Finding the Balance between “Promote” and “Protect”

Natural Justice provides a critique of the proposed amendments to South Africa's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations, 2014, published on 6 December 2024. The organization argues that while the amendments aim to reduce administrative 'red tape', they may weaken environmental oversight and community rights, particularly regarding seismic surveys, mining expansions, and fracturing activities.

• The proposed amendments to the EIA Regulations, 2014, seek to streamline approvals by reducing procedural requirements, which Natural Justice argues may compromise environmental and social protections. Specific changes include downgrading seismic surveys from requiring full environmental impact assessments to basic assessments, and removing the requirement for landowner consent for certain activities such as mining expansions and projects using fracturing technology.
• The amendments introduce changes to regulatory definitions and authorizations that may reduce oversight. The term 'hydraulic fracturing' is being replaced by a broader definition of 'fracturing', which could encompass multiple well stimulation techniques under a less specific category. Additionally, the amendments may allow permits issued before 2014 to be automatically recognized as compliant with new regulations.
• Natural Justice expresses concern that the amendments may negatively impact the rights of Indigenous and rural communities, specifically regarding land tenure and the ability of these groups to be heard in development decisions.
• To balance economic development with environmental protection, Natural Justice proposes that full environmental impact assessments remain mandatory for 'High Impact Activities'. These include hydraulic fracturing, seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration, and the construction of ports, oil refineries, or industrial zones near coastlines.

APA

Martens, C. (2025). Finding the Balance between “Promote” and “Protect”. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/a-view-on-the-south-african-eia-amendments/

Chicago

Martens, Claire. Finding the Balance between “Promote” and “Protect”. Natural Justice, 2025. https://naturaljustice.org/a-view-on-the-south-african-eia-amendments/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Martens |first1=Claire |title=Finding the Balance between “Promote” and “Protect” |publisher=Natural Justice |date=12 February 2025 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/a-view-on-the-south-african-eia-amendments/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{martens2025finding, author = {Martens, Claire}, title = {{Finding the Balance between “Promote” and “Protect”}}, publisher = {Natural Justice}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/a-view-on-the-south-african-eia-amendments/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }