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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 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.

A notice of appeal filed on 30 March 2015 by eight environmental organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), challenging the grant of mining right MP30/5/1/2/2/1/0069MR to Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd (AAV). The appeal seeks to set aside and suspend the right for the proposed Yzermyn underground coal mine, arguing that the grant is unlawful and irrational given the area's extreme environmental sensitivity, its status as a protected environment, and the lack of required ministerial consent.