SOUTH AFRICAS THIRD NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

South Africa is developing its third National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP) for 2025-2035. The briefing proposes a target of adding 16 million hectares to protected and conserved areas to reach a total of 36.6 million hectares (30% of land surface) by 2035. This proposal is based on a 'whole-of-society' model involving government, private sector, and NGOs, with 13.6 million hectares already identified through secured and planned funding totaling R5.4 billion.

• South Africa's third National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP) is being developed for the period 2025 to 2035, with a primary focus on contributing to the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Target 3, which aims to conserve 30% of land, waters, and seas.
• The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) reports that the current baseline for terrestrial protected and conserved areas in South Africa is approximately 20.6 million hectares, representing nearly 17% of the country's land surface.
• A coalition of NGOs has identified collective contributions of 13.6 million hectares through secured and planned funding valued at R5.4 billion to support biodiversity targets.
• The document proposes that South Africa commit to an NBSAP target of adding 16 million hectares, which would bring the total to 36.6 million hectares (30% of land surface) by 2035, including at least 4.5 million hectares of formally protected areas.
• Biodiversity stewardship mechanisms have been highly effective in South Africa over the last 20 years, accounting for more than 95% of all new protected areas, totaling some 2.5 million hectares.

APA

WWF South Africa (n.d.). SOUTH AFRICAS THIRD NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/g20_national-biodiversity-strategic-plan_digital-new.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. SOUTH AFRICAS THIRD NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN. n.d. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/g20_national-biodiversity-strategic-plan_digital-new.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=SOUTH AFRICAS THIRD NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/g20_national-biodiversity-strategic-plan_digital-new.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafricandsouth, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICAS THIRD NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/g20_national-biodiversity-strategic-plan_digital-new.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }