1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR EXPANSION OF ELECTRICITY GRID INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE EXPANSION OF 2 ELECTRICITY GRID INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 3 4 Draft v3 Specialist Assessment Report for Stakeholder Review 5 6 BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY 7 TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, AND SPECIES 8 Contributing Authors Albert Froneman8 & Chris van Rooyen8 Avifauna Kate McEwan9, 10 Bats Lizande Kellerman2 & Simon Todd3 Desert, Nama Karoo & Succulent Karoo Dr. Lara van Niekerk7, Carla-Louise Ramjukadh7 Estuaries Steven Weerts7 & Dr. Susan Taljaard7 Gary de Winnaar6 & Dr. Vere Ross-Gillespie6 Freshwater ecosystems Dr. David le Maitre1 Fynbos Dr. Graham von Maltitz5 Grassland & Savanna Simon Bundy4 & Alex Whitehead4 Indian Ocean Coastal Belt Integrating Authors Luanita Snyman-van der Walt2 9 10 11 1 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Natural Resources and the Environment, Biodiversity 12 and Ecosystem Services Research Group. 13 2 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Environmental Management Services. 14 3 Three Foxes Consulting. 15 4 SDP Ecological and Environmental Services. 16 5 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Natural Resources and Environment, Global Change 17 and Ecosystems Dynamics. 18 6 GroundTruth 19 7 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Natural Resources and the Environment Coastal 20 Systems Research Group. 21 8 Chris van Rooyen Consulting 22 9 Inkululeko Wildlife Services (Pty) Ltd. 23 10 South African Bat Assessment Association Panel 24 25 INTEGRATED BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, AND SPECIES Page 1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR EXPANSION OF ELECTRICITY GRID INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 2 3 4 5 6 TABLES 4 7 FIGURES 6 8 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 8 9 10 1 SUMMARY 9 11 2 INTRODUCTION 13 12 3 SCOPE OF BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY FOR THIS ASSESSMENT 14 13 4 APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY 14 14 4.1 STUDY METHODOLOGY 14 15 4.2 SPATIAL DATA SOURCES 15 16 4.2.1 Terrestrial ecology 15 17 4.2.2 Aquatic ecosystems 18 18 4.2.2.1 Freshwater ecology 18 19 4.2.2.2 Estuarine ecology 20 20 4.2.3 Species 21 21 4.2.3.1 Terrestrial and aquatic fauna 21 22 4.2.3.2 Birds 23 23 4.2.3.3 Bats 26 24 4.3 ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS 28 25 4.4 RELEVANT REGULATORY INSTRUMENTS 31 26 5 IMPACT CHARACTERISATION 38 27 5.1 TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS 38 28 5.1.1 Physical disturbance to soils, fauna and flora 38 29 5.1.2 Establishment and spread of invasive alien plants 41 30 5.1.3 Ecosystem alteration and loss 41 31 5.2 BIRDS AND BATS 43 32 5.2.1 Bird electrocution 43 33 5.2.2 Bird collision 43 34 5.2.3 Bird displacement due to habitat destruction and disturbance 43 35 5.2.4 Displacement of and disturbance to bats 43 36 5.2.5 Electrocution of bats 44 37 5.2.6 Electromagnetic inteference to bat echolocation 44 38 5.3 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS 44 39 5.3.1 Degradation and loss of aquatic ecosystems and species 46 40 5.3.2 Fragmentation of aquatic ecosystems 46 41 5.3.3 Hydrological alteration 46 42 5.3.4 Water quality deterioration 47 43 6 CORRIDORS DESCRIPTION 47 44 6.1 WESTERN EXPANSION CORRIDOR 48 INTEGRATED BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, AND SPECIES Page 2 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR EXPANSION OF ELECTRICITY GRID INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 6.1.1 Desert 48 2 6.1.2 Succulent Karoo 50 3 6.1.3 Nama Karoo 54 4 6.1.4 Fynbos 57 5 6.1.5 Birds 59 6 6.1.6 Bats 59 7 6.1.7 Freshwater ecosystems 60 8 6.1.8 Estuarine ecosystems 61 9 6.2 EASTERN EXPANSION CORRIDOR 65 10 6.2.1 Indian Ocean Coastal Belt 65 11 6.2.2 Grassland 66 12 6.2.3 Savanna 67 13 6.2.4 Birds 68 14 6.2.5 Bats 69 15 6.2.6 Freshwater ecosystems 69 16 6.2.7 Estuarine ecosystems 70 17 7 ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY 74 18 7.1 IDENTIFICATION OF FEATURE SENSITIVITY CRITERIA 74 19 7.1.1 Desert, Succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo 74 20 7.1.2 Fynbos 74 21 7.1.3 Indian Ocean Coastal Belt 75 22 7.1.4 Grassland & Savanna 76 23 7.1.5 Birds 77 24 7.1.6 Bats 80 25 7.1.7 Freshwater ecosystems 81 26 7.1.8 Estuarine ecosystems 82 27 7.2 FOUR-TIER SENSITIVITY MAPPING 83 28 7.2.1 Expanded Western Corridor 83 29 7.2.1.1 Terrestrial ecosystems 83 30 7.2.1.2 Birds 83 31 7.2.1.3 Bats 84 32 7.2.1.4 Aquatic ecosystems 84 33 7.2.1.5 Estuarine ecosystems 85 34 7.2.2 Expanded Eastern Corridor 85 35 7.2.2.1 Terrestrial ecosystems 85 36 7.2.2.2 Birds 86 37 7.2.2.3 Bats 86 38 7.2.2.4 Aquatic ecosystems 87 39 7.2.2.5 Estuarine ecosystems 87 40 8 KEY POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION 88 41 8.1 PHYSICAL DISTURBANCE TO SOILS, FAUNA AND FLORA (TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY AND SPECIES) 88 42 8.2 ESTABLISHMENT AND SPREAD OF INVASIVE ALIEN PLANTS 91 43 8.3 ECOSYSTEM ALTERATION AND LOSS 92 44 8.4 IMPACTS TO BIRDS 94 45 8.5 POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO BATS 99 46 8.6 DEGRADATION, FRAGMENTATION AND LOSS OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES 99 47 8.7 ALTERED HYDROLOGY 101 48 8.8 WATER QUALITY DETERIORATION 102 49 9 BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS 103 INTEGRATED BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, AND SPECIES Page 3 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR EXPANSION OF ELECTRICITY GRID INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 9.1 TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS 103 2 9.1.1 Planning and pre-construction 103 3 9.1.2 Construction 104 4 9.1.3 Operations and maintenance 105 5 9.1.4 Post-construction and rehabilitation 105 6 9.1.5 Monitoring requirements 106 7 9.2 BIRDS 107 8 9.2.1 Planning and pre-construction 107 9 9.2.2 Construction 107 10 9.2.3 Operations and maintenance 108 11 9.2.4 Rehabilitation and post-closure 108 12 9.2.5 Monitoring requirements 108 13 9.3 BATS 109 14 9.3.1 Planning and pre-construction 109 15 9.3.2 Construction, Operational, Rehabilitation and Post-Closure 109 16 9.3.3 Monitoring requirements 109 17 9.4 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS 109 18 9.4.1 Planning and pre-construction 109 19 9.4.2 Construction 109 20 9.4.3 Operations and maintenance 110 21 9.4.4 Rehabilitation and post-closure 110 22 9.4.5 Monitoring requirements 110 23 9.5 ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEMS 111 24 9.5.1 Planning and pre-construction 111 25 9.5.2 Construction 111 26 9.5.3 Operations and maintenance 112 27 9.5.4 Monitoring requirements 112 28 10 REFERENCES 114 29 11 SPATIAL DATA SOURCES 122 30 31 TABLES 32 Table i: Summary of key environmental features of the proposed expanded EGI corridors. Section references for 33 the environmental description and sensitivity mapping for each corridor is indicated in the last column. 9 34 Table 1: Available spatial data pertaining to terrestrial ecological features used in this assessment. 15 35 Table 2: Available spatial data pertaining to freshwater ecological features used in this assessment. 18 36 Table 3: Available spatial data pertaining to estuarine ecological features used in this assessment. 20 37 Table 4: Available spatial data pertaining to terrestrial and aquatic species used in this assessment. 21 38 Table 5: Available spatial data pertaining to avifauna species and their environment used in this assessment. 23 39 Table 6: Available spatial data pertaining to bat species and their environment used in this assessment. 26 40 Table 7: Key international, provincial and local legal instruments that aim to guide and promote sustainable 41 development and nature conservation in South Africa. 31 42 Table 8: Summary of the key impacts from EGI development, and the development phase in which the 43 consequences of the impacts are expected to manifest. 38 44 Table 9: Extent of the biome within each of the proposed expanded EGI corridors. 47 45 Table 10: Summary of the key environmental features in each of the proposed expanded EGI corridors. 48 46 Table 11: Red Data bird species that occur in the proposed Western Expansion EGI corridor which are sensitive to 47 power lines. 59 INTEGRATED BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, AND SPECIES Page 4 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR EXPANSION OF ELECTRICITY GRID INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 Table 12: Red Data bat species that occur in the proposed Western Expansion EGI corridor which are sensitive to 2 power lines. 59 3 Table 13: Red Data bird species that occur in the proposed Eastern Expansion EGI corridor which are sensitive to 4 power lines (Taylor et al., 2015). 68 5 Table 14: Red Data bat species that occur in the proposed Eastern Expansion EGI corridor which are sensitive to 6 power lines (Child et al., 2016). 69 7 Table 15: Sensitivity ratings assigned to important environmental features of the Desert, Succulent Karoo and 8 Nama Karoo biomes in the proposed Expanded Western EGI corridor. 74 9 Table 16: Sensitivity ratings assigned to important environmental features of the Fynbos biome in the proposed 10 Expanded Western EGI corridor. 75 11 Table 17: Sensitivity ratings assigned to important environmental features of the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome 12 in the proposed Expanded Eastern EGI corridor.