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WWF-South Africa (WWF-SA) applauds the National Development Plan (NDP) for its recognition of so many key issues, particularly the realistic targets it sets out for skills development and education, and the ambitious renewable electricity targets it reflects.

It is also heartening to note that the plan, intended to guide the growth of the South African economy, reduce poverty and improve citizens’ quality of life, clearly acknowledges that our economy is currently far too resource intensive and poses a central challenge to achieving the objectives laid out in the document.

However, WWF is concerned that environmental issues are generally treated as if the environmental integrity of the water and food production systems of our country are somehow detached from, and in opposition to, our goals of social and economic development.

“While much emphasis in the plan is placed on the physical infrastructure underpinning our economy, little mention is made of the necessity of investing in sustaining ‘ecological infrastructure’, the cornerstones upon which economic and social stability depend,” comments WWF-SA CEO Morné du Plessis.

“The National Development Plan does not appear to build onto existing environmental policy and this can present problems during implementation. For example, it is suggested that environmental objectives include developing a set of indicators and setting targets for protected areas, both of which already exist through the National Biodiversity Assessment process and the National Protected Area Expansion Strategy and Presidential Outcome 10 targets.”

“In its final draft, the NDP’s treatment of environmental matters demonstrates an improvement on previous drafts, but still fails to recognise ecological systems as the foundation of a resilient future economy. Failure to ensure the resilience of these systems weakens the likelihood of the National Development Plan’s success.”