Threats to South Africa’s ecosystems

• Land and wetland degradation. • Exploitation of habitats and natural resources. • Encroachment on ecosystems. • Unsustainable harvesting. • Invasive species. • Climate change. • Reduction in the quantity and quality of fresh­ water resources.

Social pressures which contribute to poverty

• Unpredictable and changing geopolitical climate. • Diminishing energy and food security. • Social unrest. • Poor socio­economic infrastructure. • Unemployment. • Faltering education.

Social aspects

Although the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Index ranks South Africa as a middle-income country,2

uted across the population is highly skewed. Some 39 per cent of the population, estimated at more than 49 million people,

lives on less than R 388 a month.3 the way in which income is distrib- One consequence of poverty

and high levels of unemployment is social unrest. A large pro- portion of South Africa’s poor population live in the eastern half of the country, which is also the area with the largest share of black population.

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