Critically discuss the contribution of environmental narratives and discourses to an understanding of environment in South Africa and of SA environment policy contribution to sustainable development of South Africa.

Environmental narratives and discourses with an understanding of environment in South Africa and the South African environment policy does contributes to sustainable development moreover in South Africa. There are four narratives of environment whereby we find conservative view in which it is of authoritarian ideology whereby community opinions are not taken into consideration in decision making. For the view to be considerate there should be conservative of land in the interest of a nation,region,communities. The authoritarian approach has objectives because it regulates by limiting the number of users on land under threat of degradation. In South Africa conservative view is motivated with a reason that it is an approach which creates alarm and panic about the state of the environment moreover, declining quality of the environment Such view sees environment as victim of rescue from ignorant and destructive local communities. The narrative conservative says nature restores itself and does not require human interference, but it has critics which says locals are excluded from decision making and also movement of animals and humans are constrained.

Another narrative is the economic view which it entails that the environment is a commodity that is primarily there to buy-sell for a privileged group and profit out of them, such view is an economic asset which brings about lasting socio-economic development and change not only in a certain locality but country-wide. Economic view is motivated in a stance that its approach sees nature is an untapped resource that should be exploited in order to lift people out of poverty. It is quite critiqued an a way that if locals are not included in such development it may have the opposite effect whereby if mining rights are given to international companies and locals cannot participate in opportunities due to lack of relevant education and skills, nature areas/eco-systems may be damaged.

Third view narrative is the non-state actor which views originate from external interested parties and the motivation is the rejection of a anthropocentric attitudes of humans which leads to using of nature for personal benefits/needs. Its motivation is also the challenging of state power and decision making in promoting unrestrained economic growth, but  moreover the critique is supportive of economic growth but more preserve the integrity of the environment. Last narrative view is the local community one whereby it is complex and highly differentiated because it is informed by time,place,individual characteristics and circumstances as well as power and politics. It is certainly motivated by the nature of the relationship with the environment as shaped by the socio-political context and its critics is if communities benefit from and receives financial support for projects extracting value from the environment,relationship with the environment may change.

There are sustainable development discourses South Africa faces in this instance in international politics of environment but it is approached differently by developed and developing countries as well as different groups. The development is motivated by beliefs about environment relationship to pursue development without harming the environment and also profit from the environment but do justice to communities.

Second discourse is the social justice whereby equitable distribution and access to good quality environmental resources are narrowly linked to overcoming social problems and their effects experience faced by communities. There environmentalism discourse in South Africa says there is no broad-based environment , no special strategy for environment with the 1994 political liberation.