, Assistant Secretary Cantor and Director Applegate highlighted the Landsat program, a collaborative program between USGS and NASA that gives the longest steady space-based report of Earth’s land in existence. Since 1972, Landsat satellites have constantly acquired photos of the Earth’s land floor, offering uninterrupted information to assist land managers and policymakers make knowledgeable selections about pure assets and the atmosphere.
Whereas in Cape City, Assistant Secretary Cantor met with South African counterparts at Desk Mountain Nationwide Park (TMNP) to debate counter wildlife trafficking efforts and unlawful fishing in South Africa, with a concentrate on the protected lands and surrounding coastal waters. TMNP is a World Heritage Website and a part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, that features endemic wildlife discovered solely in TMNP. Mixing of two ocean currents on the Cape creates a novel atmosphere of marine biodiversity and is dwelling to 3 abalone species together with Haliotus midae “Midas.”
Conferences with TMNP personnel in addition to the South African Nationwide Parks Environmental Crimes Investigators centered on vital ranges of poaching impacting park assets by organized felony gangs from surrounding communities with ties to transnational felony organizations. Assistant Secretary Cantor affirmed america assist through the Division of State and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Regulation Enforcement Attaché stationed on the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, who works with counterparts to help enforcement efforts on nature crimes within the nation and area, offering investigative assist, cross border coordination, felony intelligence sharing and capability constructing.
In Pretoria, Assistant Secretary Cantor met with U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Reuben E. Brigety II and the U.S. nation group relating to wildlife conservation, the Conference on Worldwide Commerce in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, counter wildlife trafficking and the long-standing partnership between the USGS and the South African Nationwide Area Company (SANSA). As well as, the Assistant Secretary, joined by USGS, FWS and embassy personnel, visited a Landsat Floor Station in Hartebeesthoek, about 70 km west of Pretoria, South Africa. SANSA has been a Landsat associate for over 40 years, receiving Landsat information since 1981. The U.S. delegation met with the SANSA Satellite tv for pc Operations Group to debate the way forward for the Landsat Program, Landsat Subsequent, and the significance of continuous the historic partnership constructed with South Africa to assist Earth statement science.