Towards responsible waste management in protected areas: An evaluation of South African national parks management plans

Waste management in protected areas is crucial to maintain their integrity and protected status, yet there is increasing evidence that the complexity of governance associated with their management can underpin poor waste management practice. In the absence of integrated waste management plans applying specifically to protected areas in South Africa, it falls to the protected area management plans to become the de facto waste management plan. An analytical framework comprising six principles for waste management in protected areas is adopted as the basis for evaluation of the management plans, which can also be used in other country settings and future evaluations. Protected area management plans of twenty South African national parks were systematically evaluated against this analytical framework. The evaluation highlighted several weaknesses and several cross-cutting areas for improvement, such as waste-related risks not being addressed in the management plan; important considerations in introductory narratives not finding their way into objectives or actions of management programmes, as well as objectives being stated without measurable criteria or indicators, and actions without sufficient detail for implementation and monitoring. The paper suggests recommendations to enhance the inclusion of principles towards responsible waste management in future protected area management plans.