The National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA) 2025 Webinar Series is nearing its conclusion, with the second last session set to explore one of the most important questions arising from the assessment: how can biodiversity science be translated into better decisions for people and nature? This ninth webinar in the series will showcase how NBA 2025 findings are informing planning, policy revision and decision-making across South Africa.
Webinar 9: Using NBA 2025 for Planning, Policy Revision and Decision-Making in South Africa will examine how the findings and products of the National Biodiversity Assessment are being translated into practical tools that support environmental planning, policy development and sustainable decision-making across the country.
The National Biodiversity Assessment is South Africa’s flagship assessment of the state of biodiversity and ecosystems. Produced through a collaborative effort involving more than 490 contributors from approximately 110 institutions, NBA 2025 synthesises the best available science to provide evidence that supports conservation action, policy development and national development priorities.
The webinar will showcase how NBA 2025 findings are already contributing to improved decision-making across multiple sectors. Examples include informing biodiversity-sensitive land-use planning, guiding protected area expansion, supporting marine spatial planning, strengthening environmental assessment processes and contributing to national and international reporting commitments.
Participants will learn how NBA products, including Biodiversity Priority Areas, Critical Biodiversity Area maps, Essential Life Support Action Areas (ELSAA), Strategic Water Source Areas and national biodiversity indicators, are being used to support government planning, environmental management and investment in nature-based solutions.
The session will also highlight how the NBA contributes to major national and international policy frameworks, including South Africa’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals and other multilateral environmental agreements.
As South Africa faces increasing environmental pressures, reliable scientific information is essential for balancing development needs with biodiversity conservation. The NBA provides the evidence base needed to make informed decisions that safeguard biodiversity while supporting economic growth, water security, climate resilience and human well-being.
Webinar Details
Date: Friday, 12 June 2026
Time: 13:00 – 13:45
Join the webinar here
The webinar forms part of SANBI’s ongoing NBA 2025 Webinar Series, which aims to unpack key findings from the assessment and demonstrate their relevance to a wide range of sectors and audiences.
Whether you are involved in environmental planning, policy development, conservation, research or sustainable development, this webinar offers valuable insights into how biodiversity knowledge can support better decisions for nature and people. Join us on 12 June 2026 as we explore how NBA 2025 is helping shape a more sustainable future for South Africa.
Facts Only
* The webinar covers NBA 2025 findings and their translation into decisions for people and nature.
* Webinar 9 is scheduled for Friday, June 12, 2026, from 13:00 – 13:45.
* NBA 2025 is South Africa’s flagship assessment of biodiversity and ecosystems.
* The assessment involved contributions from more than 490 contributors across approximately 110 institutions.
* NBA 2025 synthesizes available science to provide evidence for conservation action, policy development, and national development priorities.
* Findings inform planning, policy revision, and decision-making across South Africa.
* Examples of application include informing biodiversity-sensitive land-use planning, guiding protected area expansion, marine spatial planning, and strengthening environmental assessment processes.
* NBA products utilized include Biodiversity Priority Areas, Critical Biodiversity Area maps, Essential Life Support Action Areas (ELSAA), Strategic Water Source Areas, and national biodiversity indicators.
* The assessment contributes to frameworks such as South Africa’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals, and other multilateral environmental agreements.
Executive Summary
The ninth webinar in the National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA) 2025 Webinar Series focuses on translating the findings of NBA 2025 into actionable decisions for people and nature across South Africa. The session examines how the assessment's products inform planning, policy revision, and decision-making nationwide. The NBA 2025 is South Africa’s flagship assessment, synthesizing scientific evidence to support conservation action and national development priorities through contributions from over 490 contributors.
The webinar will detail how specific NBA products are being utilized across various sectors, such as informing biodiversity-sensitive land-use planning, guiding protected area expansion, supporting marine spatial planning, strengthening environmental assessment processes, and meeting national and international reporting commitments. Participants will learn about the application of specific outputs like Biodiversity Priority Areas, Critical Biodiversity Area maps, Essential Life Support Action Areas (ELSAA), Strategic Water Source Areas, and national biodiversity indicators in government planning and investment in nature-based solutions.
This process situates the NBA within broader frameworks, demonstrating its contribution to South Africa’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals, and multilateral environmental agreements. The information provided aims to demonstrate how scientific data is essential for balancing development needs with biodiversity conservation, safeguarding biodiversity while supporting economic growth, water security, climate resilience, and human well-being.
Full Take
The framing of the NBA process presents a clear trajectory where scientific synthesis transitions into governance practice. The underlying pattern is the establishment of a necessary bridge between complex ecological science and pragmatic socio-economic policy, asserting that biodiversity evidence is not peripheral but central to national planning. This structure implicitly leverages authority by positioning the NBA as the definitive source for sustainable decision-making, which necessitates trust in the process and its outputs.
The implication lies in how diverse spatial and thematic products—like Critical Biodiversity Areas or Water Source Areas—are being integrated into existing governmental structures. This integration risks creating a tiered system where high-level policy goals (like the Global Biodiversity Framework) are operationalized by localized data, potentially obscuring the inherent trade-offs required in real-world implementation. The challenge is ensuring that the translation of scientific maps and indicators does not become an exercise in procedural compliance rather than genuine adaptive management, where political expediency overrides ecological necessity.
What is missing is an explicit examination of the governance mechanisms that enforce this translation. Are the identified areas truly weighted equally across competing developmental demands (economic growth vs. conservation)? The system assumes a linear path from assessment to action, which often ignores the iterative complexity inherent in managing interconnected systems under increasing environmental pressure. How can we ensure that the reliance on these standardized products does not lead to an oversimplification of complex ecological realities when translating them into discrete policy decisions?