1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESS MENT FOR GAS PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR GAS PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT 2 3 Draft v3 Specialist Assessment Report for Stakeholder Review 4 5 FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS 6 Contributing Authors Gary de Winnaar1, Dr Vere Ross-Gillespie1 7 8 1 GroundTruth, Hilton 9 10 11 WETLANDS AND RIVERS SPECIALIST REPORT Page 1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESS MENT FOR GAS PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 2 3 4 5 6 TABLES 4 7 FIGURES 4 8 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 7 9 10 1 SUMMARY 8 11 2 INTRODUCTION 9 12 3 SCOPE OF THIS STRATEGIC ISSUE 11 13 4 APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY 13 14 4.1 STUDY METHODOLOGY 13 15 4.1.1 Briefing session 13 16 4.1.2 Literature review and data collation 14 17 4.1.3 Assigning a suitable spatial scale for analysis 14 18 4.1.4 Analysis and integration of GIS data 14 19 4.1.5 Application of metrics for sensitivity analyses 14 20 4.1.5.1 River threat status and sensitivity: 14 21 4.1.5.2 Wetlands threat status and sensitivity: 15 22 4.1.5.3 Freshwater biota (species and families): 16 23 4.1.5.4 Freshwater plants (Kingdom: Plantae): 16 24 4.1.6 Integration of taxonomic groups 18 25 4.1.7 Producing integrated four tier sensitivity maps 18 26 4.2 DATA SOURCES 19 27 4.3 ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS 23 28 4.4 RELEVANT REGULATORY INSTRUMENTS 24 29 5 BASELINE DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED GAS PIPELINE CORRIDORS 31 30 6 SENSITIVITY MAPPING 47 31 6.1 IDENTIFICATION SENSITIVITY CRITERIA FOR FEATURES 47 32 6.2 PHASE 1 CORRIDOR 50 33 6.2.1 Rivers 50 34 6.2.2 Wetlands 51 35 6.2.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 52 36 6.2.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 53 37 6.3 PHASE 2 CORRIDOR 54 38 6.3.1 Rivers 54 39 6.3.2 Wetlands 55 40 6.3.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 56 41 6.3.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 57 42 6.4 PHASE 3 CORRIDOR 58 43 6.4.1 Rivers 58 44 6.4.2 Wetlands 59 45 6.4.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 60 WETLANDS AND RIVERS SPECIALIST REPORT Page 2 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESS MENT FOR GAS PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 6.4.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 61 2 6.5 PHASE 4 CORRIDOR 62 3 6.5.1 Rivers 62 4 6.5.2 Wetlands 63 5 6.5.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 64 6 6.5.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 65 7 6.6 PHASE 5 CORRIDOR 66 8 6.6.1 Rivers 66 9 6.6.2 Wetlands 67 10 6.6.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 68 11 6.6.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 69 12 6.7 PHASE 6 CORRIDOR 70 13 6.7.1 Rivers 70 14 6.7.2 Wetlands 71 15 6.7.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 72 16 6.7.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 73 17 6.8 PHASE 7 CORRIDOR 74 18 6.8.1 Rivers 74 19 6.8.2 Wetlands 75 20 6.8.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 76 21 6.8.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 77 22 6.9 PHASE 8 CORRIDOR 78 23 6.9.1 Rivers 78 24 6.9.2 Wetlands 79 25 6.9.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 80 26 6.9.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 81 27 6.10 INLAND CORRIDOR 82 28 6.10.1 Rivers 82 29 6.10.2 Wetlands 83 30 6.10.3 Freshwater biota (fauna and flora) 84 31 6.10.4 Freshwater ecosystems and biota (combined) 85 32 7 KEY POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION 86 33 8 RISK ASSESSMENT 94 34 9 BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS 98 35 9.1 PLANNING PHASE 98 36 9.2 CONSTRUCTION PHASE 98 37 9.3 OPERATIONS PHASE 98 38 9.4 REHABILITATION AND POST CLOSURE 99 39 9.5 MONITORING REQUIREMENTS 99 40 10 GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE 100 41 11 CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS 100 42 12 REFERENCES 102 43 44 WETLANDS AND RIVERS SPECIALIST REPORT Page 3 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESS MENT FOR GAS PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 Appendix 1: Selected flora used in the assessment of freshwater biota 105 2 Appendix 2: Selected fauna according the taxonomic groups used in the assessment of freshwater biota 108 3 4 TABLES 5 Table 1: Criteria for assigning sensitivity classes for wetland attributes. 15 6 Table 2: Data used in this assessment. 19 7 Table 3: Assumptions and limitations. 23 8 Table 4: International, national and provincial regulatory instruments relevant to freshwater ecosystems. 24 9 Table 5: Description of freshwater ecosystems and species of the proposed Gas Pipeline corridors, including 10 existing drivers and pressures. 31 11 Table 6: Data and criteria used to assign sensitivity to freshwater ecosystems within the proposed Gas Pipeline 12 corridors. 47 13 Table 7: Sensitivity ratings assigned to freshwater ecosystem features in all of the proposed Gas Pipeline 14 corridors. 49 15 Table 8: Key potential impacts to freshwater ecosystems and associated fauna and flora by gas pipeline 16 development, and their mitigation. 89 17 Table 9: Assessment of risk associated with impacts to freshwater ecosystems resulting from gas pipeline 18 development with respect to the four-tiered sensitivity classes for freshwater attributes. 95 19 20 FIGURES 21 Figure 1: Overview of the proposed gas pipeline corridors 11 22 Figure 2: Flow (perennial and non-perennial) and threat status of rivers that flow through the gas pipeline 23 corridors developed using the PES, EI and ES data from DWS (2014). 43 24 Figure 3: Wetland threat status based on the national wetland vegetation group regions of Nel and Driver (2012) 25 applied to all wetlands of the collated wetland coverage developed for the gas pipeline corridors 44 26 Figure 4: Point localities and corresponding threat status of freshwater plants based on known occurrence data 27 within the gas pipeline corridors 45 28 Figure 5: Point localities and corresponding threat status of freshwater fauna based on known occurrence data 29 within the gas pipeline corridors 46 30 Figure 6: River threat status and sensitivity calculated for sub-quaternary catchments in the gas pipeline phase 1 31 corridor using PES, EI and ES data from DWS (2014). 50 32 Figure 7: Wetland threat status and sensitivity calculated in relation to areas of sub-quaternary catchments in the 33 gas pipeline phase 1 corridor. 51 34 Figure 8: Threat and sensitivity status calculated for different freshwater taxonomic groups (flora and fauna) in 35 the gas pipeline phase 1 corridor in relation to sub-quaternary catchments. 52 36 Figure 9: Integrated sensitivity and threat status map for freshwater ecosystems and biota in the gas pipeline 37 phase 1 corridor. 53 38 Figure 10: River threat status and sensitivity calculated for sub-quaternary catchments in the gas pipeline phase 39 2 corridor using PES, EI and ES data from DWS (2014). 54 40 Figure 11: Wetland threat status and sensitivity calculated in relation to areas of sub-quaternary catchments in 41 the gas pipeline phase 2 corridor. 55 42 Figure 12: Threat and sensitivity status calculated for different freshwater taxonomic groups (flora and fauna) in 43 the gas pipeline phase 2 corridor in relation to sub-quaternary catchments 56 44 Figure 13: Integrated sensitivity and threat status map for freshwater ecosystems and biota in the gas pipeline 45 phase 2 corridor. 57 46 Figure 14: River threat status and sensitivity calculated for sub-quaternary catchments in the gas pipeline phase 47 3 corridor using PES, EI and ES data from DWS (2014). 58 WETLANDS AND RIVERS SPECIALIST REPORT Page 4 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESS MENT FOR GAS PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 Figure 15: Wetland threat status and sensitivity calculated in relation to areas of sub-quaternary catchments in 2 the gas pipeline phase 3 corridor. 59 3 Figure 16: Threat and sensitivity status calculated for different freshwater taxonomic groups (flora and fauna) in 4 the gas pipeline phase 3 corridor in relation to sub-quaternary catchments 60 5 Figure 17: Integrated sensitivity and threat status map for freshwater ecosystems and biota in the gas pipeline 6 phase 3 corridor. 61 7 Figure 18: River threat status and sensitivity calculated for sub-quaternary catchments in the gas pipeline phase 8 4 corridor using PES, EI and ES data from DWS (2014). 62 9 Figure 19: Wetland threat status and sensitivity calculated in relation to areas of sub-quaternary catchments in 10 the gas pipeline phase 4 corridor. 63 11 Figure 20: Threat and sensitivity status calculated for different freshwater taxonomic groups (flora and fauna) in 12 the gas pipeline phase 4 corridor in relation to sub-quaternary catchments 64 13 Figure 21: Integrated sensitivity and threat status map for freshwater ecosystems and biota in the gas pipeline 14 phase 4 corridor. 65 15 Figure 22: River threat status and sensitivity calculated for sub-quaternary catchments in the gas pipeline phase 16 5 corridor using PES, EI and ES data from DWS (2014). 66 17 Figure 23: Wetland threat status and sensitivity calculated in relation to areas of sub-quaternary catchments in 18 the gas pipeline phase 5 corridor. 67 19 Figure 24: Threat and sensitivity status calculated for different freshwater taxonomic groups (flora and fauna) in 20 the gas pipeline phase 5 corridor in relation to sub-quaternary catchments 68 21 Figure 25: Integrated sensitivity and threat status map for freshwater ecosystems and biota in the gas pipeline 22 phase 5 corridor.