WWF South Africa has criticised the government’s proposed biodiversity conservation targets as insufficiently ambitious, warning that the country risks falling behind global environmental commitments despite acknowledging a deepening ecological crisis.
The criticism follows the release of the draft national biodiversity strategy and action plan 2026–2035 at a national consultative conference in Gauteng.
The plan sets out South Africa’s roadmap for implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022 by nearly 200 countries.
The draft proposes conserving 21% of South Africa’s terrestrial and freshwater areas and 20% of marine areas by 2035. WWF argues these targets fall well short of the internationally agreed “30×30” goal, which commits countries to protecting 30% of land and oceans by 2030.
“South Africa has announced its proposed conservation targets which show that we are off course to achieve internationally agreed objectives of conserving 30% of land, waters and seas by 2030,” the conservation organisation said. “No-one could refer to these as ambitious targets by any measure.”
The proposed figures, it argued, do not reflect the urgency of biodiversity loss or the potential economic and social gains of stronger protection measures.
“In WWF’s view, these proposed numbers lack the required ambition to conserve both our unique biodiversity and unlock the finance to sustain and expand conservation efforts …
The consequence is that we stand to lose the opportunity to focus the requisite attention and resources on improving the livelihoods of those who live on the land.”
Rather than positioning conservation and development in opposition, WWF SA said stronger biodiversity targets could help align the two, attracting international climate and biodiversity finance and expanding conservation-linked economic opportunities.
The organisation pointed to “inclusive conservation” models involving traditional communities, private landowners, government agencies and civil society as examples of how protection and development can be integrated at scale. “Countries that set bold, credible conservation targets are more likely to mobilise international biodiversity and climate finance.”
The draft strategy itself places strong emphasis on biodiversity stewardship, partnerships with private and communal landowners and the use of “other effective area-based conservation measures”. It also signals possible financing mechanisms such as biodiversity credits and offset banking.
While WWF SA’s criticism highlights a gap in ambition, the government’s own assessment in the draft strategy underscores the severity of the ecological crisis facing the country.
According to the document, 48% of South Africa’s ecosystem types are threatened, with rivers, estuaries and wetlands identified as among the most endangered and least protected systems.
Despite the country’s globally significant biodiversity, ecosystems across terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine and marine environments are under escalating pressure.
On land, the main drivers include agricultural expansion, urban development, mining, invasive species and climate change.
Freshwater systems are under strain from altered water flows, pollution and invasive species. Marine and coastal environments face pressures from over-exploitation, habitat modification and pollution.
“These cumulative pressures threaten the long-term sustainability of ecosystem services, reducing ecological resilience and severely impacting the benefits that people derive from biodiversity for their well-being and livelihoods.”
South Africa is repeatedly described in the strategy as a megadiverse country, home to exceptionally high levels of endemic species – species found nowhere else in the world.
Although the country covers less than 1% of the Earth’s land surface, it contains a disproportionate share of global biodiversity, including unique freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems.
Biodiversity underpins key economic sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, tourism and water security, with the strategy warning that continued degradation carries significant social and economic consequences, particularly for vulnerable communities.
However, it also acknowledges structural weaknesses in the country’s conservation system. The protected area network remains uneven, with many ecosystems still poorly protected or entirely unprotected.
It further highlights a lack of consistent monitoring, warning that “without it, there is currently no way to accurately track if conservation targets are being met”.
South Africa still relies mostly on government funding to pay for biodiversity conservation, according to the draft strategy. Most of that money comes from national government departments and entities, while municipalities — despite playing an important role in local conservation and land-use planning — contribute very little.
Biodiversity spending makes up less than 1% of the national budget and less than a third of a percent of the country’s GDP, despite South Africa’s globally important biodiversity.
Although overall spending on biodiversity increased from about R15.3 billion in 2016 to R20.1 billion in 2024, rising inflation has reduced the real value of that funding.
In practical terms, the government’s actual spending power on conservation has declined, making it harder to fund key biodiversity protection and management programmes.
WWF SA welcomed several elements of the draft, including commitments to ensure conservation areas are “effectively managed, equitably governed and integrated into broader ecological and social land, water and seascapes”.
Its chief executive Dr Morné du Plessis said the country faces “an exceptional opportunity to rewrite the script” regarding the interaction between people and conservation.
“The bar we set as a country should send a strong signal that we are prepared to do the work required to achieve the best possible outcome for people and nature,” he said. “The NGO community stands ready to support the government to this end.”
WWF South Africa has criticised proposed biodiversity targets, warning they fall short of global 30×30 commitments despite worsening ecological decline
