Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Willie Aucamp has announced the publication of South Africa's National Elephant Heritage Strategy in the Government Gazette, paving the way for its implementation as a national framework for elephant conservation and management.
The strategy provides a coherent, evidence-based approach to the conservation and management of the African elephant in South Africa and is aligned with national biodiversity targets and policy mandates.
According to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), African elephants are currently listed nationally as "least concern", reflecting a widespread and stable population that faces a low risk of extinction within South Africa.
The strategy was developed through a partnership between the DFFE, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and South African National Parks (SANParks).
The initiative was aimed at creating a unified framework to guide elephant conservation and management across the country.
In line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the strategy was developed using a whole-of-society approach that incorporated input from stakeholders across South Africa.
As part of the process, a National Elephant Indaba was convened to discuss challenges related to human-elephant conflict and to develop a coordinated national response informed by scientific evidence.
The National Elephant Heritage Strategy is intended to guide the development, revision and implementation of several key mechanisms and tools, including the Elephant Norms and Standards, the National Elephant Research Strategy, the Non-Detrimental Finding for Elephants, the Elephant Red-list Assessment, reserve-level Elephant Management Plans and the National Elephant Meta-Population Plan.
The department said the strategy adopts an integrated socio-ecological framework aimed at strengthening adaptive management, improving stakeholder engagement and enhancing sustainable benefit-sharing opportunities associated with elephants and their habitats.
The strategy will also serve as South Africa's National Elephant Action Plan for the implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP).
Government said the framework aligns with the country's international obligations and will support engagement with other elephant range states while demonstrating South Africa's contribution to achieving the objectives of the AEAP.
Electronic copies of the Government Notice for the National Elephant Heritage Strategy are available at https://www.dffe.gov.za/legislation/gazetted_notices or www.gpwonline.gov.za. - SAnews.gov.za
