Research documents

The South African National Climate Change Response Policy – an evidence-based policy-making case study​.

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Towards sustainable development and green economy evidence strategy: workshop report

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Working paper: Understanding the organisational context for evidence-informed policy-making

Louise Shaxson, Ajoy Datta, Mapula Tshangela and Bongani Matomela

This is the first in a series of documents that have been developed. This working paper presents ideas for discussion and debate; it describes the framework the team used to analyse how DEA’s internal structures and processes and the external policy environment in South Africa affect how its policy-makers source and use evidence.

» download report [PDF - 3.88mb]

Evidence and policy in South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs

Alf Wills, Mapula Tshangela, Narnia Bohler-Muller, Ajoy Datta, Nikki Funke, Linda Godfrey, Bongani Matomela, Gary Pienaar, Nedson Pophiwa, Louise Shaxson, Wilma Strydom and Ke Yu

This is the second in a series of documents that have been developed. This report synthesises the organisational issues that influence how DEA works with evidence to develop, implement, monitor and report on environmental policies. It is based on the findings of five studies that were conducted as part of a programme of support to DEA between 2014 and 2016.

» download report [PDF - 2.09mb]

Guidelines and good practices for evidence-informed policy-making in a government department

Alf Wills, Mapula Tshangela, Louise Shaxson, Ajoy Datta and Bongani Matomela

This is the second in a series of documents that have been developed. This report intends to prompt discussion within South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs and across the environment sector in South Africa. It proposes five guidelines and sets of good practice that could underpin a systematic and phased approach to improving evidence-informed policy-making within a government department.

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Identification and mapping of soils rich in organic carbon in South Africa as a climate change mitigation option

The main purposes of this project were to develop maps, in detail and at high resolution, of soil organic carbon content as percentages and as stocks of soils across the entire South Africa; use the above maps as an input to the current electronic based National Carbon Sinks Atlas; with a focus on areas with soils high in organic carbon.

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Carbon Offset Standards and Methodologies Project Steering Committee

The National Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Assessment (NTCSA) for South Africa was primarily undertaken to improve our understanding of the distribution of carbon stocks and fluxes, equally important to identify landbased mitigation opportunities that can avoid or decrease emissions from the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector.

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Assessment of the potential to produce biochar and its application to South African soils as a mitigation measure

Biochar is gradually gaining interest globally as a climate change mitigation measure in the agriculture forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector. It is produced in the absence of oxygen through a process called pyrolysis, mainly from biomass material. However, a host of other materials (feedstock) can be used. Several studies in different areas across the world have demonstrated that deploying biochar in soils results in benefits that include enhanced agricultural yield, a reduction in leaching of nutrients, a reduction in soil acidity, increased soil water retention and a reduction in fertilizer use and irrigation requirements.

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Multiple pathways to substainable development: Initial findings from Global South

The four national approaches to sustainable development reflect the particular experiences, circumstances, and priorities of the countries that adopted them. They are representative of the broad spectrum of sustainable development approaches that exist today.

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Integration of the Carbon Tax and Carbon Budgets in South Africa

This paper provides recommendations for combining the carbon budget with the carbon tax to support delivery of South Africa’s emissions reduction targets beyond 2020. While both the carbon tax and carbon budget approach have merits, economic theory would suggest that there could be risks associated with applying both instruments to the same emissions at the same time.

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Freight Shift from Road to Rail report

The Department of Environment Affairs has recently completed a Mitigation Potential Analysis (MPA) for South Africa aimed at identifying priority mitigation measures which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most favourable measures, taking both the extent of mitigation of emissions and the associated social and economic impacts in to consideration is the shift of freight from road to rail.

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South African National Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Assessment

The National Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Assessment (NTCSA) is a first of its kind for South Africa and was commissioned following a directive from the National Climate Change Response Policy (NCCRP). Given this, the aim was to assess the national carbon sinks in relation to afforestation, forest restoration, wetlands, agricultural practices and urban greening.

• Section 1: Introduction of the South African National Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Assessment
• Section 2: Phase 2 - Understanding potential climate change mitigation opportunities
• Section 3: Review of existing policy
• Section 4: Assessment - Suggested future amendments to policy

Research Synopsis Report      

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The Long-Term Adaptation Flagship Research Programme (LTAS)

The Long-Term Adaptation Flagship Research Programme (LTAS) responds to the South African National Climate Change Response White Paper by undertaking climate change adaptation research and scenario planning for South Africa and the Southern African sub-region. The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is leading the process in collaboration with technical research partner the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) as well as technical and financial assistance from the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Phase 2 of the Long-Term Adaptation Flagship Research Programm include the following:

• Climate Change Adaptation Perspectives for the South African Development Community (SADC)
• Climate Information and early warning systems for supporting the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Sector in South Africa under Future Climates
• Climate Change Adaptation Perspectives for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in South Africa
• Climate Change Adaptation Perspectives on Urban, Rural, and Coastal Human Settlements in South Africa
• Climate Change Adaptation Perspectives on Food Security in South Africa
• Climate Change Adaptation Perspectives to future Climates in South Africa
• Long Term Adaptation Scenarios for South Africa

Adaptation Scenarios Factsheet Series

• Factsheet 1 of 7 - Perspectives for SADC
• Factsheet 2 of 7 - Climate Information and Early Warning Systems
• Factsheet 3 of 7 - Disaster risk reduction and management
• Factsheet 4 of 7 - Human Settlements
• Factsheet 5 of 7 - Food Security
• Factsheet 6 of 7 – Economics
• Factsheet 7 of 7 - Scenarios

Governance of climate change in South Africa [PDF- 670.61 kb]

Scoping of the approximate climate change adaptation costs in several key sectors for South Africa up to 2050 [PDF - 605 kb]

Synthesis of climate finance literature report to the DBSA [PDF - 1.77 mb] 

Opportunities for and cost of mitigation in South African economy [PDF - 1.27 mb]

Environmental research and technologies in South Africa [PDF - 892.31 kb]

High level consultation with finance sector on climate change and funding mechanisms [PDF - 104 mb]

Financing climate change  [PDF - 723.71 kb]

Institutional funding mechanisms: case study review [PDF - 783.22 kb]

The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the relevance and effectiveness of the environmental governance legislation in mining and the implementation thereof in achieving its objective. The evaluation covers the period from the promulgation of the Minerals Act, 1991 (Act 50 of 1991) (the Minerals Act) up to the legislation in place as of March 2014. Given that amendments to the legislation were implemented on 8 December 2014, a post-script has been appended to the evaluation that details the context of these amendments and how they relate to the analysis and recommendations raised as part of this evaluation.

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The present study was undertaken at the request of South’s Africa Department of Environmental Affairs. It presents a modelling exercise that compares a scenario of investments directed to “business-as-usual” (BAU) with scenarios of investments allocated to four critical sectors for a transition to a green economy in South Africa, namely: natural resource management, agriculture, transport and energy.

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House mice (Mus musculus) were introduced to South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island, the larger of the two Prince Edward Islands, by sealers in the early 19th century. Over the last two centuries they have greatly reduced the abundance of native invertebrates. Domestic cats (Felis catus) taken to the island in 1948 to control mice at the South African weather station soon turned feral, killing large numbers of breeding seabirds.

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This document sets out the strategy for biodiversity research and evidence between 2015 and 2025. It broadly describes the needs for evidence to support achievement of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and other policy priorities. This strategy document is accompanied by an annual implementation plan, which details what evidence is needed in the short to medium term to inform policy decision-making, and the medium to long-term evidence that provides the foundational knowledge for the sector.

» Strategy document 2015 - 2025  [PDF]

» Annual implementation plan 2016 - 2017 [PDF]

The National Biodiversity and Business Network (NBBN) was created to support the mainstreaming of biodiversity into business in South Africa. In order to better understand the current status quo in South Africa, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in collaboration with the NBBN decided to conduct this preliminary baseline assessment with the aim of assessing current approaches and practices of South African businesses to mainstream biodiversity.

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The Government of the Republic of Botswana and the Government of the Republic of South Africa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to carry out a Regional Environmental and Social Assessment (RESA), with support from the World Bank, to examine the cumulative environmental and socio-economic impacts of all the planned and existing energy sector investments on both sides of the border between Botswana and South Africa. In order to define the scope of work for a detailed RESA Study, an initial assessment was made which is included in the Phase-1 Report of the RESA hereby attached.

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This report is the product of the study on rhino dehorning and was conducted on behalf of DEA by the Endangered Wildlife Trust. The aim of the report is to provide clarity on the impacts and efficacy of dehorning and to identify the circumstances under which the intervention is most likely to be effective at reducing poaching.

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Working for Water priority needs in the field of research include: (a) the need to convince all the relevant people within WfW and its parent departments of the essential nature of the programme’s research effort; (b) the urgent need to secure a sound institutional base for, and to massively increase the human capacity for the research effort that will be necessary if WfW is to have any hope of achieving its long-term objectives among others. 

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The state of the oceans and coasts around South Africa - annual science report: report no. 19 of 2019

South Africa’s oceans and coasts annual science report, 2019, presents results of research and monitoring conducted by the department on a number of physical, biological and chemical aspects of oceans and coasts (including estuaries) around South Africa, in the southern ocean, or other parts of the African ocean regions. As in the annual science report for 2018, this report has a section dedicated to monitoring programmes with summary updates for the last calendar year, and a section for research highlights, presenting summaries of research that has been published or presented at symposia during 2019.

» download report [PDF - 22.3 mb]

The state of the oceans and coasts around South Africa - annual science report: report no. 18 of 2018

The body of this report is made up of 22 contributions. Each separate contribution is termed a “report card” and the prefix “R” is used when referring to them by number below. Ten of the report cards are listed under the heading “monitoring programmes” and 11 under “research highlights”. Under each of these main headings there is a distinct subsection, presenting findings of the Southern Benguela Integrated Ecosystem Programme and the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition, respectively (four report cards each). The last report card is a single contribution against the heading “Research support”.

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This is the 17th issue covering some of the environmental monitoring activities and research results obtained during the 2017/2018 financial year. It describes scientific observations in the marine environment, from the inshore to the offshore and from the ocean surface to the ocean floor within South Africa’s exclusive economic zone.

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In this report, the department provides updated information on the status of some parameters for South Africa’s oceans and coasts, ranging from chemical and physical properties to biological assessments. These have been selected as potentially useful indicators of the change, health and management of South Africa’s marine ecosystems. The format of this report is aimed at providing a brief overview of the research and monitoring undertaken within the department.

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In this report card, DEA provides brief synopses of some results of monitoring a suite of variables that range from physical and chemical ocean properties to plankton and other biological attributes, which have been chosen as potentially useful indicators of change, health and management of South Africa’s marine and coastal systems.

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In this report, aspects of this monitoring and research are briefly elaborated upon. The report considers some features of the physical and chemical oceanography of South Africa’s marine environment and then the plankton of its oceans, which form the basis of the marine food webs.

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This document contains the revised guidelines for recreational waters of South Africa's coastal marine environment, which addresses some of the shortcomings of the previous version (DWAF, 1995). The aim is to provide managers and governing authorities with the background and guidance to define target ranges for recreational waters, as well as to provide guidance on the implementation thereof....

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» download a summary report

South Africa’s involvement in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean Islands dates back to the earliest voyages of discovery, due to the then Cape of Good Hope’s position as a stop-over for explorers, whalers and sealers (people hunting whales and seals). Post-graduate thesis have been produced from research on Marion Island, and South Africa has been operating a weather station on Gough Island since 1956. The country has also  launched the new research and supply vessel, SA Agulhas II and was dedicated to the late Singer Miriam Makeba.

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