Overview of chapter
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The inclusion of environmental rights in the Constitution, the development of a plethora of new environmental management policies committed to sustainable development, and a marked increase in donor funding for environmental management are positive changes in the new South African political context. These changes have arisen from both national and international drivers, and are impacting on redirection of resources within the country from traditional conservation to people-centered sustainability management.
However, the challenge for the future lies in commitment to implementation, as financial and human resources have not yet been allocated in proportion to the rapid developments in policy. Implementation must occur within the overall government objectives of socio-economic growth and development, alleviation of poverty, reduction of unemployment, and redress of inequity, to ensure sustainability of resources and ecosystem services for future generations. A critical requirement which still needs to be developed is effective measurement and reporting systems of implementation success.
Authors: Fakir S, IUCN, Kruger F Dr, Fred Kruger Consultant CC, Pretorius J R, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
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At a national level, policies are government instruments used to drive change, enforce or encourage certain actions, and prevent or discourage other actions. Policy guides decision-makers in setting priorities and allocating resources. Lack of policy can cause confusion over rights and responsibilities, and result in undesirable behaviours and disputes. In an environmental context, lack of policy can lead to abuse of resources, inequity and degradation of systems.
The advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994 has increased the participation of stakeholders and the public in policy formation. In particular, it has raised the level of public debate to promote policy aimed at achieving sustainable development rather than serving narrow group and sectoral interests.
South Africa is ahead of many other developing countries in sustainability policy development because, in addition to several new, far-sighted environmental management policies, the Constitution makes provision for each citizen to have the right to a healthy environment, and the right to have the environment protected.
The driving forces behind recent environmental policy development in South Africa are of both national and international origin. Prior to 1994, policies served minority interests and were not representative of, nor beneficial to, all South Africans. Since 1994 there has been considerable effort to redress this bias and promote equity. The Constitution establishes a system of governance that promotes ownership of resources and empowers the public to utilise resources more sustainably. It also encourages interaction and consultation with civil society so as to draw more public inputs in policy and implementation processes which focus on the need for growth, development and creation of employment, and people-centred environmental management.
International drivers include the many conventions and agreements which have developed to address the many environmental problems which transcend national boundaries. Since the worldwide adoption of Agenda 21 in Rio in 1992, a host of new international conventions and agreements have emerged. The most important of these, from an environmental perspective, are the so called "sustainable development" conventions, namely Climate Change, Biodiversity and Desertification.
As a signatory to international conventions, South Africa must abide by all the requirements of member states. Direct consequences for South Africa are the development of policies, strategies, national action plans, and implementation plans to ensure that our obligations are met in terms of these international conventions. In all cases, this implies allocation of additional resources, both human and financial, for which donor assistance is often required. Currently (April 1999) South Africa is a signatory to 17 international environmental conventions.
International trade is a further key driver of environmental policy as the inter-connectedness of global markets and trade between nations means that actions in one country increasingly affect other countries. Consumer demands on companies to ensure that the goods they produce are environmentally sustainable (particularly in more developed countries) drives the environmental standards and procedures companies must put in place in order to trade internationally.
During the 1990s, a number of new environmental policy processes were initiated in South Africa. The most recent, referred to as the Consultative Environmental Policy Process (CONEPP) culminated in the release of a draft White Paper on a National Environmental Management System. This represented a paradigm shift from the concept of environment being narrowly regarded as relating only to conservation (green issues), to the broader concept of sustainable development including the integration of social, economic and environmental factors. Further it included a more democratic and participatory system of policy formulation, and a wider recognition that environmental degradation is a function of market and institutional failures.
The White Paper set out an overarching framework, including principles such as accountability, capacity building, sustainable resource use, integrated planning, empowerment, and demand management and strategic goals and objectives such as a national environmental strategy and action plans, setting time-frames and targets. Keys to success are an effective institutional framework, and legislation and regulatory approaches in governance, based on cooperation and coordination of functions, and informing both the public and government about the achievement of these objectives.
The DEA&T has translated the White Paper into the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (Act 107 of 1998) which provides for co-operative environmental governance by establishing principles for decision-making on matters affecting the environment, institutions that will promote co-operative governance and procedures for co-ordinating environmental functions exercised by organs of state.
Funding allocation to the DEA&T in real terms has changed little over the last decade, despite the fact that in 1993/1994 a tourism component was added to the Department and a significant proportion of the total budget was allocated to this new function. Compared to other government programs, the environmental budget is still relatively low at about 1-2% of total government expenditure.
Donor activity in South Africa has increased significantly since 1994. Official Development Assistance (ODA) has helped South Africa in meeting the costs associated with the implementation of Agenda 21 and new priorities among the social, economic and environmental components of sustainable development. Many of the new policy developments and implementation programs would not have been possible without foreign donor funding, but, while being important in the transition period, is not the solution for the long-term as much of the funding was provided to support South Africa's transition to democracy, and as South Africa becomes more stable politically, it is anticipated that foreign assistance will be reduced.
At the institutional level, there is still a confusing and complex arrangement of institutions at national, provincial and local levels which makes co-ordination and integration of environmental management responsibilities difficult. A radical and all-encompassing restructuring process of the DEA&T was initiated in 1998 to bring the structure more into line with the changing roles and requirements of the new policies and priorities and effective coordination of functions. Full implementation of the new structure and establishing a new organisational culture and new ways of management will however take time. Institutional transformation has also been affected by the loss of experienced staff, no real growth in the environmental budget and the need for greater public participation in environmental policy making and implementation. The institutional enforcement of policy and law is likely to remain weak for some time, due to a lack of capacity to carry out these responsibilities. To address this problem the DEA&T intends to establish an Environmental Capacity Building Unit in 1999. This will support the development of capacity at national, provincial and local levels to implement the various policy and legislative obligations that the government has committed to.
The successful implementation of policy is largely a function of political will, adequate funding, good integration and co-ordination between the lead agency and other agencies where functions and responsibilities have been delegated, and a well-trained group of staff to manage programs and projects. The National Environmental Management Act took three years to develop, and needs strong capacity building programmes and commitment of resources at all levels of government to be effectively implemented.
In response to the lack of funding, several approaches have been taken by the DEA&T to access further resources. The first is a restructuring of the national department to make it more efficient and effective. There are many other possibilities such as partnerships between government, private sector and NGOs which can also assist in raising additional resources. Having a healthier environment in the future depends on the institution of good environmental management systems that involve clear partnerships between government and civil society.
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There is also information about the Political Environment in the following reports:
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Metropolitan reports:
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Affairs and Tourism. All Rights Reserved.
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Last update: October 1999
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