Protecting South Africa’s wild spaces starts with responsible waste management - IOL
NWU research is helping to redefine waste management in protected areas as an essential part of conserving biodiversity, preventing pollution and creating opportunities for communities.
South Africa’s protected areas safeguard some of the country’s most valuable species and landscapes. Yet the waste generated and managed within these spaces can place the very environments they protect at risk.
Research by Prof. Claudine Alberts from the subject group Geography and Environmental Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) shows that poor waste practices threaten biodiversity, pollute sensitive habitats and weaken conservation efforts. Her work also demonstrates that this challenge can be addressed through purposeful planning, appropriate infrastructure, collaboration and changes in human behaviour.
Prof. Alberts began her research career by investigating persistent organic pollutants in South Africa’s water environment. By studying sediments, soil, fish tissue and wild bird eggs, her work helped establish evidence about the occurrence, distribution and ecological risks of these pollutants.
Her research subsequently expanded into waste management and, particularly, the role that people play in determining whether waste-management systems succeed.
This focus revealed a significant obstacle. In one study, 90% of participants identified challenging behaviour as the greatest barrier to responsible waste management. Negative attitudes, resistance to changing established practices and limited stakeholder support can all undermine even well-designed interventions.
The challenges are intensified by the remote locations of many protected areas, as well as restricted funding and inadequate capacity. These conditions mean that waste systems designed for towns and cities cannot simply be transferred to conservation environments. Protected areas require approaches tailored to their distinctive ecological and operational circumstances.
Although the research highlights serious gaps, it also identifies opportunities to create broader value. Better waste management can support local employment, develop skills and improve livelihoods. Education and mentoring can help staff and surrounding communities understand their role in protecting these environments and adopt more responsible practices.
Prof. Alberts proposes six principles for responsible waste management in protected areas. These includes the protection of biodiversity, pollution prevention, adherence to the waste hierarchy and the provision of suitable infrastructure. They also emphasise partnerships and opportunities for education, employment and skills development.
The research therefore positions waste management as more than an operational task. When approached with purpose, it can become part of a wider system that connects environmental protection with learning, collaboration and socioeconomic opportunity.
An evaluation of the management plans of South Africa’s 21 national parks found that responsible waste management still receives limited strategic attention.
Most plans concentrate on basic litter control without connecting waste management to defined objectives, actions, performance indicators and budgets. The relationship between waste management and biodiversity protection is also seldom made explicit.
Addressing these gaps would allow protected areas to plan more deliberately, allocate resources more effectively and assess whether their interventions are producing meaningful results. It would also establish waste management as an integral component of conservation rather than an isolated support function.
Prof. Alberts’ research is now extending beyond South Africa to explore how responsible waste management can be better understood and supported across protected areas in southern Africa.
“The future will be shaped by the decisions we make today,” she said.
That conviction captures the purpose behind the research: to generate knowledge that can guide practical decisions and help protect irreplaceable natural environments. Its impact lies in showing that responsible waste management can simultaneously strengthen conservation, influence behaviour and create opportunities for people.
Through research that responds to real environmental challenges, NWU continues to demonstrate how knowledge developed with purpose can contribute to lasting impact. Because protecting the future begins with the decisions, evidence and actions of today.
