Ugu District Municipality: Biodiversity Sector Plan, Version 1.1
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Ugu District Municipality: Biodiversity Sector Plan Version: Version 2.0 Date: February 2014 Ugu Biodiversity Sector Plan 2014 RECOMMENDED Title Name Signature Date Chairperson: EKZNW, SOCC Chief Executive Officer EKZNW APPROVED Chairperson: KZN Nature Conservation Board I March 2014 - Version 2.0 Ugu Biodiversity Sector Plan 2014 The Project Team Eco-Pulse Environmental Consulting cc 26 Mallory Road, Hilton 3245 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Douglas Macfarlane Mobile: 084 5014665 Email: [email protected] Adam Teixeira-Leite Mobile: 074 4960432 Email: [email protected] Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Dr Boyd Escott Tel: 033 845 1257 Email: [email protected] Felicity Elliott Tel: 033 845 1434 Email: [email protected] Thorn-Ex cc (Environmental Services) PO Box 800, Hilton 3245 Pietermaritzburg. South Africa Marita Thornhill Tel: (033) 3431814 THORN-EX Fax: (033) 3431819 Mobile: 084 5014665 Email: [email protected] Afzelia Environmental Consultants cc PO Box 95, Hilton 3245 Pietermaritzburg. South Africa John Richardson Tel: 033 3432931/32 Fax: 033 3432033 or 086 5170900 Mobile: 082 9256 450 Email: [email protected] II March 2014 - Version 2.0 Ugu Biodiversity Sector Plan 2014 Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (2014). Ugu District Municipality: Biodiversity Sector Plan, Version 1.1. Unpublished Report by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Biodiversity Conservation Planning Division, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, P. O. Box 13053, Cascades, Pietermaritzburg. The project deliverables, including the reported results, comments, recommendations and conclusions, are based on the project teams’ knowledge as well information available at the time of compilation and are not guaranteed to be free from error or omission. The study is based on assessment techniques and investigations that are limited by time and budgetary constraints applicable to the type and level of project undertaken. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reserves the right to modify aspects of the project deliverables if and when new/additional information may become available from research, identifications or further work in the applicable field of practice, or pertaining to this study. Version 1 of the Biodiversity Sector Plan report for the Ugu District Municipality was approved by the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Board in June 2013. Subsequent to this approval significant changes have been made, by SANBI in conjunction with the provinces, in the terminology used in Sector Plans and the manner in which priority biodiversity areas are identified and mapped. Version 2 has been updated to incorporate these changes in terminology and mapping. Additional information in the form of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) shapefiles used to prepare the Critical Biodiversity Areas Maps referred to in this information document, as well as the digital version of this document, have been provided to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and can be obtained by contacting [email protected]. This Biodiversity Sector Plan covers the Ugu District Municipality in southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife (EKZNW) is the developer and primary implementing agent of the plan, with technical support being provided by SANBI: the South African National Biodiversity Institute. In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, a conscious decision was taken that a Bioregional Sector Plan (BSP) must be developed as a precursor to a Bioregional Plan (BRP). The reason behind this was the clearly identified need for KZN to clearly set out the baseline for the conservation priorities in each of the Districts, before interacting with the various other sector plans, IDPs and SDFs as required by S48 of National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act, 2004 and the Bioregional Guidelines (DEAT, 2009). As such, the BSP for the Ugu District Municipality complies with SANBI’s Bioregional Planning terminology and requirements as well as the guidelines for the development of Bioregional Plans (DEAT, 2009). As an intermediate product the BSP does not however reflect the interaction with other sector planning tools and the gazetting of the document. The spatial component of the bioregional plan is based on the systematic conservation planning undertaken by EKZNW and supplemented by a range of additional data sources compiled with assistance from the independent service provider, Eco-Pulse-Afzelia-Thorn-Ex JV. The primary purpose of the Biodiversity Sector Plan for the Ugu District is to inform land-use planning, environmental assessment and authorisations, and natural resource management, by the range of sectors whose policies and decisions impact on biodiversity. This is done by providing a map of biodiversity priority areas, with accompanying land- use planning and decision-making guidelines. There are a wide range of mandatory and recommended users of the Biodiversity Sector Plan, including local, provincial and national government departments and authorities whose decisions and actions impact on biodiversity and the natural environment; national and provincial conservation agencies; environmental and planning consultants; conservation NGOs; and private landowners. III March 2014 - Version 2.0 Ugu Biodiversity Sector Plan 2014 The project team II Citation . III Disclaimer III Document version III Further information III Executive summary III Table of contents 4 List of Appendices 5 List of Figures 6 List of Tables 6 1 Introduction 8 1.1 Aims & Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Map and Text Description ................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Legal Background .............................................................................................................................. 11 1.4 Application and Intended Users ........................................................................................................ 12 1.5 Details of the Biodiversity Sector Plan .............................................................................................. 14 1.6 Definition of terms ............................................................................................................................ 15 1.7 Abbreviations Used ........................................................................................................................... 20 2 Biophysical overview of the District 22 2.1 General description of the study area .............................................................................................. 22 2.2 Climate .............................................................................................................................................. 23 2.3 Landscape and Topography .............................................................................................................. 23 2.4 Geology and Geomorphology ........................................................................................................... 25 2.5 Landuse and modification ................................................................................................................. 26 2.6 Regional Conservation Context ......................................................................................................... 28 2.6.1 Hydrology and important aquatic ecosystems 28 2.6.2 Vegetation types 33 2.6.3 Species of special concern – flora & fauna 36 2.6.4 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) 38 2.6.5 Important ecological processes and services 39 2.6.6 Protected areas and other conservation areas 41 3 Biodiversity profile of the region 43 3.1 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 44 3.2 Assumptions and limitations ............................................................................................................. 44 3.3 Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs) ...................................................................................................... 47 3.3.1 Terrestrial CBAs 47 3.3.2 Aquatic CBAs 47 3.4 Ecological Support Areas (ESAs) ........................................................................................................ 49 3.4.1 Terrestrial ESAs 49 3.4.2 Aquatic ESAs 49 3.5 Ecological Infrastructure (EI) ............................................................................................................. 50 3.6 District Biodiversity Sector Plan Map ................................................................................................ 50 3.7 Cross links with adjacent Municipalities ........................................................................................... 53 4 Land Use PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT Guidelines 54 4.1 Guidelines for terrestrial and aquatic envrionments ........................................................................ 58 4.2 Guidelines for marine and inshore environments ............................................................................ 61 4.3 NFEPA Management Guidelines ....................................................................................................... 63 5 Review & Updating of the Biodiversity Sector Plan 64 4 March 2014 - Version 2.0 Ugu Biodiversity Sector Plan 2014 5.1 Timeframes ....................................................................................................................................... 64 5.2 Gaps in knowledge ...........................................................................................................................