“Plastic harms people and nature — rural communities and parks feel the biggest impact”, says SANParks
South African National Parks (SANParks) marked World Environment Day (WED) 2025 with a strong message about the dangers of plastic pollution and the need to include local communities in environmental efforts.
In a media statement, SANParks said this year’s global WED theme, “Beat Plastic Pollution,” highlights the urgent need to tackle one of the world’s most serious environmental threats. According to the United Nations, over 400 million tons of plastic waste enter ecosystems each year, worsening climate change, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity.
“Plastic pollution is not just an environmental problem, it is also a social issue,” SANParks said. “Many of our national parks are in rural areas, where communities often live without proper waste infrastructure. These communities carry the heaviest burden of plastic waste.”
To respond to this, SANParks said it is working to include nearby communities in its environmental work, not just as participants, but as leaders.
“We want communities to become leading figures in the fight against environmental nuisances like plastic pollution,” the statement said.
Efforts include community co-management of park areas, youth-led clean-up campaigns, teaching traditional zero-waste practices, and allowing access to ancestral lands for cultural and ecological activities.
“Land is not just a physical space. It is a living, sacred system,” SANParks said. “When plastic invades that space, it violates both nature and culture.”
SANParks has also started plans to phase out harmful waste, including plastics, from its park operations. The aim is to build a circular economy that benefits the communities living near national parks and encourages sustainable practices.
These efforts are part of SANParks’ Vision 2040, which promotes a “people-centred conservation-driven network” that balances environmental protection, social justice, and economic empowerment.
The agency said beating plastic pollution will require collective effort — and especially the leadership of communities that have long been custodians of the land.
“Environmental protection cannot be separated from social justice,” SANParks said.
