These Sustainable Development Guidelines were prepared to guide investment and development of tourism infrastructure in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (IWP). The status of the park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognizes its exceptional environmental significance and therefore requires stringent environmental control of development in order to preserve this natural resource. There are a range of tourism development opportunities currently identified by IWP and open for investment. The available sites are spread across the diverse landscape of the park and are located in coastal, river, grassland, wetland and forest ecosystems.

The document provides an overview of restrictions and controls that investors and consultants will need to comply with in order to gain approval, regulate construction and manage operations of facilities inside the park. The guidelines serve two functions; primarily, the document aims to set a minimum acceptable standard of development in the park; and secondly, encourages exceptional and innovative architecture and infrastructure solutions based on best sustainable design and construction practices. To achieve this, the guidelines are written both as a prescriptive and descriptive document, where some controls or conditions must be complied with in order to comply with legislative or regulative requirements, while other controls describe the principles that guide design solutions preferred or encouraged within the park.