Evaluation of the biodiversity reporting in the South African fishing industry

[摘要] Biodiversity is a serious concern for companies using natural resources in their operations andshould be examined closely in order to assess how these companies are reporting their biodiversityrelated impacts.This thesis evaluates the biodiversity disclosures reported by companies in the South African fishingindustry. The integrated and sustainability reports of these companies were examined over a threeyear period for the quantity and quality of their biodiversity related disclosures. This involved theexamination of the extent, location, and quality of such disclosures by South African fishingcompanies.The thesis finds that there is a distinct lack of biodiversity-related disclosures in the South Africanfishing industry. This thesis highlights the operation of organised hypocrisy in an industry which relieson the availability of natural resources and the state of biodiversity in order to continue its operations.It was found that a possible reason for limited biodiversity disclosures by South African fishingcompanies was to avoid public scrutiny of their biodiversity impact. The thesis contributes to theevaluation of a country, and more specifically an industry, that is heavily reliant on the state ofbiodiversity.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand