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Kaalspruit River Rehabilitation: Vegetation Habitats and Vertebrate Fauna

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Kaalspruit River Rehabilitation: Vegetation Habitats and Vertebrate Fauna The proposed Kaalspruit Open Space Project, Thembisa, Gauteng Kaalspruit River Rehabilitation Biodiversity Scan: Vegetation and vertebrate report Date: December 2015 For: NuLeaf Planning and Environmental Tel: +27 12 753 5792 Fax: +27 86 571 6292 [email protected] www.nuleafsa.co.za Project by: Copyright Copyright in all text and other matter is the exclusive property of the author. It is a criminal offence to reproduce and/or use, without written consent, any matter, technical procedure and/or technique contained in this document. Criminal and civil proceedings will be taken as a matter of strict routine against any person and/or institution infringing the copyright of the author and/or proprietors. This document may not be modified other tan by the author and when incorporated into overarching studies, it should be included in its entirety as an appendix to the main report. AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FLORA, HABITATS AND VERTEBRATE FAUNA EXPECTED ALONG THE PROPOSED KAALSPRUIT WATERCOURSE REHABILITATION IN TEMBISA, JOHANNESBURG by A.C. Kemp PhD Pr.Sci.Nat. G.J. Bredenkamp DSc Pr.Sci.Nat. I.L. Rautenbach PhD Pr.Sci.Nat. J.C.P. Van Wyk MSc Pr.Sci.Nat. December 2015 Kaalspruit River rehabilitation: vegetation habitats and vertebrate fauna TABLE OF CONTENTS: Table of Contents: ............................................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures: ..................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables: ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Disclaimer.......................................................................................................................................... 10 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Physical environment ................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.1. Geology and soil ................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.2. Regional Climate ................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.3. Topography and drainage ..................................................................................................... 6 1.1.4. Land-use ............................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.5. Vegetation Types .................................................................................................................. 6 1.2. Ecological perspective ................................................................................................................. 9 2. CURRENT HABITAT CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 13 2.1. Kaalspruit River (low overall gradient, 7.6 m/km) ...................................................................... 14 2.2. K1 Tributary (high overall gradient, 33.1 m/km) ......................................................................... 19 2.3. K2 Tributary (medium overall gradient, 14.4 m/km) ................................................................... 21 2.3.1. K2a Tributary (high overall gradient, 28.7 m/km) ................................................................ 27 2.3.2. K2b Tributary (high overall gradient, 30.9 m/km) ................................................................ 28 2.3.3 K2c Tributary (high overall gradient, 32.4 m/km) ................................................................. 30 3. VEGETATION AND FLORA ............................................................................................................. 34 3.1. Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 34 3.1.1. Initial preparations: .............................................................................................................. 34 3.1.2. Site visit ............................................................................................................................... 34 3.3.3. Plant Species Status ........................................................................................................... 35 3.2. Results ....................................................................................................................................... 35 3.2.1. Classification of the river-reach units .................................................................................. 35 3.2.2. Floristic description of the river reach systems ................................................................... 37 3.2.3. Species of Conservation Concern, Red Data & NEMBA Species, Protected Trees .......... 40 3.2.4. Medicinal Plants .................................................................................................................. 42 3.2.5. Alien Plants ......................................................................................................................... 42 3.3. General ecological sensitivity ..................................................................................................... 45 3.4. Estimates of percentage indigenous .......................................................................................... 47 3.5. Impacts of the proposed rehabilitation ....................................................................................... 47 4. VERTEBRATE FAUNA ..................................................................................................................... 49 4.1. Mammals .................................................................................................................................... 49 4.1.1 Mammal Habitat Assessment ....................................................................................... 50 December 2015 Kaalspruit River rehabilitation: vegetation habitats and vertebrate fauna 4.1.2 Observed and Expected Mammal Species Richness ................................................... 50 4.1.3 Red-listed Mammal Species Identified: ......................................................................... 52 4.2. Birds ........................................................................................................................................... 52 4.2.1 Avifaunal Habitat Assessment ............................................................................................. 52 4.2.2. Observed and Expected Avian Species Richness .............................................................. 53 4.2.3. Red-listed Bird Species Identified ....................................................................................... 59 4.2.4. Overall Avifaunal Impressions of the Site ........................................................................... 60 4.3. Herpetofauna ............................................................................................................................. 61 4.3.1. Herpetofauna Habitat Assessment ............................................................................... 61 4.3.2. Observed and Expected Herpetofauna Species Richness ........................................... 62 4.3.3. Red Data Listed Herpetofauna identified ...................................................................... 65 4.4. PROPOSALS FOR INTEGRATION OF HABITAT AND VERTEBRATE FAUNAL ASSESSMENTS INTO THE REHABILITATION PLANNING ........................................................... 67 5. GENERAL INPUT INTO REHABILITAION ................................................................................... 69 5.1 Re-instate the resource phase .............................................................................................. 69 5.1.1 Alien invasive plant species: ......................................................................................... 69 5.1.2 Re-establishment of grassland ...................................................................................... 70 5.1.3 Prevent unnecessary disturbance to fauna ................................................................... 71 5.1.4 Ensure faunal movement .............................................................................................. 71 5.2 Enhance the resource phase ................................................................................................ 71 5.2.1 Planting of trees, particularly park areas ....................................................................... 71 5.3 Optimise the local value of the resource phases .................................................................. 72 6. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................ 73 7. LIMITATIONS, ASSUMPTIONS AND GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE ..................................................... 75 8. LITERATURE CONSULTED ............................................................................................................ 76 9. DETAILS OF SPECIALIST CONSULTANTS ................................................................................... 80 ALAN CHARLES KEMP ...................................................................................................................
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