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v t e

South African environmental law describes the legal rules in South Africa relating to the social, economic, philosophical and jurisprudential issues raised by attempts to protect and conserve the environment in South Africa. South African environmental law encompasses natural resource conservation and utilization, as well as land-use planning and development. Issues of enforcement are also considered, together with the international dimension, which has shaped much of the direction of environmental law in South Africa. The role of the country's Constitution, crucial to any understanding of the application of environmental law, also is examined. The National Environmental Management Act^[1] (NEMA) provides the underlying framework for environmental law.

The concept of the "environment"

The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)^[2] defines "environment" as the surroundings within which humans exist. These are made up of:

1. the land, the water and the atmosphere of the earth;
2. micro-organisms, plant and animal life;
3. any part or combination of the first two items on this list, and the interrelationships among and between them; and
4. the physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and well-being.^[3]

In addition, the Environment Conservation Act^[4] defines the environment as "the aggregate of surrounding objects, conditions and influences that influence the life and habits of man or any other organism or collection of organisms."^[5]

Scope of environmental law

Prof Jan Glazewski of the University of Cape Town takes the view that environmental law encompasses the following three "distinct but interrelated areas of general concern."^[6] They are:

1. land-use planning and development;
Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=South_African_environmental_law
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