COMMENTARY ON THE DRAFT WHITE PAPER ON CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BIODIVERSITY 2022

Natural Justice and the Biodiversity Law Centre express strong support for the Draft White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity 2022. They commend the document for moving away from colonial and apartheid-era conservation models toward a vision of 'Living in Harmony with Nature' that integrates human well-being, animal welfare, and the intrinsic value of nature. The organizations highlight the need to address the lack of transformation in the biodiversity sector and the ongoing threats of habitat loss and invasive species in South Africa.

• The authors support the Draft White Paper's shift toward a 'Living in Harmony with Nature' vision, which aligns South Africa with the United Nations and the Convention on Biodiversity and represents a 'paradigmatic shift' in biodiversity governance.
• The commentary praises the policy for acknowledging that traditional conservation models were based on 'historical colonial practices' and 'entrenched by apartheid', which led to the exclusion of local and indigenous communities and the over-exploitation of nature.
• The document emphasizes that biodiversity loss in South Africa is driven by global change, habitat loss and degradation, overharvesting, illegal harvesting, and invasive alien species.
• The authors endorse the White Paper's focus on the intrinsic value of nature and the integration of animal welfare and ethics into conservation efforts to ensure the health of all animals and humans.
• The commentary highlights the importance of the philosophy of Ubuntu—centered on interdependence and interconnectedness—and the role of indigenous knowledge in the proposed policy.

APA

Natural Justice (2022). COMMENTARY ON THE DRAFT WHITE PAPER ON CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BIODIVERSITY 2022. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Cover-Letter-NJ-and-BLC-08.09.22.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. COMMENTARY ON THE DRAFT WHITE PAPER ON CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BIODIVERSITY 2022. 2022. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Cover-Letter-NJ-and-BLC-08.09.22.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Natural Justice |title=COMMENTARY ON THE DRAFT WHITE PAPER ON CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BIODIVERSITY 2022 |date=8 September 2022 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Cover-Letter-NJ-and-BLC-08.09.22.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{naturaljustice2022commentary, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{COMMENTARY ON THE DRAFT WHITE PAPER ON CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BIODIVERSITY 2022}}, publisher = {Natural Justice}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Cover-Letter-NJ-and-BLC-08.09.22.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }