4. Mindful of the urgent need for sustainable development in our country; the need to effectively track the environmental management systems and mainstream plans and processes implemented by national and provincial Departments; the need to monitor the environmental sustainability of development and the need to facilitate the selection and use of the most appropriate and effective environmental management instruments and spatial tools in developmental decision-making, amendments to section 24, the centerpiece of NEMA, have been made that will give effect to these intentions. Clause 5 amends section 24 of the Act to enable, when appropriate, the use of spatial tools, norms and standards and environmental management instruments in decision-making as an alternative to environmental authorization procedures, where: i. Specified activities in certain geographical areas, based on environmental attributes and specified in adopted spatial tools or environmental management instruments may be excluded from the requirement to obtain an environmental authorisation; i. Listed activities may be excluded from the requirement to obtain an environmental authorisation as long as they comply with adopted norms or standards; ii. Listed activities, based on adopted environmental management instruments may be excluded from the requirement to obtain and environmental authorisation; or iii. The Minister may prohibit the granting of environmental authorizations in a particular geographic area if it is necessary to ensure the protection of the environment.