The government of South Africa has committed itself to creating a prosperous and equitable society living in harmony with natural resources, protecting the country’s rich biodiversity heritage for the benefi t of all its citizens. Government leads on protection of the environment, with Environmental Affairs working closely with other national departments such as Water Affairs; Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Rural Development and Land Reform.

National statutory organisations such as South African National Parks (SANParks) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) are valuable partners in the country’s biodiversity conservation efforts, as are the provincial conservation authorities. SANBI’s biome programmes focus on South Africa’s priority biomes under threat, involving a range of government and civil society partners in working at the landscape level to ensure that these biomes are protected in a sustainable way that benefi ts people.

This Primer highlights innovative work carried out to promote biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development through partnerships between the South African government, a range of stakeholders, and international partners such as the Global Environment Facility.