Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003

1 November 2004

Download this Act (as amended by Act 2 of 2022, with effect from 30 June 2023).

National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Act No. 2 of 2022 (date of commencement for certain sections proclaimed to be 30 June 2023)
National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Act, No. 14 of 2013
National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Amendment Act, No. 21 of 2014
Amendment to Schedule 2 (25 February 2016)

National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Bill, 2017; see also the latest version of this Bill, adopted by the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs on 19 June 2018

Regulations for the Proper Administration of Special Nature Reserves, National Parks and World Heritage Sites (28 October 2005)
Regulations for the Proper Administration of Nature Reserves (8 February 2012)
Regulations for the Proper Administration of the Knysna Protected Environment (11 December 2011)

National Protected Areas Expansion Strategy 2008 (approved for implementation in March 2009)
Mpumalanga Protected Areas Expansion Strategy (July 2009)
Biodiversity Policy and Strategy for South Africa: Strategy on Buffer Zones for National Parks (8 February 2012)
Norms and Standards for the Management of Protected Areas in South Africa (31 March 2016)
Norms and standards for the inclusion of private nature reserves in the register of protected areas of South Africa (3 November 2017)

Cultural Heritage Survey Guidelines and Assessment Tools for Protected Areas in South Africa (8 December 2017)

Draft Proper Administration of Special Nature Reserves, National Parks and World Heritage Sites Amendment Regulations (25 October 2013)
Draft norms and standards for the management of protected areas in South Africa (7 July 2014)
Draft norms and standards for the inclusion of private nature reserves in the register of protected areas (4 November 2016)
Draft Cultural Heritage Survey Guidelines and Assessment Tools for Protected Areas (3 February 2017)