The Conservation Status of Eagles in South African Law

Abstract

Butchart (ed) Eagles and Farmers i; Tarboton Eagles 4-5, 32-33. JC KNOBEL PER / PELJ 2013(16)4 161 / 487remarks on the effectiveness and sufficiency of those laws. As will be elaborated upon shortly, not all the eagle species occurring in South Africa are resident birds. Some species are migratory and others are nomadic. Hence, the environmental law regime in force in South Africa has an influence on the conservation status of some eagle species breeding as far away as Europe and Asia.The methodology employed was primarily an interdisciplinary literature study. Legal materials as well as texts from the natural sciences were consulted. The results are presented in three sections. In the first section (paragraph 2), an attempt is made to summarise pertinent information on the occurrence of eagles in South Africa, with a particular focus on the conservation threats they face in the country. The second section (paragraphs 3 and 4) provides an overview of the status of eagles in South African law. In the third section (paragraphs 5-8), an attempt is made to critically evaluate the scope and effectiveness of South African environmental law in respect of eagle conservation, and to make a number of recommendations. 2Eagles and conservation threats in South Africa The occurrence of eagles in South AfricaSixteen species of eagle occur in the Republic of South Africa. 3 Thirteen of these species are known to breed in the territory, 4 while the remaining three species visit 3