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Main Street 1549 (Pty) Ltd proposes 'downscaled and non-intrusive' surveys in Blocks 9 and 11B/12B, located between Mossel Bay and Gqeberha, to support potential oil and gas development in the Outeniqua region. The activities include seabed mapping, sampling, and the use of underwater robots, requiring a 500 m2 exclusion zone around survey vessels. The document warns of potential negative impacts on marine life, including whales and dolphins, and the livelihoods of local fishing and tourism sectors. It also notes that the project is unlikely to create significant local employment. Public comments on the Draft Scoping Report are requested by 3 April 2025, as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment process managed by SLR Consulting (South Africa).

Main Street 1549 (Pty) Ltd proposes 'downscaled and non-invasive' surveys in Licence Blocks 9 and 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin to inform future oil and gas production infrastructure. The surveys involve seafloor mapping, sampling, and the use of Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), with a 500-metre exclusion zone around vessels. Potential impacts include disruption to marine life (specifically whales, dolphins, and migratory fish), noise and water pollution from vessel discharges, and negative effects on local livelihoods tied to fishing and tourism. The document also highlights risks to the cultural and spiritual heritage of indigenous groups who view the area as 'living' waters. Public comments on the Draft Scoping Report are requested by 3 April 2025.

TotalEnergies (TEEPSA) plans to drill up to seven exploration wells for oil and gas in the southern Deep Water Orange Basin (DWOB), approximately 211 km off the South African coast at depths between 500m and 3,900m. The project is currently in the second stage of its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), with the public invited to submit comments on the ESIA draft report by 10 March 2025. Potential risks identified include noise and pollution affecting marine life—such as whales, dolphins, and African penguins—as well as negative impacts on local fishing livelihoods and the cultural and spiritual significance of the coastline from Port Nolloth to Cape Town. Additionally, fishers and environmental groups are expected to challenge TEEPSA's existing environmental authorisation for the western DWOB in the Cape High Court in February 2025.

The document provides a comprehensive guide for South African small-scale fishing communities to navigate environmental laws and participate in decision-making processes. It details the legal framework—including the Constitution and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)—and explains the risks associated with oil and gas exploration, mining, powerships, and hydrogen plants. The guide outlines how to engage in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), appeal authorisations, and use the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to hold developers and the government accountable.

The document is a comprehensive guide for small-scale fishing communities in South Africa to exercise their environmental rights. It details the legal framework—including the Constitution and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)—and explains how communities can engage in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and legislative processes. It specifically warns against the risks of offshore oil and gas exploration, mining, and the impacts of climate change, using case studies like the Deepwater Horizon spill and the 2022 Durban floods to illustrate environmental and socio-economic vulnerabilities. The guide provides practical steps for accessing information via the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and highlights successful legal challenges against companies like Shell and Searcher to demonstrate the power of collective community action.

The document provides a comprehensive framework for small-scale fishing communities in South Africa to exercise their environmental rights against industrial developments. It details the legal landscape, including the Constitution and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), and explains the processes for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and public participation. The guide highlights the risks associated with oil and gas exploration, mining, and power ships, while emphasizing the impacts of climate change on coastal livelihoods. It concludes with practical steps for legal challenges and accessing information via PAIA requests, illustrated by case studies involving Shell and Searcher.

The document outlines proposed survey activities by Main Street 1549 (Pty) Ltd in Blocks 9 and 11B/12B off the southern coast of South Africa. It describes the technical nature of the surveys—including bathymetry, sonar, and ROV use—and the potential negative impacts on marine biodiversity, local livelihoods (fishing, tourism, and shipping), and cultural heritage. The pamphlet serves as a call for public participation, detailing a schedule of community meetings in March 2025 and the process for submitting formal objections or comments to SLR Consulting by 3 April 2025.

The document provides a comprehensive guide for small-scale fishers in South Africa to exercise their environmental rights. It details the legal protections offered by the Constitution and acts like NEMA and MPRDA, explains the risks associated with oil and gas exploration, mining, and energy projects, and provides practical steps for engaging in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and legislative processes to ensure community voices are heard in ocean governance.

Natural Justice critiques proposed amendments to South Africa's EIA Regulations, warning that reducing 'red tape' for seismic surveys, mining expansions, and fracturing could lead to long-term ecological and social harm. The organization advocates for maintaining full EIAs for high-impact activities and strengthening public participation to ensure a just energy transition.

Natural Justice argues that South Africa's proposed 2024 EIA regulation amendments must ensure full environmental impact assessments for high-impact activities, including hydraulic fracturing, seismic surveys, and coastal industrial construction, to protect ecological integrity and community livelihoods.

The document outlines a proposal for a national Traditional Knowledge Database in Mozambique to prevent the loss and misappropriation of biodiversity-related knowledge. It details a multi-tiered access system—ranging from community representatives to the general public—and an interoperability framework designed to link with scientific repositories like BioNoMo and RECIMO. The proposal emphasizes community-centric governance, including Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and traditional dispute resolution, to ensure that knowledge holders maintain control over their cultural heritage and benefit from its use.

The document outlines TEEPSA's plan to conduct exploration drilling in the southern part of the DWOB license block, located approximately 211 km from Saldanha. It details the environmental impact assessment process, the planned drilling activities—including the use of mobile offshore drilling units and support vessels—and the potential negative impacts on marine species, fishing livelihoods, and intangible cultural heritage. It urges affected parties to register and submit comments by February 19, 2025.

The document outlines TEEPSA's proposal to drill up to seven exploration and appraisal wells in a 15,000 km2 area of the Deep Water Orange Basin South, located approximately 211km from Saldanha. It details the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, the technical phases of drilling, and potential risks to marine life, fishing livelihoods, and the cultural heritage of coastal communities. The public is invited to submit comments on the draft Scoping Report by 19 February 2025.

The Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill (TKLB) 2024 is proposed legislation in South Africa designed to formally recognise and regulate traditional and Khoi-San leadership. It follows a 2023 Constitutional Court decision that declared the Traditional Khoi-San Leadership Act 3 of 2019 unconstitutional due to a lack of public participation and concerns over land dispossession. The 2024 Bill introduces processes for leadership recognition in Section 8 and Section 10, and requires the Premier to define traditional council jurisdictions in the Provincial Gazette under Section 16(5) to address community land rights. However, the document notes gaps in the Bill, including a lack of direct mechanisms for communities to challenge leadership recognition, the absence of voting rights for leaders in municipal councils, and insufficient enforcement mechanisms for gender representation, despite a requirement that one in three council representatives be women.

The document serves as a practical toolkit for Mozambican communities to safeguard traditional knowledge through legal mechanisms like Geographic Indicators (GIs) and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regulations. It details the process of forming producer associations for GI registration, negotiating Prior Informed Consent (PIC) for research, and developing Community Protocols to govern interactions with outsiders. The guide emphasizes the role of knowledge holders in maintaining secrecy and the importance of tiered cost-sharing models to make legal protections accessible to vulnerable community members.

Rhino Oil & Gas Exploration South Africa (Pty) Ltd has applied for two exploration rights, ER377 and ER378, to explore for natural gas, methane, helium, and hydrogen in the Free State Province. The project involves aeromagnetic surveys and the drilling of up to 20 wells, which may require significant water resources and infrastructure. Potential risks identified include water contamination, soil degradation, air pollution, and disruptions to agriculture and cultural heritage. The document emphasizes that the extraction of natural gas contributes to climate change through methane and carbon emissions. Public comments on the Draft EIA Reports are requested by 6 March 2025.

The draft Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill 2024 aims to replace the unconstitutional Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act 3 of 2019. It outlines criteria for the recognition of traditional and Khoi-San communities, leadership positions, and the establishment of various councils and houses at local, provincial, and national levels. The Bill also creates a Commission on Khoi-San Matters to investigate and recommend the recognition of Khoi-San communities and leaders.

The 2024 Draft Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership (TKL) Bill seeks to formally recognise and regulate leadership structures in South Africa, addressing historical exclusions of Khoi-San communities and correcting constitutional failings of the 2019 Act. Key provisions include processes for leadership recognition and the protection of community land rights, though the document notes concerns regarding the lack of clear guidelines for community engagement and enforcement mechanisms for gender representation.

The document outlines a proposal for a community-centered national database to safeguard Mozambique's traditional knowledge on biodiversity. It identifies critical regulatory gaps in digital documentation and proposes a multi-tiered access system to prevent misappropriation. The framework emphasizes interoperability with existing scientific repositories like BioNoMo and RECIMO, and integrates a robust community-led governance model for consent and dispute resolution.

The document outlines the importance of protecting traditional knowledge in Mozambique, highlighting risks such as biopiracy and commercial exploitation. It defines the role of academia in ensuring ethical research through informed consent and benefit-sharing, and recommends three key frameworks: the SADC Research Ethics Guidelines, the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) Code of Ethics, and the research ethics regulations of Eduardo Mondlane University.