Getting biodiversity strategy right: What SA’s new action plan must deliver

The South African government has released a draft of its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, outlining the nation's plan for protecting and managing its natural resources over the next decade. This significant document aims to address the conservation of South Africa's rich biodiversity, which is home to over 20,000 indigenous plant species and numerous unique ecosystems.

However, the draft raises questions about whether the strategy adequately differentiates between an economy that depends on biodiversity and one that actively restores it.

South Africa boasts an extraordinary natural heritage, with diverse ecosystems spanning various biomes and extensive freshwater, marine, and wetland habitats. Despite this, the latest National Biodiversity Assessment reveals troubling trends, with nearly half of ecosystem types threatened and significant declines in plant and animal populations. In response to these challenges, the draft strategy emphasizes the need to integrate biodiversity into decision-making processes across government and society.

One key aspect of the draft is its focus on the "biodiversity economy," which proposes expanding value chains involving various natural resources, including wildlife, marine and freshwater ecosystems. While recognizing the importance of sustainable livelihoods, the strategy must strike a crucial balance between economic utilization and ecological recovery.

It is essential to distinguish between an economy that depends on biodiversity and one that actively restores it. The former may generate revenue while natural capital declines, whereas the latter ensures ecological flourishing is a prerequisite for economic success.

The draft acknowledges the pressures facing South Africa's biodiversity, such as biological resource use, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, and climate change. It stresses that biodiversity-economy activities must operate without depleting the biological foundation and should be measured by their ability to maintain or improve biodiversity.

Numbers alone, however, do not necessarily protect nature, and the strategy emphasizes that conservation success should be evaluated based on ecological integrity, species populations, threatened species, genetic diversity, ecosystem condition, and connectivity.

In summary, South Africa's new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan presents a promising framework for protecting its natural resources. However, it must address the nuanced distinction between dependent and restoration-oriented economies to ensure that biodiversity conservation remains a priority alongside economic development.