The Integrated Environmental Management concept in South Africa has been practiced and

promoted in the late 80s. The Department of Environmental Affiars in 1992 released a
document on the IEM Guidelines which has continuously communicated the IEM. The 19
underpinning principles and concepts in the above mentioned documents have been
integrated as part of the South Africas environmental assessment and management. Although
theres a serious need to synthesize the current ideas on Intergrated Environmental
Management in South Africa (DEAT, 2004).

This report discusses how the 19 principles relate to Sustainable Development as per Agenda
19. The report critically focuses on the set of principles, rather than to propose a new set of
tools and Integrated Environmental Management principles. The discussion will critically
evaluate meaning it will focus on both negative and positive relationships between the
principles and how they relate to Sustainable Development as per Agenda 21.

Cooperate responsibility and accountability.

In the South African context in terms of accountability only the government is accountable of
all environmental aspects policy. In this case the responsibility and accountability of the all
environmental aspects should rest upon all stakeholders. According to Hens & Nath (2006),
argues that, corporate responsibility be paired with accountability. Accountability and
responsibility are very essential in driving and guiding the conduct of the corporation.
Furthermore the government in this case encourages environmental/social responsibility and
accountability for industries, communities etc.. Although in South Africa, most sectors are
still not voluntary in implementing the approaches. As such the accountability is only for the
government of all environmental policy aspects.

Adaptive Management

This principle focuses on maintaining the integrity of the process, through process flexibility
and adjustment of circumstances, issues and realities of the actions under assessment. The
principles further look at the lessons learned during the activity life-cycle. In practical
adaptive management involves a structured process of learning and by doing, which involves
the monitoring of the ecology and action to impacts (Feldman, 2010).

In terms of Sustainable Development as per Agenda 21, this principle unites all stakeholders
to participate in what is known and what all stakeholders can be able to learn in order to make
plans and changes (Feldman, 2010). The application of this principle in South Africa doesnt
allow policy-makers to accept mistakes, although the changes are made. The good part is that
most South African sectors are able to monitor and measure the change of the environment
that was brought by early decisions. Theres a need in applying the adaptive principle from all
complex levels and involving or combining social learning and institutional and traditional
adaptive management.

Alternative options

This principle sets out all the identified and defined applicable alternatives in a process. As
such the decision makers are provided with more clarity about the negatives and positive
results each alternative. The alternative option principle plays an important role in South
Africa in considering the most applicable alternative looking at activities, raw materials and
locations. Communities are not equal in terms of resources and the social structure, as such
the alternative option in involving the communities to be part of decision making and
planning (Bhattacharya, 2001).

Community empowerment

Nelson Mandela once said Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to
change the world. As such this principle includes the sharing of knowledge which is
educating the communities through awareness and programs that are meant to build the
communitys participation in sustainable development and environmental management.

The challenging aspect with regards to this principle in the South African context, it focuses
mostly on formal awareness sessions and excludes skills and programs that will learn from
indigenous knowledge. As such indigenous culture and knowledge is less considered, which
is the reason why theres no growth in the communitys confidence to effect change and
actively participate in sustainable resource management.

Continual improvement

Most organizations have subscribed to continual improvement by implementing external and

internal environmental audits, inspections, environmental grading systems, adopting
international environmental standards (ISO 14001) and benchmarking. This is measured by
the organizations environmental aims and objectives and their environmental policies and
standards. Although an environmental decline in South Africa could be an indication that the
government should take more actions in order to achieve a sustainable and continuous
improvements.

If the South African government can uphold and effectively run a monitoring, evaluating and
reviewing process to effectively influence all sectors to full participate and implement
environmental continual improvement to achieve sustainable development. This principle in
the South Africa context has only focused on determining the beginning and the completion
of an activity. This principle goes beyond how it applies in South Africa, it further focuses on
whether the activity has achieved the target and as to whether the target has moved in line
with the relevant goal.

The government should produce a plan which will focus on monitoring, evaluating and
reviewing process which will focus on the changes made in the communities and whether the
goals or targets have been achieved or not achieved. In this regard the communitys
involvement is very key.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

The main aim of this principle focuses on a fair and free process of decision making in order
to solve the challenges faced by the community. All environmental and resource exploitation
disputes should be addressed in many ways in a democratic state. The South African
government has effectively created a platform for legal actions through the judiciary.
Although the political landscape has not yet paid more attention to effectively solve
environmental disputes (Barrow, 2006).

Alternative dispute resolution, which can be achieved through negotiations and public
participation. The most effective tools which involve the community can be through the EIA
process where the public participate and forms part of conflict resolution.

Cooperate Governance (environmental justice)

The dispute resolution principle, it is closely linked and measures the level of environmental
justice. Sustainable development requires a number of resources which includes the legal
practice and transparency and firming public participation processes on environmental
decision making processes. Theres less effort with regards to increasing the capacity of
courts and tribal agencys involvement in participating in the environmental rule of law. The
practice is only observed at the national level rather starting to address environmental issues
from a regional or local level in South Africa (Percival et al., 2014).

The rule of law and good governance are very crucial in upholding and enabling
environmental justice. With the current social and economic problems in South Africa it is
very difficult to achieve sustainable development as per the environmental justice principle.
In order to achieve this principle, all government and non-governmental institutions should
accountable and transparent on the rule of law (Percival et al., 2014). .

Equity

The present generation within itself should be able to have equal and fair access to
environmental opportunities, which it should apply for among the future generations (Barton,
& Bruder, 2014). Resource management in South Africa plays a role in keeping the integrity
of the ecology and the earths biodiversity. As such the quality of life should not be for the
present lifetime but also for the future generations. The government has already presented
and developed some positive plans for the future, although theres less attention paid to the
current environmental problems.

Global Responsibilities and involvement

Theres so much effort that the South African government has given to worldwide and global
accountabilities and also participating in continental environmental challenges through the
African Union (AU).

The current international partnership which South Africa has built on the evidences of
General Assembly resolution 44/228 of 22 December 1989, gives a better picture of how the
State is effectively advancing in achieving the Sustainable Developments objective as per
Agenda 21 (Owen & Pickering 2006). Looking at the global political obligation and
agreement on Sustainable Development, theres a visible success in implementing the main
and leading the accountability of Governments in the African context.

The current South African laws, policies, strategies, procedures, and processes are vital in
attaining this principle. Although theres a challenge on Global support and supplement to
provide the nations with support. For this challenge the United Nations and its system has a
pivotal role to play. All global and continental government and non-government organization
are to effectively play a role in this principle (Owen & Pickering 2006).
Holistic decision-making

The DEAT has a major responsibility in coordinating and facilitating environmental decision
making processes. The constitution of South Africa on schedule 6 provides that provincial
governments decision making when it comes to development. Various departments are
decisions makers at various development programs, e.g. DWA deals with water development
and DMR deals with mineral resources (United Nations, 2002).

Developmental and spatial planning are in the process of improvements and transformation.
This is because theres a slow replacement of old environmental and development legislation
and policies by new integrated environmental decision making laws (United Nations, 2002).

Informed decision-making

South Africa has improved when it comes to applying the most suitable methods, strategies
and techniques in implementing responsible and decisions that addresses developmental
issues. The UNCED has identified that indicators are crucial in encouraging and helping
governments and other non-government institutions to come up with informed decision.
According to Lawn (2006), state that chapter 40 of Agenda 21, encourages different countries
to come up with indicators that will promote a solid decision making process. Indicators are
very important for South Africas sustainable development subscription.

Institutional co-ordination

The International governments should be able to synchronize and coordinate all

environmental actions and the enforcement of all relevant legislation and policies. South
Africa has played a major role in institutional coordination as per the principle is concerned
with practicing all environmental actions and laws through the help of other institutions.

Integrated approach

The interrelated and linked environmental aspects or elements should be handled by an

integrated environmental management system. As such the decision making on
environmental components has effects on the environment and the people. Theres a slow
growth in implementing integrated environmental systems in South Africa because different
environmental aspects and decisions are taken separately.

Polluter Pays
The primarily responsible person/s causing pollution effects, are liable for the costs of
treating the environmental pollution and resultant communitys health effects in South Africa.
Making environmental costs external, which may include the following; waste disposal,
pollution, and ecosystem deprivation weaken the important driver of sustainable development
(Viuales, 2015). As such the to make environmental costs internal in South Africa has been a
major problem to implement.

The practical implementation of the principle has been more rhetoric on a high level, but the
national environmental authorities are not succeeding in practicing this principle (Viuales,
2015). In addition, inventiveness to significancy ecosystem services in a way through
external costs of ecosystem deprivation can be combined when decision making processes
goes to an extended way to attain applicable answers to the challenges that contaminating
actions produce.

Precautionary approach

Accept a hazard/risk carefully and opposition method, in particular where present information
is inadequate, and connect this method to an obligation to the above mention principle
(continuous improvement) (Lang & Murphy 2014). The Precautionary Principle is one of the
most used tools in South African mining sectors and chemical factories which allows
organisations to implement this principle into circumstances that comprises some aspects of
studying or estimating an environmental risk. This principle is used a substitute for risk
assessment idea on environmental systems and application. Nevertheless, this principle is
hardly implemented when studying rural based community environmental risks (Lang &
Murphy 2014).

References
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DEAT, 2004. Overview of Integrated Environmental Management, Integrated Environmental

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Feldman D., 2010. Water Policy for Sustainable Development. JHU Press: Johns Hopkins
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Hens, L. & Nath, B. (Eds.), 2006. The World Summit on Sustainable Development: The
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