Biodiversity Plan V1.0 Free State Province Technical Report (FSDETEA/BPFS/2016 1.0)
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Biodiversity Plan v1.0 Free State Province Technical Report (FSDETEA/BPFS/2016_1.0) DRAFT 1 JUNE 2016 Map: Collins, N.B. 2015. Free State Province Biodiversity Plan: CBA map. Report Title: Free State Province Biodiversity Plan: Technical Report v1.0 Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. Internal Report. Date: $20 June 2016 ______________________________ Version: 1.0 Authors & contact details: Nacelle Collins Free State Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs [email protected] 051 4004775 082 4499012 Physical address: 34 Bojonala Buidling Markgraaf street Bloemfontein 9300 Postal address: Private Bag X20801 Bloemfontein 9300 Citation: Report: Collins, N.B. 2016. Free State Province Biodiversity Plan: Technical Report v1.0. Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. Internal Report. 1. Summary $what is a biodiversity plan This report contains the technical information that details the rationale and methods followed to produce the first terrestrial biodiversity plan for the Free State Province. Because of low confidence in the aquatic data that were available at the time of developing the plan, the aquatic component is not included herein and will be released as a separate report. The biodiversity plan was developed with cognisance of the requirements for the determination of bioregions and the preparation and publication of bioregional plans (DEAT, 2009). To this extent the two main products of this process are: • A map indicating the different terrestrial categories (Protected, Critical Biodiversity Areas, Ecological Support Areas, Other and Degraded) • Land-use guidelines for the above mentioned categories This plan represents the first attempt at collating all terrestrial biodiversity and ecological data into a single system from which it can be interrogated and assessed. Biodiversity and ecological data included are: • Land cover data • Inselbergs • Species distribution data (from records and expert mapping) • Modelled species distribution • A range of national data sets (Vegetation types, NFEPA sub-catchments, $list others) • The existing Ekangala spatial biodiversity plan • Biodiversity plans of neighbouring provinces • Existing provincial plans that guide development within the Free State Province, most notably the Provincial Spatial Development Framework (PSDF) Interrogation and assessment of the data was done according to national accepted biodiversity planning principles, i.e. classification of the landscape was done according to a systematic and a quantitative approach. Included in the assessment was the incorporation of edge matching principles to ensure that planning units across provincial boundaries have similar classifications (CBA, ESA, etc.) where appropriate. Large portions of the Free State have been degraded and are not available for conservation. According to the 2009 land cover map of the Free State (GeoterraImage, 2011) $% of the province is degraded while 33.67% is transformed ($% urban development, $% agriculture). Only $% of the Free State is covered by Formal Protected areas (Provincial Nature Reserves and SANParks) Free State Biodiversity Plan v1.0: Technical Report 2016 The targets of only 83 (75.5%) features of the 110 features that were included in the Marxan analysis were achieved while the targets of 27 features could not be achieved (24.5). Most of the targets not achieved were of species (the targets for 22 of 36 species features were not achieved, i.e. the targets of only 62.1% of species features were achieved). The targets of all threatened vegetation types were achived within the remaining areas. Table 1: Summarized Area and percentage contribution of CBA map categories Category Area (km2) % Protected 1267 1 CBAs 15400 12 ESAs 68525 53 Other 20914 16 Degraded 22785 18 Total 128891 Of the CBA map categories, protected area areas make up only 1% of province while degraded areas account for 18%. CBAs and ESAs account for 12% and 53% respectively. Remaining natural areas (natural areas not classified as CBA or ESA) therefore constitute 16% of the province. Land use guidelines1 facilitate the incorporation of the CBA map into land use planning. CBA map categories were also aligned with the Spatial Planning Categories of the Provincial Spatial Development Framework to allow for their inclusion in SPISYS. In addition to facilitate spatial planning within urban area, it will also facilitate land use planning within the broader municipal areas as required by SPLUMA. The 2013-2014 land cover map of South Africa (Geoterraimage, 2015) was released soon after the publication of this document. It follows that its content, as well as the data that informed the systematic biodiversity planning process and the resulting maps, are not the most current. Future releases of the biodiversity plan will incorporate such data. 1 Adapted from land use management guidelines for the Limpopo Province (Desmet, Holness, Skowno, & Egan, 2013)which in turn are based on the land use management guidelines of Mpumalanga, KNZ, and Gauteng. Free State Biodiversity Plan v1.0: Technical Report 2016 2. Table of Contents 1. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3. EXPLANATION OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15 4. LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 6. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 6.1. GENERAL .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 6.1. PURPOSE OF THE CONSERVATION PLAN ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 6.2. DEVELOPING THE BIODIVERSITY PLAN ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22 6.3. LIMITATIONS OF THE CONSERVATION PLAN ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 6.4. APPLICATION OF THE CONSERVATION PLAN ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 6.5. PROJECT PRODUCTS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 7. CONSERVATION PLANNING APPROACH..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 7.1. BIOREGIONAL PLAN REQUIREMENTS OF A SYSTEMATIC CONSERVATION PLAN.............................................................................................................................................................. 24 8. MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 8.1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 8.2. INPUT DATA ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................