National Protected Area Expansion Strategy for South Africa 2016.

This National Protected Area Expansion Strategy (NPAES) 2016 presents a 20-year strategy for the expansion of protected areas in South Africa. This Document represents the first full revision of the NPAES 2008, and the updated strategy for the 5-years 2016 – 2020. The goal of the NPAES is to achieve cost effective protected area expansion for improved ecosystem representation, ecological sustainability and resilience to climate change. It sets protected area targets, maps priority areas for protected area expansion, and makes recommendations on mechanisms to achieve this.
The NPAES indicates that protected areas are vital for ecological sustainability and adaptation to climate change. 20-year targets have been set as: 255 877km2 need to be added the protected area network over the next 20 years, of which 104 962km2 are marine benthic and coastal ecosystems. Of the 20 year total, 146 814km2 is required for terrestrial ecosystems, 2 352km2 for wetlands and 1 490km2 for rivers. A separate 104 780km2 is required to meet marine pelagic targets. Comprehensive targets have been set for wetlands, rivers, estuaries, specific marine ecosystems, as well as for the terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the Southern Oceans and Sub-Antarctic territories.
According to the NPAES, protected areas can support rural livelihoods and local economic development. Especially in marginal agricultural areas, conservation-related industries have higher economic potential than agricultural activities such as stock farming. Scope exists for protected area expansion to work in partnership with land reform for mutual benefit, actively supporting the land reform agenda and the diversification of rural livelihoods.
Contract agreements, in which landowners maintain ownership of their land but enter into a contract with a protected area agency in return for protected area status, are a key mechanism for expanding the protected area network. They are often much more cost effective than acquisition of land, and are used increasingly as part of biodiversity stewardship programmes. Sources of financing protected area expansion include: biodiversity-related fiscal reform to facilitate investment and expenditure by private landowners through contract agreements; strategic implementation of the biodiversity offsets programme; revenues earned from protected areas; etc. The strategic and efficient use of biodiversity offsets could potentially support the expansion of the protected area network. Priority areas for protected area expansion should be the major receiving sites for offsets.
The establishment and management of a representative and effectively managed system of protected areas is a key strategic approach in the conservation of South Africa’s biodiversity and in the mitigation of the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. The NPAES 2016 identified additional areas in the Northern Cape where there is a recently approved current protected area expansion strategy. The identified priority areas cover a total area of 190 109km2 , in addition to areas currently under negotiation covering 73 610km2 of mostly marine areas.
In terms of governance, the primary implementers of the NPAES are protected area agencies and institutions, including; provincial conservation authorities; South African National Parks (SANParks); the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF); and the Oceans and Coasts Branch of the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The NPAES 2016 further establishes a revised set of implementation targets for phase 2 (2016 – 2020), developed with consideration of the realistic resources available to implementing agencies.