48 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 7 JUNE 2004 No. 26436 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: Act No. 10,2004- BIODIVERSITYACT, 2004 Research 50. (1)The Minister must promote research done by Institute the and otherinstitutions on biodiversity conservation, including the sustainable use, pr6tection and conservation of indigenous biological resources. (2) biodiversity Research conservation onincludemay 5 ( a ) the collection and analysis of information about(i) the conservation status of the various components of biodiversity; (ii) negative and positive trends affecting the conservationstatus of various components; and (iii) threateningprocessesoractivities likely to impactonbiodiversity 10 conservation; ( b ) the assessment of strategies and techniques for biodiversity conservation; (c) the determination of biodiversity conservation needs and priorities; and (d) thesustainableuse,protectionandconservation of indigenousbiological resources. 15 CHAPTER 4 THREATENED OR PROTECTED ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES Purpose of Chapter 51. The purpose of this Chapter is to( a ) provide for the protection of ecosystems that are threatened or in need of 20 protection to ensure the maintenance of their ecological integrity; ( h ) providefortheprotection of species that are threatenedorinneed of protection to ensure their survival in the wild; (c) give effect to theRepublic’sobligationsunderinternationalagreements regulatinginternationaltradeinspecimens of endangeredspecies;and 25 ((1) ensure that the utilisation of biodiversity is managedinanecologically sustainable way. Part 3 Protection of threatened or protected ecosystems Ecosystems that are threatened or in need of protection 30 52. (1) (a) The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, publish a national list of ecosystems that are threatened and in need of protection. ( b ) An MEC for environmental affairs in a province may, by notice in the Gazette, publish a provincial listof ecosystems in the provincethat are threatened andin need of protection. 35 (2) The following categories of ecosystems may belisted in terms of subsection (1): ( a ) critically endangeredecosystems,beingecosystems that haveundergone severe degradation of ecological structure, function or composition as a result of human intervention and are subject to an extremely high risk of irreversible transformation; 40 ( b ) endangered ecosystems, being ecosystems that have undergone degradation of ecological structure, functionorcomposition as a result of human intervention, although they are not critically endangered ecosystems; (c) vulnerable ecosystems, being ecosystemsthat have a high risk of undergoing significant degradation of ecological structure, function or composition as a 45