Using EIAs and EMFs to include biodiversity conservation in land use decision making

One of the C.A.P.E partners, the Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc), recognised the potential of EIAs for “mainstreaming” biodiversity into development planning. In 2004 they initiated a project, led by Charl de Villiers, which aimed to align EIAs, and resulting land use decisions, with conservation of biodiversity priorities in the Western Cape. The project evolved through four distinct phases as it responded to a changing EIA context and to an improved understanding of the implementation environment.