Threatened species lists as tools of environmental governance in South Africa

Abstract

Formal environmental governance systems mostly comprise the policy and regulatory frameworks that determine natural resource access, ownership and benefit sharing. Outside of this framework, civil society groups and academics also develop systems and frameworks to support and guide decision‐making around natural resource use and management. The environmental governance frameworks around the assessment and management of threatened species in South Africa provides the specific context for this report, which evaluates how the regulatory framework developed for threatened species listing and management in South Africa operates in comparison to the framework developed by scientists for this key aspect of threatened species conservation. The findings are contextualised within an examination of some of the global approaches to the development and application of threatened species lists and the overarching framework of environmental governance globally and in South Africa. This report uses the South African Red Data List of mammals and the subset of mammals listed in the national list of Threatened or Protected Species (ToPS) list to investigate the different approaches taken to developing threatened species lists, and their supporting frameworks. To do this, the report includes a parallel evaluation of these South African species listing processes, and a critique of their strengths and weaknesses to inform a discussion around the possible nexus between science‐based species lists and those designed with a regulatory function. An analysis of the institutional relationships underpinning the prevailing South African biodiversity conservation paradigm is also attempted. Some recommendations as to how both listing processes can either be improved or aligned are finally made, along with suggestions for altering the institutional relationships that characterise these processes. These recommendations include effective consultative processes which build on existing bodies of knowledge and share ideologies, perceptions, needs and issues; the development of sound, scientifically informed and widely communicated processes for developing the listing criteria; a mechanism to delist species based on these criteria; a reevaluation of the current terminology used in the ToPS List and regulations; the development of possible enforceable regulations and policies which reduce conflict and administrative complications at the provincial level; and stimulating fresh debate around the practicality of producing both national and provincial lists. The findings suggest that a merger of the two listing processes and functions is not necessarily required as long as there is clear delineation between their intended purpose and fundamental composition. These suggested recommendations are made to help inform future revisions of local threatened species lists by contextualising them within the current framework of thinking about environmental governance in South Africa and how this is developing. The overall aim is to improve the relevance, reliability and credibility of the assessment processes that are used for biodiversity research, planning, management and regulation.