There are a various competing and contradictory views on the relation between society and the environment. At least four narratives on the relationship between the society and the environment can be identified, namely: conservation view; economic view; non-state actor view; and the local community views.

The conservation view is the oldest narrative that rooted within the apartheid era. It is authoritarian when policy, practices and directives exclude people and remove their rights to land and lead to forced removals and resettlements. The economic narrative views the environment as a commodity not for the benefit of the locals but a selected privileged few. The involvement of the private sector is considered important because at some level the environment is regarded as the victim of extreme local poverty. The non-state actor view originates from external interested parties outside of the local government. It places its emphasis on the intrinsic value of the environment and that should be protected and respected, and it may exclude local community representation or inputs. The local community views are complex views that are highly differentiated because they are informed by time, place and individual characteristics and circumstances. This approach is motivated by the nature of the relationship with the environment as shaped by the socio-political context. It is a fact that local communities derive their livelihoods from a variety of sources other than directly from the environment.

The conservation view does not contribute to the South African environment context because it is criticized for excluding locals from decision making etc. The economic view contributes to the SA environment because there have been activities of exploiting underdeveloped nature areas just for companies to maximise profit(capitalism).

Sustainable development discourse was identified by the United Nations as goal for all nations globally. The sustainable development of South African government considers a few factors in the principles applied such as improving the quality of life. The basis of policy formation in South African context also ensures continued availability for current and future generations. Environmental and social justice discourse accounts for the equitable distribution and access to good quality environmental resources because they are narrowly linked to overcoming social problems such as poverty, poor quality education and unemployment. Environment justice is also linked to the uneven power relations and inequality if poor neighbourhoods are located close or in industrial areas.