Statutory professionals registration organisation the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA) has formalised the recognition and registration of environmental control practitioners (ECPs), advancing the professionalisation of environmental governance in South Africa.

This new designation encompasses a broad category of environmental professionals who provide essential post-decision impact assessment follow-up services, ensuring compliance, monitoring, governance and communication on environmental performance throughout the lifecycle of development projects.

With the approval of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), effective from August 2, 2024, EAPASA is now authorised to professionally register ECPs, it added.

ECPs play a critical role in the environmental sector by overseeing and coordinating governance, monitoring, evaluation, and communication related to compliance with environmental authorisations, licences, permits, and associated documentation, EAPASA says.

Further, ECP assessments also include checking project compliance with environmental management programmes, general environmental management plans, closure plans, rehabilitation plans, due diligence reports and various audit and performance reports.

Specifically, the key responsibilities of ECPs include on-site environmental management and post-decision environmental monitoring and evaluation. Their responsibilities also include environmental risk and due diligence assessments and ensuring adherence to environmental compliance obligations, international standards and best practice guidelines.

EAPASA is also the sole registration authority appointed by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment for the registration and regulation of environmental assessment practitioners (EAPs) in South Africa.

“This development [to register ECPs] is a pivotal step towards the establishment of EAPASA as a fully-fledged Environmental Council, and thereby enhancing the credibility and regulation of the environmental profession in South Africa.

“The increasing demand for professional registration in the sector has led to active engagements with SAQA for the inclusion of additional environmental-related professional categories under EAPASA’s mandate,” the professionals body says.

Further, the initiative aligns with the National Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector, launched by the National School of Government in October 2022.

The framework aims to ensure that only qualified and competent individuals are appointed to positions of authority, contributing to the development of a professional, ethical, capable and developmental public sector.