Environment minister outlines bold 100-day agenda to balance conservation with economic growth

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp has used his 100-day milestone in office to outline a sweeping agenda aimed at transforming how the country manages its natural resources while simultaneously driving economic growth and job creation. Speaking on Friday, 27 February 2026, the minister laid out seven strategic priorities designed to reshape the department’s approach to everything from climate change to coastal communities and fiscal accountability. Minister Willie Aucamp is today in Skukuza, at the heart of the iconic@SANParksKNP, where he is briefing members of the media on his first 100 days in office.The briefing provides an opportunity for the Minister to reflect on key milestones achieved by DFFE since his…pic.twitter.com/hkEKJQnax8 Aucamp was emphatic that the environment portfolio is far more central to South Africa’s economic future than most people recognise.

The department, he argued, sits at the intersection of conservation and opportunity. “Environmental protection is not about creating unnecessary barriers to make it harder for businesses to operate, nor is it about making it difficult for regular people to access and enjoy our natural resources,” he stated. He described the department’s role as protecting and conserving South Africa’s natural resources while enabling inclusive economic growth, job creation and environmental resilience, and said all seven of his updated priorities are anchored in that dual mandate.

Science-based decision-making sits at the top of that list, with Aucamp insisting that policy must be driven by data rather than emotion. Among the more concrete achievements of his first 100 days, Aucamp revealed that the department processed 80 Environmental Impact Assessment applications, 54 of which were linked to energy generation and transmission infrastructure. Those approvals collectively enabled 4 861 megawatts of electricity generation capacity, a significant contribution to addressing the country’s ongoing energy crisis. He has also concluded the adjudication of 65 statutory appeals under national environmental and marine living resources legislation, with a further 70-plus fishing industry appeals already adjudicated.