About us
Samantha de Villiers
Samantha de Villiers is an experienced attorney with more than a decade of experience specialising in environmental law, including regulatory compliance, environmental litigation and protected areas law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree majoring in Environmental Science and Law, and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree with the Environmental Law elective from Rhodes University. She has made a distinct contribution in the protected area expansion throughout the Republic of South Africa. She has represented clients in environmental litigation in the High Court and in the Supreme Court of Appeal. Samantha serves on several boards of non-governmental organisations dedicated to nature conservation.
Samantha is the leading lawyer on the legal aspects relating to the implementation of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003. She played an integral role in the establishment of the KwaZulu-Natal Protected Areas Declaration task team, a first of its kind in the Republic of South Africa. She is also a participating member of the National Stewardship Legal Reference Group and is the only private attorney requested to participate in the technical working group for stewardship in South Africa.
Samantha has a collaborative and engaging style of working with her colleagues.
Practice Areas
Protected Areas
Declarations, Conservation, Management Compliance
Our firm specialises in providing comprehensive legal services related to the establishment, management, and regulation of protected areas in most provinces of the Republic of South Africa. We advise on compliance with national and provincial conservation laws, including providing assistance in the reviewing and implementation of management plans. Our expertise extends to assisting in the resolution of conflicts between conservation goals and land use, helping clients navigate complex legal frameworks to safeguard biodiversity and ecological integrity.
Land Use Planning
SPLUMA, Land Use Planning, NBSRA
We offer legal guidance on the law relating to land use planning and development, ensuring that projects align with South Africa’s environmental and planning laws. Our services include advising on environmental impact assessments (EIAs), rezoning applications, and sustainable development initiatives. We assist developers, government agencies, municipalities and communities to balance economic growth with environmental protection, ensuring that land use decisions are both legally compliant and ecologically responsible.
EIA
Legal Advice
Our firm provides specialised legal advice at every stage of the EIA process. We assist clients in understanding whether their activities trigger listed EIA requirements, guide them through scoping and impact reporting, and assess the adequacy of environmental authorisations. Where necessary, we represent clients in appeals and judicial reviews, challenging authorisations that threaten sensitive ecosystems, or defending projects that meet the highest standards of environmental compliance.