Background

Background Information

There are three main types of special status that a species may have in South Africa:

1. A threatened or protected species, listed under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) regulations on Threatened and Protected Species;
2. A CITES listed species, listed on one of the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to which South Africa is a signatory; or
3. A species, that has been assessed for its conservation status using The World Conservation Union (IUCN) criteria for red-listing of species.

For more information on each of these types of status, click on the links above.

Summary of the types of listings

The summary below provides a comparison of South Africa’s own legislation regulating species (NEMBA Regulations: Threatened and Protected Species Assessment) and those of the IUCN and CITES.

NEMBA Regulations on Threatened and Protected Species	CITES	IUCN Red List Assessments
The focus is on activities that can be regulated using permits.	The focus is on international trade.	The focus is on threats causing a high risk of extinction.
Species are listed under threatened or protected categories.	Species are listed on 3 appendices.	Species are listed as Threatened, Near Threatened, Least Concern or Data Deficient.
Species are assessed based on expert opinion.	Species are assessed against a methodology agreed to by the Parties to the Convention.	Species are assessed using the IUCN Red List Categories and criteria.