KAPAMA GAME RESERVE TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT APRIL 2019 REVISED MAY 2021 Prepared for: Peter Velcich NuLeaf Planning and Environmental PostNet Suite 168 Private Bag X 844 Silverton 0127 Prepared by: ECOREX Consulting Ecologists CC Postnet Suite #192, Private Bag X2 Raslouw 0109 Author: Duncan McKenzie Reviewer: Warren McCleland (ECOREX) KAPAMA GAME RESERVE ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT - REVISION (ECOREX) MAY 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................ 3 ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 4 TERMINOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 4 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ....................................................................................................... 5 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 6 2. OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................................................... 7 3. STUDY AREA ........................................................................................................................................ 8 4. METHODS ............................................................................................................................................ 11 4.1 FLORA......................................................................................................................................................... 11 4.2 FAUNA ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 4.3 METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF SITE ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE (SEI) ....................................... 12 4.4 ASSUMPTIONS, LIMITATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS .............................................................................. 18 4.4.1 Seasonality ........................................................................................................................................ 18 4.4.2 Overlooked Species ......................................................................................................................... 18 4.4.3 Sampling Effort ................................................................................................................................. 18 4.4.4 Additional Development Sites ........................................................................................................ 18 5. BIODIVERSITY BASELINE DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................ 19 5.1 FLORA......................................................................................................................................................... 19 5.1.1 Regional Context .............................................................................................................................. 19 5.1.2 Local Context – Plant Species Richness and Vegetation Assemblages ................................. 20 5.1.3 Plant Species of Conservation Concern ....................................................................................... 27 5.1.4 Endemic Species ............................................................................................................................. 29 5.1.5 Invasive Alien Species .................................................................................................................... 29 5.2 TERRESTRIAL FAUNA ................................................................................................................................. 35 5.2.1 Mammals ........................................................................................................................................... 35 5.2.2 Birds ................................................................................................................................................... 40 5.2.3 Reptiles .............................................................................................................................................. 46 5.2.4 Frogs ................................................................................................................................................. 48 5.3 ECOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY .......................................................................................................................... 49 5.3.1 Environmental Screening Tool ....................................................................................................... 49 5.3.2 Limpopo Province Biodiversity Conservation Assessment ............................................... 53 5.3.3 Site-specific Ecological Sensitivity Analysis ......................................................................... 55 6. KEY CURRENT AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS ..................................................................................... 59 6.1 GENERAL IMPACTS ON THE ECOLOGY OF KGR ........................................................................................ 59 6.2 SPECIFIC IMPACTS OF APPLICATION SITES ON THE ECOLOGY OF KGR .................................................. 61 6.3 BIRDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA SOLAR GUIDELINES .......................................................................................... 67 7. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 69 8. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................ 72 9. APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX 1. CHECKLIST OF FLORA RECORDED DURING FIELDWORK ............................................................ 75 APPENDIX 2. POTENTIALLY OCCURRING PLANT SPECIES OF CONSERVATION CONCERN ................................ 84 APPENDIX 3. CO-ORDINATES OF FLORA AND FAUNA TAXA OF CONSERVATION-IMPORTANCE RECORDED DURING FIELDWORK .......................................................................................................................................... 86 ECOREX Consulting Ecologists CC 2 Postnet Suite #192, Private Bag X2 Raslouw 0109 (083) 231-5632 [email protected] KAPAMA GAME RESERVE ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT - REVISION (ECOREX) MAY 2021 APPENDIX 4. CHECKLIST OF FAUNA RECORDED DURING FIELDWORK ............................................................. 90 APPENDIX 5. POTENTIALLY OCCURRING FAUNA OF CONSERVATION CONCERN ............................................ 100 APPENDIX 6. CURRICULUM VITAE OF DUNCAN MCKENZIE ........................................................................... 106 APPENDIX 7. SPECIALISTS DECLARATION ..................................................................................................... 107 List of Tables Table 1. Application Site Details ........................................................................................................................ 9 Table 2. Criteria for Determining Conservation Importance of a Receptor ............................................... 14 Table 3. Criteria for Determining Functional Integrity of a Receptor .......................................................... 15 Table 4. Biodiversity Importance Two-way Matrix ........................................................................................ 15 Table 5. Criteria for Determining Receptor Resilience ................................................................................. 16 Table 6. Site Ecological Importance Two-way Matrix ................................................................................... 17 Table 7. Guidelines for interpreting Site Ecological Importance of Receptors in terms of project impacts ................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Table 8. Conservation-important plant species confirmed during fieldwork .............................................. 31 Table 9. Ecological Sensitivity of Vegetation Communities in the Study Area ......................................... 56 Table 10. Summary of Areas and Impact Assessment of the Application Sites within the Study Area 68 List of Figures Figure 1. Location of Study Area ..................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 2. Photographs of Application Sites situated within Riparian Forest ............................................. 22 Figure 3. Photographs of Application Sites situated within Riparian Thicket ............................................ 23 Figure 4. Photographs of Application Sites situated within Closed Woodland ......................................... 25 Figure 5. Photographs of Application Sites situated within Degraded Woodland .................................... 27 Figure 6. Photographs of Species of Conservation Concern recorded during