The Department continued to maintain South Africa's position as the third most biologically diverse country in the world by strengthening the regulatory framework for biodiversity and ecosystem services through targeted amendments that promote the objectives of conservation, the sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biological resources and the associated traditional knowledge. On developing infrastructure in the transfrontier conservation areas, the Department has identified 51 potential investment opportunities, with seven of those investment opportunities having yielded investments totalling US$14 million to date. It is important to note that these investment opportunities form part of the Department's contribution to the regional integration strategy.