The NBA is a scientific reflection of the state of the country’s biodiversity. It took five years to complete and involved nearly 480 South African scientists, many of them emerging ones.

The report was released on Thursday at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in Pretoria by minister of environment, forestry and fisheries, Barbara Creecy. 

Another significant finding of the report was the confirmation of biodiversity-related employment, where it was noted that about 418 000 jobs were biodiversity-related. This compared favourably with the mining sector, which sustained approximately 430 000 jobs in 2017. Many of the biodiversity-related jobs were in rural areas where employment alternatives were limited.

Creecy said the assessment allowed the government to evaluate progress and shortcomings in conservation and ecosystem management on land and sea.

The study found that major pressures on the country's biodiversity were habitat loss, changes to freshwater flow, overuse of some species, pollution, climate change and invasive alien species. 

“The study will be a valuable tool for the environment sector, government, civil society and the scientific community to inform policy, planning and decision-making on the wise use of the country’s biodiversity assets and the management and restoration of ecological infrastructure,” said Creecy.  

Although the report found that South Africa’s protected areas were generally providing good protection for species, with the majority of species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, plants, butterflies and mammals protected - animal and plant species were under threat.

The NBA revealed that 36 South African plant species were already confirmed extinct, a further 70 possibly extinct and 14% of all plant species threatened with extinction. Of the 2 911 animals assessed, a total of 12% were categorised as threatened with extinction.

“The most concerning of the report’s findings relate to our freshwater ecosystems, rivers, wetlands, estuaries and freshwater fish stocks. These are the most vulnerable of all species groups and the most threatened ecosystems in South Africa,” said the minister. “In a water-stressed country such as ours, these findings are cause for serious concern.” 

Creecy acknowledged the call made by scientists for urgent action to improve the health of rivers, wetlands and estuaries that protect the country’s water security. 

“The restoration and protection of these fresh water eco-systems, or what we term eco-infrastructure services, will deliver huge returns on investment with great benefit to the communities that depend on them,” she said.  

The information in the report would not only feed into policies such as the National Biodiversity Framework and the National Protected Areas Expansion Strategy, but also assist in the country’s international reporting obligations – such as the state of environment reporting and the Convention on Biological Diversity Country Report.  

It would also improve targeting of the department’s already extensive programme to rehabilitate rivers, estuaries and wetlands.

“Armed with the scientific evidence from this report, we will now be able to take further action to protect and monitor the effectiveness of interventions in our most important eco-infrastructure and water catchment areas," said Creecy.  

ANA