The four environmental narratives identified in South Africa are; the conservation, the economic, non-state actors and local views. 

- The conservation view is motivated by the authoritarian approach which has the believe that people should not be given the rights to land and usually leads to forced removals and resettlements. This narrative does not contribute to an understanding of the SA environment because it is focused on the colonial times and not the present. 

- The economic view states that land is used for busying and selling and it is seen as an asset that boosts the socio-economic development of a country. This view is motivated by the capitalist approach where people of power take the natural resources and make profit out of it for themselves. This view can contribute to an understanding of the SA environment because in SA there are many natural resources that are being exploited by the wealthy to make themselves even more wealthier while there are still people living in poverty.

- The non-state actor view is a view that is influenced by people that do not reside in the community. It is motivated by the belief that environmental or natural resources are on a decline and they should therefore be protected, these people challenge the government when they do not agree with certain decisions. This view can contribute to an understanding of the SA environment because it encourages the benefit of the people in the community with the intentions of decreasing poverty.

- Local community view is motivated by the belief that the relationship with the environment is influenced by the socio-political context. It states that the environmental policies that are put forward are responding to the community which protects the environment. This view does not contribute to an understanding of the SA environment because in South Africa the community is not involved in the decision making processes.

- According to Stewart and Zaaiman, the two main environmental discourses in South Africa are the sustainable development discourse and the environmental and social justice discourse. The sustainable development discourse states that policies use world systems and ecological modernisation theory with the help of the private sector. this discourse is motivated by pursuing development without harming the environment, ensuring social and environmental justice. The social justice discourse states that access to environmental resources is linked to overcoming social problems and their effects on the community.