WESTERN CAPE BIODIVERSITY SPATIAL PLAN HANDBOOK Drafted by: CapeNature Scientific Services Land Use Team Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch 2017 Editor: Ruida Pool-Stanvliet Contributing Authors: Alana Duffell-Canham, Genevieve Pence, Rhett Smart i Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan Handbook 2017 Citation: Pool-Stanvliet, R., Duffell-Canham, A., Pence, G. & Smart, R. 2017. The Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan Handbook. Stellenbosch: CapeNature. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The compilation of the Biodiversity Spatial Plan and Handbook has been a collective effort of the Scientific Services Section of CapeNature. We acknowledge the assistance of Benjamin Walton, Colin Fordham, Jeanne Gouws, Antoinette Veldtman, Martine Jordaan, Andrew Turner, Coral Birss, Alexis Olds, Kevin Shaw and Garth Mortimer. CapeNature’s Conservation Planning Scientist, Genevieve Pence, is thanked for conducting the spatial analyses and compiling the Biodiversity Spatial Plan Map datasets, with assistance from Scientific Service’s GIS Team members: Therese Forsyth, Cher-Lynn Petersen, Riki de Villiers, and Sheila Henning. Invaluable assistance was also provided by Jason Pretorius at the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, and Andrew Skowno and Leslie Powrie at the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Patricia Holmes and Amalia Pugnalin at the City of Cape Town are thanked for advice regarding the inclusion of the BioNet. We are very grateful to the South African National Biodiversity Institute for providing funding support through the GEF5 Programme towards layout and printing costs of the Handbook. We would like to acknowledge the Mpumalanga Biodiversity Sector Plan Steering Committee, specifically Mervyn Lotter, for granting permission to use the Mpumalanga Biodiversity Sector Plan Handbook as a blueprint for the Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan Handbook. Herewith we also acknowledge the authors of other Biodiversity Sector Plans (inter alia K. Maree and D. Vromans) for inspiration in drafting the Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan Handbook. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude towards Marlene Laros and the Biodiversity Unit, as well as André van der Merwe of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning for general support and encouragement. ii Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan Handbook 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The vision of the Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan is that biodiversity and ecological infrastructure are highly valued as assets, integrated into all planning spheres, and managed in a sustainable way so as to ensure the persistence of healthy, functioning and representative ecosystems and associated services which benefit all. The Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan (WCBSP) is a spatial tool that comprises the Biodiversity Spatial Plan Map (BSP Map) of biodiversity priority areas, accompanied by contextual information and land use guidelines that make the most recent and best quality biodiversity information available for land use and development planning, environmental assessment and regulation, and natural resource management. The BSP Map covers both the terrestrial and freshwater realms, as well as major coastal and estuarine habitats. This Handbook presents the BSP Map and explains its development, describes important biodiversity features of the Western Cape, and presents a set of land use guidelines that should be used to effectively aid in conserving the biodiversity of the Western Cape. The BSP Map is the product of a systematic biodiversity planning approach that delineates Critical Biodiversity Areas and Ecological Support Areas, which require safeguarding to ensure the continued existence and functioning of species and ecosystems, including the delivery of ecosystem services. The Western Cape Province covers a land area of 130 000 km2 and is home to approximately 6.5 million people. The province is endowed with rich natural capital (i.e. biological diversity), and varied scenic and cultural resources which make the Western Cape the country’s premier tourism destination. The province is home to the Cape Floristic Region, the smallest and most diverse of the six global Floral Kingdoms, and also one of the 34 globally-recognised biodiversity hotspots. Of the Succulent Karoo hotspot, about 31% also occur within the province. Legally recognised protected areas cover approximately 13% of the province, with an additional 34% of the land area identified as critical for biodiversity conservation. A constantly increasing population is creating a need for more economic and residential development, which is directly related to habitat fragmentation, degradation and loss, resulting in increasing pressure on ecological infrastructure. The latter is important for providing vital ecosystem services that underpin social development and economic activity, including services such as the provision of fresh water, buffers against flooding and erosion, rangelands for grazing, climate and air quality regulation, soil formation, as well as recreational spaces. Water resources are key to the socio-economic development of the Western Cape, particularly since the province is a relatively water-scarce area and it is a major limitation on further growth. As a result of the semi- arid nature of the country and increased water demand linked to population growth, the water resources in the Western Cape are under great threat. Freshwater ecosystems comprise of rivers, watercourses and wetlands, and form an important basis for ecological infrastructure. The Western Cape has an extensive coastline of 2 798 km, and coastal and marine biodiversity are threatened by several factors including increased fishing effort, coastal development, reduced freshwater flows into the estuarine and marine environments, pollution, alien invasive species and climate change. The primary cause of biodiversity loss in the Western Cape is the loss of habitat, as is the case globally. Habitat transformation, degradation and fragmentation occur primarily through changes in land use which either result in the outright loss of natural ecosystems, or pressures which impact negatively on habitat condition. iii Western Cape Biodiversity Spatial Plan Handbook 2017 Land use planning and decision-making should strive for sustainable development and therefore requires spatial biodiversity assessments to better inform where and how development takes place. South Africa has dedicated legal, policy and planning tools for biodiversity management and conservation, linked to broader environmental management objectives at national, provincial and local levels, as well as commitments to international biodiversity targets. The country has a need to contribute towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, as well as achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. These tools provide a robust framework for implementation of the WCBSP. The Western Cape has a 25-year history of biodiversity spatial planning, originating with work conducted in the early 1990s. The WCBSP is a product that builds on previous systematic biodiversity planning efforts undertaken across the province over the last quarter century; now explicitly incorporating data for over 2600 species, ecosystem types and ecological features. The WCBSP also replaces all previous products as best available science to inform current land use planning and should be used as the official reference for biodiversity priority areas to be taken into account in decision-making. The BSP Map can be used to inform a range of key planning processes, including Integrated Development Plans, Spatial Development Frameworks, zoning schemes, environmental impact assessments, and environmental authorisations. The WCBSP and the BSP Map reflect important advances in biodiversity planning in the province over the last few years. Importantly, the WCBSP: (1) provides, for the first time, a singular province-wide assessment; (2) utilizes more recent and accurate land cover data than previous assessments; (3) gives explicit consideration to ecological infrastructure and climate resilience; (4) responds to the need for greater conflict avoidance with urban areas; (5) identifies depleted ecosystem/environmental stocks; and (6) incorporates better quality and more up-to-date biodiversity data. The Handbook is structured according to five chapters: Chapter 1: Explains what a biodiversity spatial plan is, how it should be used and by whom. Describes the legislative and policy context for implementing the Biodiversity Spatial Plan, and how this plan aligns with other planning processes and instruments. Chapter 2: Describes key features of the biodiversity and ecological infrastructure of the Western Cape. Provides a brief overview of the main patterns of land use and other drivers of change that impact on biodiversity, and provides information on the Protected Area network and mechanisms for consolidation and expansion of such a network. Chapter 3: Presents the final spatial product, including the various map categories used. Outlines the approach taken, explaining how the principles of systematic biodiversity planning were adhered to, the data layers and targets used, and other key parameters of the analysis. Concludes with a summary of advances made with the production of the WCBSP. Chapter 4: Provides guidelines for land use planning and decision-making, and for land and resource management using the BSP Map. All the guidelines are informed by the ‘Desired Management Objective’ for the different