Pretoria – Several departments are jointly launching a national stakeholder consultation on proposed reforms to South Africa’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, the Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, provincial Environmental Affairs departments, and other relevant sector stakeholders will tomorrow launch the stakeholder consultation.
The multi-sector stakeholder consultation process will run from Wednesday, 11 March to 24 April 2026, with sessions in each province.
“The proposed reforms aim to strengthen the ongoing sector-led initiative to improve the efficacy of the EIA process, allowing flexibility to apply other instruments, modernise and strengthen the country’s environmental governance framework, towards sustainable development,” said the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.
“Environmental Impact Assessments remain a cornerstone of South Africa’s environmental management system.”
They give effect to Section 24 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to an environment that is not harmful to health or well-being, while promoting sustainable development.
However, the department revealed that the current EIA process has tended to operate independently of complementary environmental instruments, constraining their ability to demonstrate integrated sustainability outcomes.
“Listed activities automatically determine the type of assessment required, with limited flexibility to respond to the specific environmental risk or sensitivity of a proposed development,” the department said.
“The environmental sector is now proposing a more flexible, risk-based screening approach.
“This screening will assess the nature, scale, and environmental context of a proposed development and determine the appropriate level of assessment required.”
This means:
• Projects with significant environmental risk, particularly in sensitive environments, will continue to undergo full Environmental Impact Assessments, including specialist studies and public participation.
• Projects with low or insignificant environmental impacts may follow a shorter assessment route or exit the process earlier, where appropriate.
• Environmental authorities will apply defined criteria and risk-based tools to ensure decisions remain evidence-based, transparent, and accountable.
“Importantly, environmental authorisation requirements, public participation provisions, and appeal rights will remain in place,”’ explained the department.
“The proposed reform encourages the broader adoption of environmental management instruments such as norms, standards, and Environmental Management Frameworks, where these instruments are better suited to managing specific environmental risks.
“This supports a more integrated and strategic environmental management system and is aligned with strengthening sustainability outcomes while improving regulatory efficiency.”
By focusing regulatory scrutiny where it matters most, the environmental sector aims to build a smarter, more responsive EIA system that supports both environmental protection and responsible development.
The discussion document and details on how to submit comments are available on the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment website: https://www.dffe.gov.za/flexible_eia_consultation
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