INVERTEBRATE SPECIALIST REPORT Prepared For: Malelane Safari Lodge, Kruger National Park Dalerwa Ventures for Wildlife cc P. O. Box 1424 Hoedspruit 1380 Fax: 086 212 6424 Cell (Elize) 074 834 1977 Cell (Ian): 084 722 1988 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Table of Contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 3 2. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT .................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Safari Lodge Development .................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.2 Invertebrate Specialist Report ............................................................................................................... 5 2.2 TERMS OF REFERENCE ......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 DESCRIPTION OF SITE AND SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................... 8 3. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................. 9 3.1 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................................... 9 3.2 ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 10 4. DATA SOURCING ....................................................................................................................................... 11 4.1 DESKTOP STUDY .............................................................................................................................................. 12 4.1.1 Arachnids ............................................................................................................................................. 13 4.1.2 Insects .................................................................................................................................................. 17 4.2 SITE VISIT ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 5. SITE SENSITIVITY........................................................................................................................................ 24 5.1 TIMFENHENI RIVER LOCATION . ........................................................................................................................... 25 6. IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES .................................................................................................... 26 6.1 PROJECT IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES .................................................................................................... 26 7. ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS. .......................................................................................................... 30 8. CONCLUSION. ............................................................................................................................................ 34 9. PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS .......................................................................................................................... 35 10. REFERENCES. ........................................................................................................................................... 36 APPENDIX A .................................................................................................................................................. 37 APPENDIX B .................................................................................................................................................. 40 APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................................................... 40 Invertebrate Specialist Report Malelane Safari Lodge 2 1. Executive Summary When considering the impact of a listed activity in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 0f 1998) one should take a step back to the second chapter of the Bill of Rights. Section 24b (Environment) states that “Everyone has the right to have an environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that - i. prevent pollution and ecological degradation; ii. promote conservation; and iii. secure ecological sustainable development and the use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.’ According to Henning (2001a) these statements from the constitution make individuals and corporations responsible for their actions and accountable to the nation. To promote a system of environmentally sound and sustainable development in areas adjacent to or within protected areas the concept of what constitutes a protected area needs to be addressed (Henning, 2001b).Even though protected areas are key to in situ conservation under the Convention on Biological Diversity they are unlikely to be sustainable if established or managed in isolation. A systems approach is therefore required, which focuses on relationships between component parts and the broader implications of actions related to individual components. In some areas there is evidence of long standing focus on relatively large or otherwise attractive wildlife species leading to too much attention on charismatic wildlife and not enough on habitats and communities. The implementation of a new development requires impact assessments to be undertaken and mitigation applied where impacts on the environment may be considered harmful. Where mitigation measures are insufficient, the implementation of the development may be in jeopardy. The process of determining whether any components of the invertebrate groups of organisms may be affected by the development in question at the proposed Malelane Safari Lodge commences at a baseline level i.e. historically protected species. The desktop study indicated that there may be certain ‘Threatened or Protected Species’ present on the site but the serious lack of baseline data or comprehensive long-term data on most of the invertebrate groups at the particular site precludes conclusive results. On a ‘lower’ level consideration of the habitat requirements of the invertebrate organisms can be investigated and compared to the habitat within the Invertebrate Specialist Report Malelane Safari Lodge 3 development footprint. Where the required habitat is restricted and not commonly available, mitigation would be difficult. In this case , the habitat is well represented in the region and cannot be considered a threat to any invertebrate organism through ‘habitat losses’. Food sources may be a limiting factor especially to invertebrate organisms that are reliant on specific plant species to complete a part of the lifecycle (i.e. Lepidoptera) and therefore ensure their survival. As the vegetation type is well represented, it is assumed due to lack of detailed floristic data, that this aspect would not be problematic. Other groups that are predatory are also considered to be secure due to the fact that no essential habitat or food source required for their survival is lacking in adjacent areas or further afield. Factors that may have detrimental effects on local populations of any invertebrate group during both the construction and operational phases of the development are mentioned as they could eradicate or adversely affect viable local populations. The impact of pollution in the form of spills of toxic substances or airborne detrimental chemicals (poisons) may impact on both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. Destruction of microhabitats on the proposed site, such as the rocky outcrops, the drainage line embankment or rotting tree stumps may have an impact on certain invertebrates. Excessive lighting at night also warrants mention as invertebrates, which are active at night are drawn to such light sources. This study has been based on historical data and consultation with specialists and authors of publications on specific groups of invertebrates. Time constraints did not allow for extensive surveys do be done on the invertebrate groups of interest even to obtain baseline information. McGeoch, et al (2011) showed that in South Africa there are already several examples of invertebrates (a) being successfully inventoried, (b) having their conservation status assessed, (c) being used in conservation planning, and (d) being used as bioindicators in monitoring programmes. In the light of this a monitoring programme has been recommended to determine whether the development has impacted on, or continues to impact on the invertebrate populations at the specific site. Invertebrate Specialist Report Malelane Safari Lodge 4 2. Introduction 2.1 Description of Proposed Project 2.1.1 Safari Lodge Development The proposed development project located in the Malelane region of the Kruger National Park comprises the establishment of a four star 240-bed safari lodge, with its associated activities as described