providing for the registration and standing permits for importers/ exporters and freight agents, falconers and professional hunters. These categories of persons undertake restricted activities on a continuous basis and obtaining individual ordinary permits become time-consuming and an administrative burden; providing for the following cases to be punishable offences: non-marking of elephant tusks and rhino horns fraudulent alteration or tampering with a game farm hunting permit, nursery possession permit or personal effects permit, by the person undertaking the restricted activity authorized by the said permit; and removing the requirement of a Biodiversity Management Plan as the only means to allow for restricted activities involving cycad species, and to amend the relevant regulation to list the prohibited activities in the regulations rather than the BMP. THE PROCESS OF THE REVIEW OF THE TOPS REGULATIONS AND SPECIES LIST The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) appointed Envolve Consulting (Pty) Ltd (trading as Envolve) in October 2010 as a Service Provider for the substantial review of the TOPS Regulations. The DEA requested the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) to assist the department with the review of the TOPS list. The two processes ran concurrently and involved a complete re-draft of the regulations and species list. To initiate the process of reviewing the species list, SANBI developed scientific criteria for the listing of the species in the different categories, namely critically endangered species, endangered species, vulnerable species and protected species, as envisaged by section 56(1) of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004) (NEMBA). 3.3 A discussion document in respect of the TOPS Regulations was developed. This document, together with the criteria for the categorisation of species and matrices for exemption from permit requirements (in terms of section 57(4) of NEMBA) and prohibitions relating to the carrying out of restricted activities (in terms of section 57(2) of NEMBA), was discussed during a series of workshops: 18 – 19 January 2011: TOPS Regulations with provincial conservation authorities; 16 February 2011: TOPS Regulations with members of the Wildlife Forum;
providing for the registration and standing permits for importers/ exporters and freight agents, falconers and professional hunters. These categories of persons undertake restricted activities on a continuous basis and obtaining individual ordinary permits become time-consuming and an administrative burden; providing for the following cases to be punishable offences: non-marking of elephant tusks and rhino horns fraudulent alteration or tampering with a game farm hunting permit, nursery possession permit or personal effects permit, by the person undertaking the restricted activity authorized by the said permit; and removing the requirement of a Biodiversity Management Plan as the only means to allow for restricted activities involving cycad species, and to amend the relevant regulation to list the prohibited activities in the regulations rather than the BMP. THE PROCESS OF THE REVIEW OF THE TOPS REGULATIONS AND SPECIES LIST The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) appointed Envolve Consulting (Pty) Ltd (trading as Envolve) in October 2010 as a Service Provider for the substantial review of the TOPS Regulations. The DEA requested the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) to assist the department with the review of the TOPS list. The two processes ran concurrently and involved a complete re-draft of the regulations and species list. To initiate the process of reviewing the species list, SANBI developed scientific criteria for the listing of the species in the different categories, namely critically endangered species, endangered species, vulnerable species and protected species, as envisaged by section 56(1) of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004) (NEMBA). 3.3 A discussion document in respect of the TOPS Regulations was developed. This document, together with the criteria for the categorisation of species and matrices for exemption from permit requirements (in terms of section 57(4) of NEMBA) and prohibitions relating to the carrying out of restricted activities (in terms of section 57(2) of NEMBA), was discussed during a series of workshops: 18 – 19 January 2011: TOPS Regulations with provincial conservation authorities; 16 February 2011: TOPS Regulations with members of the Wildlife Forum;