"protected environment"

means—

(a)	an area declared, or regarded as having been declared, in terms of section 28 as a protected environment;

(b)	an area which before or after the commencement of this Act was or is declared or designated in terms of provincial legislation for a purpose for which that area could in terms of section 28(2) be declared as a protected environment; or

(c)	an area which was a lake area in terms of the Lake Areas Development Act, 1975 (Act No. 39 of 1975), immediately before the repeal of that Act by section 90(1) of this Act,

and includes an area declared in terms of section 28(1) as part of an area referred to in paragraph (a) [or], (b) or (c) above;

[Definition substituted by section 1(e) of Act No. 31 of 2004]