South Africa launches biodiversity offset tools to transform conservation efforts

Pretoria, South Africa — Two groundbreaking tools designed to reshape biodiversity management in South Africa were officially launched this week at the National Biodiversity Offset Conference in Gauteng. The event, held from 22–23 May to mark the 2025 International Day for Biological Diversity, brought together leaders and experts to advance solutions for halting biodiversity loss and aligning conservation with national development priorities.

Hosted by UNDP South Africa’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), in partnership with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), SANParks, SANBI, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the conference showcased:

• The National Biodiversity Offset Web Portal, a centralized platform for tracking, managing, and monitoring offset projects nationwide, enhancing transparency, coordination, and accountability.
• The SANParks Proactive Biodiversity Offset Scheme, a new conservation banking mechanism that accelerates protected area expansion through proactive, science-based offset planning.

“These tools represent a significant leap forward in mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into development planning,” said UNDP South Africa Resident Representative Maxwell Gomera. “By improving the transparency, efficiency, and impact of biodiversity offsets, we are taking bold steps to secure South Africa’s ecological heritage while enabling sustainable economic growth.”

The foundation for these advances was laid by the National Biodiversity Offset Guideline, gazetted in 2023 under the National Environmental Management Act. This guideline provides the legal and scientific basis for applying offsets when development cannot avoid harming ecosystems, ensuring such impacts are counterbalanced by conservation gains elsewhere.

Biodiversity offsetting, when implemented with integrity and transparency, can reconcile environmental protection with infrastructure and economic development. As one of the world’s most biodiverse nations, South Africa is positioned to benefit from a robust offset system that supports livelihoods, job creation, and the growing biodiversity economy.

The conference, held under the global theme “Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development,” reaffirmed South Africa’s leadership in addressing the intertwined challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. It also echoed the ambitions of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the country’s own National Development Plan.

The conference brought together a cross-section of stakeholders—from government and the private sector to NGOs and academia—to exchange knowledge, build capacity, and align strategies. It underscored the critical role biodiversity plays in sustainable development and the urgent need to invest in nature-based solutions as the world races toward the 2030 biodiversity targets.

As the world approaches the 2030 deadline for achieving the global biodiversity targets, South Africa reaffirms its commitment to collaborative, science-based action for the benefit of both people and the planet.