The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GSGSSI) has just published a new strategy for managing the island over the next five years.
It does not go into much detail of specific policies and projects, but their associated notes explain “. . . the Government of SGSSI feels the conditions on SGSSI are such that introducing a set of values to provide the lens through which activities will be considered is the right thing to do”
The document also considers the priority areas of work over the coming 5 years, setting out some ambitious commitments including to be single-use plastic-free by 2025 and 100% renewable energy use on the landmass of South Georgia.
GSGSSI consulted widely on the strategy document before publishing it, and the SGA took part in this consultation.
“The feedback has informed the final version of this new framework. For example, feedback highlighted the importance of ensuring the document reflected our ongoing work to tackle existing invasive plant species on South Georgia, as well as in preventing the arrival of further non-native species in future. There were some areas where there was no consensus opinion, reflecting the diverse views of our stakeholder community. These comments have not simply been dismissed. The team at the Government of SGSSI will pick up matters relating to fisheries and heritage management with the stakeholders involved. The Government will continue to engage with all our stakeholders as we implement this new framework over the coming years.”
To save paper, printed copies are not available but you can download it from the GSGSSI website.