Kudusberg WEF REPORT ON THE TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY (FLORA AND FAUNA) Basic Assessment report for the proposed development of the 325 MW Kudusberg Wind Energy Facility located west of the R354 Between Matjiesfontein and Sutherland in the Northern and Western Cape Report prepared for: Report prepared by: CSIR – Environmental Management Services Ekotrust cc (CK90/05465/23) P O Box 17001 7 St George Street, Lionviham Congella, Durban, 4013 Somerset West 7130 South Africa South Africa OCTOBER 2018 Ekotrust CC - 2018 1 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... i SPECIALISTS DECLARATION ........................................................................................................... iv TERMS OF REFERENCE ................................................................................................................... v LIMITATIONS, ASSUMPTIONS & UNCERTAINTIES ........................................................................ vi ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................... vii ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................................... vii GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ ix LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................. xi COMPLIANCE WITH APPENDIX 6 .................................................................................................. xii 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. APPROACH AND METHODS ........................................................................................................ 4 3. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................... 8 4. ENVIRONMENTAL DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................. 12 5. VEGETATION ............................................................................................................................ 24 6. FLORA ....................................................................................................................................... 36 7. FAUNA ...................................................................................................................................... 44 8. ECOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 46 9. KEY ISSUES AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS ..................................................................................... 51 10. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND IDENTIFICATION OF MANAGEMENT ACTIONS .............................................................................................................. 54 11. IMPACT ASSESSMENT SUMMARY .......................................................................................... 71 12. CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................ 77 13. INPUT INTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME ....................................... 79 14. ADDENDUM: REVISED LAYOUT PLAN ..................................................................................... 82 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................ 84 REFERENCES AND BIBILIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 85 APPENDIX A: PLANT SPECIES CHECKLIST ...................................................................................... 90 Kudusberg WEF APPENDIX B: ANIMAL SPECIES CHECKLISTS ................................................................................ 102 APPENDIX C: DIFFERENTIAL TABLE OF VEGETATION .................................................................. 117 APPENDIX D: TERRAIN OF SOME OF THE SUBSTATIONS AND CONSTRUCTION SITES ............... 121 APPENDIX E: ACCESS ROAD TO KUDUSBERG SITE FROM THE NORTH ....................................... 123 APPENDIX F: SPECIALISTS CV AND EXPERTISE ............................................................................ 129 Ekotrust CC - 2018 ii Kudusberg WEF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The proposed Kudusberg Wind Energy Facility (WEF) is located southwest of Sutherland, and lies partly in the Northern Cape and partly in the Western Cape. The area falls within the Cape Winelands and Namaqua District Municipalities. The total area covered by the study site is approximately 30 000 ha, when considering the extent of affected cadastral units. The Kudusberg Wind Farm (Pty) Ltd proposes to develop a 325 megawatt (MW) WEF, consisting of a maximum of 56 turbines. The proposed facility is located within the Komsberg Renewable Energy Development Zone (REDZ 2), one of the eight REDZ formally gazetted in South Africa for development of solar and wind energy generation facilities. The core area of the development site occupies some 19 300 ha and is located between 32° 47’ 18.0” S and 32° 56' 02" S latitude; 20° 11’ 24” E and 20° 24’ 56” E longitude and occurs in the 3220 CC and 3220 CD topocadastral quarter degree grids. It occupies the slopes and broad ridges of mountain ranges bordering the southern Tanqua Karoo as well as the southern and southeastern slopes of the Klein-Roggeveldberge and Komsberg below the Roggeveld section of the Great Escarpment, facing the Moordenaars Karoo. Geologically, the region is almost entirely covered by greenish-grey mudstone and subordinate sandstone. The altitude ranges from 800 m along the Gatsrivier in the west of the site to 1367 m on Oliviersberg. The region is drained by seven rivers, mostly in a westerly and northerly direction. Annual rainfall in the region is approximately 250 mm and falls mainly from March to August. Winter temperatures are generally low and frost is a common occurrence. The aim of this study, as part of a Basic Assessment, was to assess the terrestrial ecology of the study area with reference to fauna and flora and to evaluate the impact of the proposed development on the biodiversity. The study commenced as a desktop study, followed by field-based surveys from 17 to 20 July 2018 and again from 5 to 13 September 2018. During the first site visit, field surveys consisted of sampling the different vegetation types (habitats) on site based on a stratification of satellite images including a brief survey of fauna in the area. The vegetation was classified and a vegetation map produced. Checklists of fauna and flora present as well as potentially present on site were compiled, including listing of rare, threatened and/or protected species. The sensitivity of the area and the possible impacts of the development on the biodiversity of the area were assessed. The second site visit focused on searching for Species of Conservation Concern within the footprint of the development to improve micro-siting of the infrastructure. According to Mucina and Rutherford (2006) the Koedoesberge-Moordenaars Karoo (SKv 6) and the Central Mountain Shale Renosterveld (FRs 5) cover the study site. The vegetation occurs at the transition between the Fynbos Biome and the Succulent Karoo Biome and elements of both biomes are therefore represented. Van der Merwe et al. (2008a, 2008b) described six vegetation units for the study area. The current brief vegetation survey classified the study area into six physiognomic-floristic habitat types, (1) cliffs; (2) the mountain crests, upper plateaux and upper slopes; (3) the midslopes and mid-plateaux; (4) footslopes and lower plateaux; (5) plains; and (6) drainage lines (mountain streams and rivers in the valleys). The study area has been very poorly collected botanically. In the two quarter degree grids in which the study area falls (3220 CC and 3220 DD) only 131 plant taxa are listed in the SANBI database. The list based on the four quarter degree grids 3220 CA; 3220 CB; 3220 CC and 3220 CD amounts to 255 plant taxa. However, with the inclusion of plant taxa from two major botanical studies in the region and the current site survey, a total of 792 taxa could be present in the study area. Twenty-seven of these 792 plant species are classified as threatened according the IUCN Red List Categories. Two of the species are classified as Critically Endangered; five as Endangered; and twenty-one as Vulnerable. The threatened species are dominated by geophytic species (50% of all threatened species listed for the study area), in particular of the family Iridaceae. According to the lists of Ekotrust CC - 2018 i Kudusberg WEF protected flora in the Northern Cape, 354 of the 792 species were classified as either Schedule 1 (Specially Protected Species) or Schedule 2 (Protected Species). In total 223 species qualified as protected in the Western Cape province. Twenty-two of the species potentially on site (Appendix A) qualify as CITES Appendix II species. Although the study area does not fall in the Hantam – Roggeveld Centre