The Two Oceans Aquarium recently received a Silver rating for its environmentally responsible operations from the Heritage Environmental Rating Programme on its initial review. The Aquarium is the second aquarium to receive this rating in South Africa after uShaka Marine World underwent the same review in September this year.

According to Greg McManus, Managing Director of Heritage, The Two Oceans Aquarium was designed using some of the best techniques internationally and its exhibits provide visitors with unrivalled marine experiences. We noted a high-level of effort towards raising awareness of issues such as overfishing, resource management and species diversification. We were particularly impressed with the range of educational material available and the efforts to involve local school children, educators and members of the broader community in raising awareness of marine issues. Further, we were pleased to see the level of commitment expressed by management towards improving the overall environmental footprint and look forward to assisting the Aquarium in developing an environmental management system which will position this facility as one of the most environmentally responsible on the African continent.

As an organisation which aims to raise awareness of environmental issues, particularly marine issues, and promote conservation, management of the Two Oceans Aquarium believes that it is imperative that the company lead by example and ensure that it actively strives to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment. Our vision is to foster love, respect and understanding of our oceans to inspire support for their future well-being. We cannot do this effectively or with credibility if our own operations impact negatively on the environment. We approached Heritage to assist us with an independent audit as we are very aware of the need to improve our operations from an environmental point of view said Dr Patrick Garratt, Managing Director of the Aquarium.

If we can show our visitors that we are striving to reduce our ecological footprint, then we can encourage them to do the same in their homes, schools and places of work.

The Heritage Environmental Rating Programme has been developed to provide operators of all types of zoos and aquariums with an effective environmental management system (EMS) designed to reduce and limit the impact that their operations have on the environment.

The Programme represents southern Africa’s first eco-labelling option for zoos, aquaria and botanical gardens and enables businesses to demonstrate their environmental performance by being independently reviewed and rated. The Heritage Zoos and Aquaria category was introduced in 2004 and extensively tested to ensure that its standards met local, national and international best practice for this type of facility.

It incorporates a number of national and international standards in zoo management including the South African National Standards for Zoo and Aquarium practice (SANS 10379:2005), ISO 14001 and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) recommendations for environmentally responsible operating standards of 2005.

Over the past three years, the development and testing of the Heritage Zoos and Aquaria Programme has resulted in it becoming the only environmental rating system in this sector worldwide, and the pre-eminent environmental management system in this field in Africa, with evaluation standards generally exceeding those of countries such as the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

“Heritage offers an opportunity for zoos and aquariums to change the way in which they interact with their environment - both natural and human, with a practical, hands-on approach to resource management that delivers financial returns, while at the same time positioning the facility as environmentally responsible,” Greg McManus, MD of Heritage said.

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The Heritage Environmental Rating Programme was initially developed for the tourism and leisure sectors. However, its comprehensive approach to environmental management and responsibility has enabled its adaptation into tailored environmental management systems for other sectors including golf courses (Fairways Eco Rating Programme), the retail sector (Green Business), the financial sector (Clean Banking) and most recently, the travel sector with the introduction of the Tour Operators’ Charter.

The Heritage initiative has been developed using seven international environmental management systems and ISO 14000, and its hospitality sector programme is currently being applied at 81 hotels, resorts, lodges and gaming operations across the region. The Programme is the most successful of its kind in Africa and one of the top three environmental management programmes in the tourism industry worldwide. It is recognised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and is partnered with Fedhasa in the Imvelo Awards held annually to recognise and reward sustainable and responsible tourism standards in southern Africa.

For more information:

Helen Lockhart

Communications & Sustainability Manager

Two Oceans Aquarium

(021) 418-3823

hlockhart@aquarium.co.za

Greg McManus

Managing director, Heritage Environmental Rating Programme

(012) 667 2836 / 082 453 4161

greg@qualitour.co.za