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Good practice

South Africa Biodiversity Stewardship Programme (SANBI / DFFE)

South Africa · Pretoria · See the South Africa profile

National voluntary programme where private and communal landowners receive rates exemptions and technical support in exchange for conservation commitments; has secured >1.5 M ha — 73% of the 2.4 M ha of new protected areas South Africa added since 2020.

1.5 million ha
Hectares secured nationally (by 2022)
94 protected areas
Formally declared protected areas created (by 2022)
540,000 ha
Area covered by those protected areas (by 2022)
73 %
Share of new South African protected areas since 2020 (since 2020, as of July 2024)
2.4 million ha
Total new protected area added nationally since 2020 (since 2020)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) / DFFE
Period
2007–present
Keywords
biodiversity conservation, private land stewardship, state PES, protected areas

Context

South Africa's Biodiversity Stewardship Programme (BSP) recognises private and communal landowners as custodians of biodiversity on their land, targeting Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs) identified in provincial Biodiversity Sector Plans across fynbos, Drakensberg grassland, thicket, savanna and other globally important ecosystems.

Objectives

The programme offers landowners formal conservation agreements under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act and the Biodiversity Act, in exchange for municipal rates exemptions and technical/management support from provincial conservation authorities.

Activities

Piloted from 2007 in the Western Cape under the CAPE Action for People and Environment initiative, then rolled out nationally by SANBI and DFFE, co-financed by GEF (Global Biodiversity Framework Fund) and GCF. Participants receive Nature Reserve or Protected Environment status.

Results

By 2022, over 1.5 million hectares had been secured nationally, creating 94 formally declared protected areas covering approximately 540,000 ha. By July 2024, the BSP accounted for 73% of the 2.4 million hectares of new formally protected areas added to South Africa's protected-area network since 2020.

Conclusions

The programme puts South Africa on track toward its 30x30 target and has been documented in peer-reviewed literature; the model has been adapted in Kenya and Namibia, demonstrating transferability across African biodiversity contexts.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Funded via municipal rates exemptions and technical support rather than land purchase; co-financed by GEF (Global Biodiversity Framework Fund) and GCF.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Piloted from 2007; national rollout ongoing for 17+ years; replicated in Kenya and Namibia.
Staffing & skills
provincial conservation authorities (technical and management support), SANBI and DFFE national coordination, private and communal landowners as on-the-ground custodians

Conditions for success

  • legal grounding in the Protected Areas Act and Biodiversity Act
  • targeting of scientifically identified Critical Biodiversity Areas
  • financial incentives (rates exemptions) plus technical support rather than land purchase
  • GEF/GCF co-financing

Where it fits

Governance type
national government programme coordinated across nine provinces
Scale
national, 1.5M+ ha
Income level
upper-middle-income

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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