The appointment of the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA) has been extended by 12 months to allow adequate time to consider the most suitable way forward in establishing the long-term registration and regulation of environmental assessment practitioners (EAPs) in South Africa.
This will also allow EAPASA a transitional period to prove its self-sustainability, says Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy.
EAPASA is a statutory professional body and the designated registration authority that registers EAPs based on the set of core competencies under the National Environmental Management Act.
EAPASA was initially appointed as registration authority for five years in 2018 with the aim to assure the public, authorities and developers that practitioners were competent and ethical.
This also aimed at promoting continued professional development of EAPs in South Africa, the transformation of environmental assessment practice through the empowerment of black and female professionals, and promoting awareness of the purpose and practice of environmental assessment in South Africa.