Search Climate Insights Directory

This 2014 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Tallinn Centre evaluates the coherence and effectiveness of Estonia's implementation of four multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) related to biodiversity: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention, CITES, and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Using a 15-category benchmarking methodology, the review finds that Estonia's overall implementation effectiveness is relatively high, with 'Cross-border cooperation' scoring as the strongest area and all other categories performing at a moderate level.

This document contains the heads of argument submitted by the MEC and the Chief Director of the North West Provincial Government (the 1st and 2nd Respondents) in an appeal before the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa. The appeal challenges an ex post facto environmental authorization granted under section 24G of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) for the Kgaswane Country Lodge, located in the Magaliesberg Protected Environment. The respondents argue that the appellant's request for the demolition of the lodge is disproportionate and that the review application became academic after the appellant failed to obtain an urgent interdict to stop construction.

This report provides the motivation for declaring the Mabola Protected Environment in southern Mpumalanga, South Africa, under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act. The proposed area consists of 22 properties totaling 8,772 hectares, identified for their high biodiversity value, including endangered ecosystems and critical water catchments. The document outlines the ecological significance of the site, the legal framework for its declaration, and the results of consultations with landowners and local government.

This report analyzes the legal and institutional framework of Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) in Senegal. It details the transition from state-led conservation to decentralized governance, the role of Communal Natural Reserves (RNCs) and sacred sites, and the challenges regarding formal recognition and sustainability of community-led conservation efforts.

This report analyzes the legal and institutional frameworks in Canada as they relate to Indigenous Peoples' Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs). It examines the tension between Canadian state law—characterized by a history of colonialism and assimilation—and the inherent rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples to govern their traditional lands and resources.

The Regulations for the Proper Administration of Nature Reserves, published on 8 February 2012 under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003, establish a legal framework for the management, conservation, and use of nature reserves in South Africa. The document outlines the powers of management authorities, rules for public access, restrictions on biological resource use, and penalties for non-compliance.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing 13 NGOs and CSOs, wrote to the Chief Executive of the Chamber of Mines to defend a request made to the Minister of Mineral Resources. The CER argues that existing statutory tools are insufficient to protect areas of critical biodiversity and hydrological value from mining, and therefore urges the Minister to use her discretion under Section 49 of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to declare certain 'no-go areas'.

This practitioner's guide, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), provides a framework for integrating conflict sensitivity into conservation activities. It aims to help NGOs and protected area managers minimize the risk of inadvertently exacerbating conflicts and maximize opportunities for peacebuilding, particularly in volatile regions where natural resource management often intersects with social and political tensions.

This World Resources Institute report examines the legal and practical application of eminent domain for the establishment of protected areas (PAs) in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It argues that the lack of democratic procedures in land acquisition leads to legal challenges, social conflict, and the eventual degazettement of parks. The authors recommend democratizing the exercise of eminent domain through transparency, public participation, and fair compensation to ensure that protected areas are both legally secure and locally legitimate.

These regulations, published under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003, establish the administrative and operational framework for special nature reserves, national parks, and world heritage sites. They detail prohibitions on biodiversity disturbance, rules for biological resource use, access controls, commercial activity restrictions, and the establishment of advisory committees and management plans.

This briefing reports on a November 2004 workshop organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) during the 3rd World Conservation Congress in Bangkok. The session focused on the challenges facing conservation efforts in Nepal due to the ongoing conflict between the government and Maoist rebels, drawing on global strategies to sustain environmental protection during armed conflict.

This report details the outcomes of a three-day workshop on 'Supporting Protected Areas in Times of Violent Conflict' held during the 5th IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, in September 2003. Co-organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) under a UNDP-supported initiative, the workshop focused on the bidirectional relationship between protected areas and violent conflict, identifying best practices for management during crises and the role of conservation in peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction.

This report, produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute in November 2000, analyzes the management system of protected areas in Estonia. It evaluates administrative performance, financial resources, and management effectiveness, while comparing the Estonian system with Finnish practices and IUCN standards. The document identifies systemic inefficiencies, funding disparities, and the need for a more unified regional management structure to support the development of the Natura 2000 network.

The 'General Policy Regarding Terrestrial and Marine Protected Areas', published on 9 May 1994 under the Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989, establishes a six-category classification system for protected areas in South Africa. This system shifts away from treating all protected areas as 'sacrosanct wildlife sanctuaries' to incorporate the needs of local communities and align with international trends in nature conservation management.

This document is a legal affidavit and supporting evidence filed by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) on behalf of a coalition of environmental organisations. It seeks the review and setting aside of decisions made by a Municipal Planning Tribunal and a Municipal Appeal Authority regarding a land-use change application by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd for the proposed Yzermyn underground coal mine. The applicants argue that the decisions were irrational, procedurally unfair, and failed to consider the strategic environmental and hydrological significance of the area, specifically its location within a Strategic Water Source Area (SWSA) and the Mabola Protected Environment.

The document contains a strategic plan for expanding protected areas in Mpumalanga province from 2009 to 2028, alongside legal correspondence and objections regarding a proposed coal mine by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd on Portion 1 of the farm Yzermyn 96 HT. The strategy prioritizes the Grassland Biome for conservation, while the legal disputes center on the environmental risks to the Mabola Protected Environment and the alleged failure of the mining application to follow the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA).

The document contains the applicants' heads of argument in a legal matter before the High Court of South Africa, Mpumalanga Division. A coalition of seven non-profit organisations seeks the review and setting aside of a decision by the MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs to exclude four properties from the Mabola Protected Environment to facilitate the construction of an underground coal mine by Uthaka Energy (Pty) Ltd.

This document is a legal notice filed in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria) in August 2017. It outlines the grounds upon which several applicants, including Mining and Environmental Justice and GroundWork, seek the review and setting aside of decisions made by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and the Minister of Mineral Resources to allow Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd to conduct commercial mining in the Mabola Protected Environment.

This document is an affidavit filed by Praveer Tripathi, Senior Vice President of Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd (now Uthaka Energy), in the High Court of South Africa. The affidavit responds to a filing by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), alleging that the CER and its attorney, Catherine Horsfield, have a conflict of interest because they are acting as both legal representatives for environmental groups and as activists with their own agenda to stop coal mining. Tripathi details a decade of litigation and media campaigns led by the CER to obstruct Atha-Africa's coal-mining project in the Mabola Protected Environment, arguing that these actions follow a global 'disrupt and delay' strategy used by environmental NGOs to make fossil fuel projects unviable.

This document consists of a series of panel reports, official letters, and motivations regarding the declaration of protected environments in Mpumalanga, South Africa, and the subsequent conflict with mining interests held by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd (AAV). It details the administrative process of declaring the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE), the expansion of the Kwamandlangampisi Protected Environment (KPE), and the declaration of the Tafelkop Nature Reserve (TPNR), while addressing objections from local communities and AAV regarding socio-economic impacts and mining rights.