Regulations > [Withdrawn] National Norms and Standards for the Management of Elephants in South Africa, 2023 - effective 1 April 2023 > Chapter 1 : Interpretation, Purpose and Application

(1)	The purpose of these Norms and Standards is to ensure that—

(a)	elephants are managed in the Republic in a way that—

(i)	ensures the long term survival of elephants within the ecosystems in which they occur or may occur in future;

(ii)	promotes broader biodiversity and socio-economic goals that are ecologically, socially and economically sustainable;

(iii)

does not disrupt the ecological integrity of the ecosystems in which elephants occur;

(iv)	enables the achievement of specific management objectives of the properties on which they occur;

(v)	ensures their sustainable consumptive and non-consumptive use;

(vi)	ensures their well-being and biologically healthy populations;

(vii)

recognises the necessary and persistent interplay between ethics, the well-being of elephants and conservation , and human well-being; and

(viii)

recognises their sentient nature, highly organised social structure and ability to communicate; and

(b)	the management of elephants is regulated—

(i)	in a way that—

(aa)	is uniform across the Republic; and

(bb)	takes into account the Republic's international obligations in terms of international agreements on biodiversity management binding on the Republic; and

(ii)	in accordance with national policies on biodiversity management and ecologically sustainable development.

(2)	These Norms and Standards are informed by the principles contained in paragraph 3.

(3)	The provisions of these Norms and Standards apply to the management of elephants wherever they occur within the Republic, regardless of whether the elephants are wild elephants or captive elephants .

(4)	The provisions of these Norms and Standards do not absolve a person from complying with the requirements of any other applicable legislation and must be applied alongside the provisions of such other applicable legislation.

(5)	The provisions of these Norms and Standards must be interpreted alongside the provisions of the TOPS Regulations.

National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004)