Protected areas are areas of land or sea that are protected by law and managed mainly for biodiversity conservation.

South Africa’s protected area network currently falls far short of sustaining biodiversity and ecological processes. In this context, the goal of the National Protected Area Expansion Strategy is to achieve cost-effective protected area expansion for ecological sustainability and increased resilience to climate change.

The NPAES highlights ways in which we can become more efficient and effective in allocating the scarce human and financial resources available for protected area expansion. It sets targets for protected area expansion, provides maps of the most important areas for protected area expansion, and makes recommendations on mechanisms for protected area expansion.

The common set of targets and spatial priorities provided by the NPAES enable co-ordination between the many role players involved in protected area expansion.

The goal of the NPAES is to achieve cost-effective protected area expansion for ecological sustainability and increased resilience to climate change. It sets targets for protected area expansion, provides maps of the most important areas for protected area expansion, and makes recommendations on mechanisms for protected area expansion.

Download [PDF]:

• Strategy [2.87 mb]
• Resource document [1.75 mb]