Resource information
This Act provides for the protection of areas defined by this Act. The objectives of this Act are: (a) to provide, within the framework of national legislation, for the declaration and management of protected areas; (b) to provide for cooperative governance in the declaration and management of protected areas; (c) to effect a national system of protected areas in South Africa as part of a strategy to manage and conserve its biodiversity; (d) to provide for a representative network of protected areas on state land, private land and communal land; (e) to promote sustainable utilization of protected areas for the benefit of people, in a manner that would preserve the ecological character of such areas; and (f) to promote participation of local communities in the management of protected areas, where appropriate.The Act consists of 93 sections divided into 8 Parts: Interpretation, Objectives and Application of Act (1); System of Protected Areas in South Africa (2); Declaration of Protected Areas (3); Management of Protected Areas (4); South African National Parks (5); Acquisition of Rights in or to Land (6); Administration of Act (7); Offences and Penalties (8); Miscellaneous (9)."Biological diversity" or "biodiversity" has the meaning ascribed to it in section 1 of the Biodiversity Act. The system of protected areas in South Africa consists of the following kinds of protected areas: (a) special nature reserves, nature reserves (including wilderness areas) and protected environments; (b) world heritage sites; (d) specially protected forest areas, forest nature reserves and forest wilderness areas declared in terms of the National Forests Act, 1998 (Act No. 84 of 1998); and (e) mountain catchment areas declared in terms of the Mountain Catchment Areas Act, 1970 (Act No. 63 of 1970). Section 7 deals with conflicts with other legislation. The Minister must maintain Register of Protected Areas (sect. 10). The authority for the management of a protected area assigned in terms of section 38 must, within 12 months of the assignment, submit a management plan for the protected area to the Minister or the Executive Council of a province in whose portfolio provincial protected areas in the province fall for approval.
Implemented by: Regulations for the proper administration of special nature reserves, national parks and world heritage sites (No. R. 1061 of 2005). (2005-10-28)
Implemented by: Link to the Register of Protected Areas in Terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (G.N. No. 1051 of 2007). (2007-11-09)
Implemented by: National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act: Declaration of Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Parks to be part of Garden Route National Park and assigning of South African National Parks as management of consolidated Garden Route National Park, (G.N. No. 95 of 2011). (2011-02-11)
Implemented by: Regulations for the Proper Administration of Nature Reserves (No. R. 99 of 2012). (2012-02-08)
Implemented by: National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act: Norms and standards for management of protected areas in South Africa (No. 382 of 2016). (2016-03-31)
Implemented by: National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act: Regulations: Mountain Zebra Camdeboo Protected Environment Regulations. (2016-04-01)
Implemented by: National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act: Declaration of Tsitsikamma National Park Marine Protected Areas (No. 1578 of 2016). (2016-12-19)
Implemented by: National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act: Regulations: Management of Tsitsikamma National Park Marine Protected Area (No. 1579 of 2016). (2017-11-03)
