Transnet GOLELA to Nsezi ecological scoping assessment v1 Rail Link... · importance of the natural environment for the proposed Transnet Freight Rail Golela to Nsezi rail project

Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed

GOLELA TO NSEZI DEA Ref no 14/12/16/3/3/2/552

ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT SCOPING ASSESSMENT

DRAFT REPORT V1

Prepared for: AURECON South Africa (Pty) Ltd

1040 Burnett Street Hatfield

TSHWANE

Prepared by: Scherman Colloty & Associates

Postnet Suite 25 Private Bag 1672 GRAHAMSTOWN

6140

June 2013

SPECIALIST REPORT DETAILS This report has been prepared as per the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations and the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998), any subsequent amendments and any relevant National and / or Provincial Policies related to biodiversity assessments. Report prepared by : Dr. Brian Colloty Pr.Sci.Nat. (Ecology) / Certified EAP / Member SAEIES & SASAqS and Ms Sandy van der Waal MSc. (Environmental Science & GIS) Expertise / Field of Study of authors : Brian holds the following degrees, BSc (Hons) Zoology, MSc Botany (Rivers), Ph.D Botany Conservation Importance rating (Estuaries) and has conducted ecological assessments from 2002 to present. I, Dr. Brian Michael Colloty declare that this report has been prepared independently of any influence or prejudice as may be specified by the National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)

Signed:… ……………… Date: …… 21 June 2013………… This document contains intellectual property and propriety information that is protected by copyright in favour of Scherman Colloty & Associates cc. The document may therefore not be reproduced, or used without the prior written consent of Scherman Colloty & Associates cc. This document is prepared exclusively for AURECON South Africa (Pty) Ltd and is subject to all confidentiality, copyright, trade secrets, and intellectual property law and practices of SOUTH AFRICA

Ecological assessment – June 2013

Scherman Colloty & Associates 3 TFR Golela to Nzesi

Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5

1.1 Project background .................................................................................................... 5

1.2 Terms of reference .................................................................................................... 5

1.3 Limitations .................................................................................................................. 6

1.4 Site location ............................................................................................................... 7

2 Description of affected environment .......................................................................... 7

2.1 Important terrestrial habitats ...................................................................................... 7

2.2 Aquatic environment .................................................................................................. 8

2.3 Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife Systematic Biodiversity Conservation Plan (KZNSCP)) ................................................................................................................ 9

3 Potential impact description .................................................................................... 10

4 Plan of study for EIA ................................................................................................ 11

5 Conclusion and recommendations .......................................................................... 12

6 References .............................................................................................................. 13

List of Figures Figure 1: The Golela to Nsezi line (orange) ............................................................................. 7

Figure 2: The Golela to Nsezi line in relation to the regional vegetation types as defined by Mucina & Rutherford (2006) .................................................................................... 8

Figure 3: A map illustrating the major wetlands areas within the study region ......................... 9

Figure 4: A map illustrating the irreplaceability categories that intersect with the line based on results from the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Conservation Plan ................................. 10



ACRONYMS

DEA National Department of Environmental Affairs, cited as DEAT in older literature

EIA Environmental Impact Assessment as per the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998) and as amend August 2010

GIS Geographic Information System KZNSCP KwaZulu-Natal Systematic Conservation Plan M&R (2006) Mucina and Rutherford (2006) POSA Plants of South Africa, a PRECIS related database hosted by SANBI PRECIS National Herbarium Pretoria (PRE) Computerised Information System SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute SC&A Scherman Colloty & Associates VegMap Vegetation Map of South Africa, as per Mucina & Rutherford (2006) as

amended (Source: BGIS)



1 Introduction

1.1 Project background Scherman Colloty & Associates cc (SC&A) was appointed by Aurecon South Africa (Pty) Ltd (Aurecon) as an independent specialist to evaluate the current state and ecological importance of the natural environment for the proposed Transnet Freight Rail Golela to Nsezi rail project. This study will form part of the EIA application to the National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). This document follows on from results obtained during a literature survey and, as well as utilising information from previous studies subjected to similar environmental conditions (e.g. soil form, topography, catchments and agricultural activities). The main objective of this report is to identify areas of potential concern from both the terrestrial and aquatic perspective. These areas of concern would then be the main focus of the EIA site survey, as well as aid in the determination of any possible mitigation. Several important national and provincial conservation plans were also reviewed, with the results of those studies being included in this report. Most conservation plans are produced at a coarse scale so the actual status of the study area will then be determined during the EIA phase site visit.

1.2 Terms of reference

The following Terms of Reference based on specialist knowledge of the study area and the approving authority requirements were established: Objectives : • To provide a scoping desktop assessment of ecological issues (Phase 1) prior to

conducting the EIA ecological site visit (Phase 2). • To describe the relevant ecological (terrestrial & aquatic) baseline conditions relating to

the study area; • To provide an inventory of communities/species/taxa confirmed in the area of

investigation after the field studies (Phase 2); • To describe the anticipated environmental impacts on the vegetation and natural animal

life (terrestrial and aquatic) in the area; • To describe how the negative environmental impacts as described above should be

managed (Phase 2); and • To consider the cumulative impacts of this proposed development on the natural plant

and animal life with respect to providing specific guidelines to the Environmental Management and Monitoring Plans (Phase 2).

This report will thus focus of the following: Desktop Analysis (Alignment Selection Process) & sc oping phase report A desktop and literature review of the area under investigation was conducted to collate as much information as possible prior to any EIA fieldwork. The purpose of the desktop assessment is to rank relevant sites according to their ecological sensitivity and to identify an area of least ecological risk (to be assessed during the EIA phase).



Additional sources of information, amongst other included: • South African Bird, Mammal and Frog Atlas Data Red Data books; • South African Biodiversity Information Facility; • PRECIS, Plants of South Africa (POSA); • Threatened Species Programme; • Provincial ordinances; • Spatial Development Frameworks; and • Biodiversity / conservation plans.

1.3 Limitations In order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of both the floral and faunal components of both the terrestrial and aquatic systems, as well as the status of endemic, rare or threatened species in any given area, assessments should always consider temporal and spatial scales within the study. However, due to time and budget constraints, long-term studies are rarely feasible, resulting in most EIA specialist assessments being once off surveys. Therefore, due to the scope of the work presented in this report, a detailed investigation of all, or part of, the proposed alignments was not possible and are not perceived as part of the Terms of Reference for a screening exercise. It should be emphasised that information, as presented in this document, only has reference to the study area(s) as indicated on the accompanying maps. Therefore, this information cannot be applied to any other area without detailed investigation. Furthermore, additional information may come to light during a later stage of the process or development. A more detailed ecological site visit will be conducted during the EIA phase of the study and will focus on areas with little or no information available or are understood to be extremely sensitive. This company, the consultants and/or specialist investigators do not accept any responsibility for conclusions, suggestions, limitations and recommendations made in good faith, based on the information presented to them, obtained from the surveys or requests made to them at the time of this report.



1.4 Site location

The proposed refurbishment and / or realignment and loop additions are proposed along the existing line from Golela to Nsezi, via Mkuze and Hluhluwe in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. Golela lies on the southern border of Swaziland. The present day land use around the route is characterised by rural urban development, rural informal development, subsistence agriculture (cattle), large scale commercial crop production, commercial forestry and areas containing waterbodies such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and endorheic pans (depressions) (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Golela to Nsezi line (orange)

2 Description of affected environment

2.1 Important terrestrial habitats The study area is dominated by a mixture of urban and rural development, forestry, and various forms of agriculture, with the associated infrastructure such as roads, dams and the present rail network. According to the Mucina and Rutherford (2006) Vegmap, five regional vegetation types are present along the rail line route (Figure 2). These include:

• Zululand Lowveld (SVI 23) • Western Maputoland Clay Bushveld (SVI20) • Tembe Sandy Bushveld (SVI18) • Maputoland Coastal Belt (CB1) • Zululand Coastal Thornveld (SVI24)

The Biodiversity Act (No 10 of 2004) (Amendment December 2011), lists 225 threatened ecosystems based on vegetation type (Vegmap). None of these vegetation types are listed by this Act. . Present maps only indicate the original extent of these ecosystems, therefore the assessment of these ecosystems, their current extent and status will form a major focus of the EIA field



visit, especially in light of the majority of the study region has been transformed to some degree. Therefore it is imperative that any remaining functional habitats are properly identified, in order to minimise any further impact to these areas.

Figure 2: The Golela to Nsezi line in relation to t he regional vegetation types as defined by Mucina & Rutherford (2006)

2.2 Aquatic environment The Golela to Nsezi line falls within a large number of catchments associated with the following major rivers or lakes (Figure 3):

• Phongola • Mkuze • Msunduzi • Hluhluwe • St Lucia • Nyalazi • Mfolozi • Nhlabane

All of these systems have been classified as part of the National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Atlas (NFEPA) project (Nel et al., 2012). The majority of the wetlands within the study area have been shown to be natural, and form part of the important Maputoland Wetland Cluster. However some of these would be considered modified and have a conservation rating score of Z1 or Z2, i.e. low conservation importance. The remaining natural wetland areas associated with the local streams, pans floodplain wetlands, lakes and estuaries were mostly rated as A/B or C, i.e. Pristine to moderately modified or largely modified respectively (Nel et al., 2012). These would then be considered carefully in the EIA phase, firstly to establish their exact form and function through delineation and then determine their Present Ecological State (PES). This would also be a requirement by the Department of Water Affairs should any of the



proposed line be within 500m of a wetland boundary thus, construction activity would require a Water Use License Application for a Section 21 c & i use.

Figure 3: A map illustrating the major wetlands are as within the study region

2.3 Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife Systematic Biodiver sity Conservation Plan (KZNSCP))

The provincial conservation authority together with a broad range of stakeholders assessed the conservation status of the province using the GIS based C-Plan Conservation Planning System. This produced a conservation map of the province at a Quarter Degree Square (QDS) level, ranking the irreplaceability of each cell or square (Figure 4). The degree of irreplaceability was based on a weighted score of the potential for important or sensitivity species / habitats to occur or known to occur within each QDS cells. Several “Totally Irreplaceable” QDS cells are intersected by line (Figure 4) and will be assessed during the EIA phase. However the majority are associated with protected mammal species such as the Black Rhino found in the large number of protected areas adjacent to the line, such as Mkuze, and Hluhluwe Nature Reserves.



Figure 4: A map illustrating the irreplaceability c ategories that intersect with the line based on results from the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Con servation Plan

3 Potential impact description The following issues and impacts have been identified together with potential impacts which will be investigated during the EIA phase: Issue 1 – Destruction of natural habitat.

Impact 1 - loss of habitat and removal of vegetation – terrestrial Impact 2 - loss of habitat and removal of vegetation – wetland and waterbodies

Impact 2 - Loss of corridors Impact 3 – Loss of ecotones Issue 2 – Loss of endangered species Impact 1 – Loss of rare and endangered species Impact 2 – Introduction of alien and invasive species Issue 3 – Removal of topsoils and soil erosion Impact 1 – an increase in soil erosion Issue 4 – Introduction of alien vegetation Impact 1 – introduction of alien or invasive plants



4 Plan of study for EIA

Due to the limited level of detail that is normally considered during a screening assessment, it is considered imperative to conduct detailed ecological (flora and fauna) investigation within areas earmarked in this report (See Section 2.5). This would include, but not necessarily be limited to: Flora: • Provide a description of the general floristic species diversity and community composition; • Evaluating the occurrence of potential Red Data taxa; • Demarcating physiognomic units based on floristic relevès; and • Provide an indication on the ecological condition (successional stage) of the

predetermined physiognomic units. Fauna: • A detailed faunal assessment based on field observation; • An avifaunal assessment with particular reference towards the occurrence species

sensitive to the placement of transmission lines; • An evaluation of the occurrence of any of the listed conservation needy species. Wetlands and rivers: As highlighted in the above sections a large proportion of the available habitat related to sensitive or important taxa, are associated with the wetland / riverine / moist habitats. The EIA phase will thus focus on critical assessment of the wetland / riverine systems in the following way: • Delineation of any important wetland and river boundaries using the requisite techniques

based upon the latest Wetland Classification systems (SANBI, 2009); • Indicate suitable buffer zones as prescribed by the relevant provincial policies /

conservation plans • Assess the status of the observed faunal and floral populations observed; • Assess the potential impacts on the functioning of these systems.



5 Conclusion and recommendations The preliminary results, based on the available information, show that the proposed Golela to Nsezi line could impact on a number of sensitive and / or important terrestrial and aquatic habitats. However several of the metadata sources for the spatial data shown in this report also indicate that large areas of habitat at a broad scale are degraded or transformed. This is also supported by the observed land use character shown in the aerial images (Google Earth), thus a large proportion of time during the EIA site visit will be spent ground-truthing the potential sensitive habitats while assessing the potential for associated conservation needy species know to occur within the study region.



6 References

Ferrar, A.A. & Lötter, M.C. 2007. Mpumalanga Biodiversity Conservation Plan Handbook. Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency, Nelspruit.

Mucina, L. and Rutherford, M.C. (2006). South African vegetation map. South African National Biodiversity Institute – Accessed: http://bgis.sanbi.org/vegmap/map.asp, 18 September 2009.

Nel, J.L., Murray, K.M., Maherry, A.M., Petersen, C.P., Roux, D.J., Driver, A., Hill, L., Van Deventer, H., Funke, N., Swartz, E.R., Smith-Adao, L.B., Mbona, N., Downsborough, L. and Nienaber, S. (2011). Technical Report for the National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas project. WRC Report No. K5/1801.

SANBI (2009). Further Development of a Proposed National Wetland Classification System for South Africa. Primary Project Report. Prepared by the Freshwater Consulting Group (FCG) for the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

Documents

Transnet GOLELA to Nsezi ecological scoping assessment v1 Rail Link... · importance of the natural environment for the proposed Transnet Freight Rail Golela to Nsezi rail project