| Summary: | Magister Legum - LLM === Very little protection has been afforded to wetlands1 and estuaries within the South African legislative framework.2 These ecosystems are extremely important and valuable to mankind, the flora and fauna.3 The continued destruction of wetlands and estuaries is the most heinous act of environmental vandalism on a worldwide scale today.4 Wetland and estuarine loss has been accelerated and extended by human activities such as mining,5 urbanisation,6 drainage, river diversion,7 groundwater abstraction as well as climate change.8 Time is running out for so many critically important sites and for the world at large.9 Without wetlands and estuaries the biosphere10 cannot continue to do its essential work.11 Despite, the importance of a range of resources and services12 which wetlands and estuaries provide, these have been taken for granted by humans.13 As a result hereof, the maintenance of wetlands and estuaries has received low priority in many countries.14 This is further precipitated by the lack of interest and ignorance which result in the conversion of wetlands and estuaries into man-made structures.15 Research has shown that the lack of information and the awareness of the importance of these ecosystems has the made the conservation legislation for these ecosystems a toothless dragon.16 People are becoming increasingly aware17 of the loss of wetlands and estuaries, once in abundance and now merely shadows of their former nature.18 To investigate this lack of protection, the starting point would be the global level. === South Africa
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