Public comment invited on the draft amendments to the National Estuarine Management Protocol

• News & Highlights

Draft amendments to the National Estuarine Management Protocol have been published by the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries for public comment in Government Gazette 43474 (Notice No. 705).

The draft amendments address certain implementation issues and the impact of the Supreme Court of Appeal judgement in Abbott v Overstrand Municipality (99/2015) [2016] ZASCA 68, which found that the assignment of functions to municipalities in the existing Protocol presented Constitutional challenges as the assignment should have been done in terms of Integrated Coastal Management Act, and not the Protocol.

The Notice has been published in terms of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act.

Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems that contribute an estimated R4.2 billion per annum to the South African economy. Estuaries provide warm, shallow and calm waters along the coast, and are highly productive, thanks to inputs of nutrients from both the land and sea. These characteristics, together with their scenic appeal, make them focal points for development, tourism and recreation, as well as important for supporting biodiversity, livelihoods and marine fisheries.