Mpumalanga Biodiversity Conservation Plan Handbook - bgis-sanbi

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CHAPTER 1 .......................... INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION The mandate for conserving biodiversity lies with many state agencies at national, provincial and local levels of government. It is part of a wider responsibility for the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources. Constitutional and other national laws require these environmental issues to be dealt with in cooperative, participatory, transparent and integrated ways. With this in mind the Mpumalanga Biodiversity Conservation Plan (MBCP) follows the approach of the National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment (Driver et al. 2005). Both use a scientific analytical approach called Systematic Biodiversity Planning (SBP) and share certain data sources and assessment procedures (Chapters 4 & 5). This handbook provides an explanation of the MBCP and how to use it. It is a spatial rather than an operational plan and forms part of a wider set of national biodiversity planning initiatives supported by South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). It provides a relatively detailed and quantified provincial contribution to the country-wide biodiversity planning effort that is provided for by both national and international legislation (Chapter 5). The text provides background to biodiversity and its importance and outlines the biomes and other biodiversity highlights of Mpumalanga (Chapter 3). It discusses how these features are analysed and integrated into the spatial plan. Guidelines are provided, describing the most sustainable land uses suited to areas of different biodiversity value (Chapter 6). Combining the map with the guidelines, via the GISbased electronic application on CD, enables access to comprehensive biodiversity information at the touch of a button. The ability to display this information at a range of scales, from provincial to local, provides for quick and precise identification of development planning issues related to biodiversity. 1 INTRODUCTION
MPUMALANGA BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PLAN HANDBOOK 2 Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus It is biodiversity that directly drives a large part of the economy of the Province. The Mpumalanga tourism industry alone, built on wildlife and natural scenic beauty, earned more than R6 billion in 2003 and it creates more than 350 000 jobs in some way dependent on tourism. PURPOSE OF THE MBCP The MBCP is the first spatial biodiversity plan for Mpumalanga that is based on scientifically determined and quantified biodiversity objectives. The purpose of the MBCP is to contribute to sustainable development in Mpumalanga Its specific objectives are: 1. To guide the MTPA in implementing its biodiversity mandate, including working with landowners to improve the provincial protected area network. 2. To provide biodiversity information that supports land-use planning and helps to streamline and monitor environmental decision-making. More broadly, the MBCP provides a scientifically based planning and monitoring tool for biodiversity conservation for the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA). For DALA, it serves to encourage environmental regulators to be pro-active in dealing with the competing pressures for economic development and biodiversity conservation. Finding this delicate balance is the ultimate goal of land use planning and sustainable development. There has never before been spatial biodiversity information readily available in a single comprehensive source. Now that it exists, it is vital for it to be used in development decision making. The biodiversity priority areas identified in MBCP should inform environmental assessment (including SEA and EIA) and development authorisations, and should be incorporated into Spatial Development Frameworks. BOX 1.1: WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT? (Driver et al. 2005) ‘The term biodiversity refers to … plants and animals, ecosystems and landscapes, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that that allow these … to persist over time. South Africa’s biodiversity provides an important basis for economic growth and development, in obvious ways such as … rangelands that support commercial and subsistence farming, horticultural and agricultural industry based on indigenous species, the tourism industry,… and commercial and non-commercial medicinal applications of indigenous resources. Keeping our biodiversity intact is also vital for ensuring ongoing provision of ecosystem services such as production of clean water through good catchment management, prevention of erosion, carbon storage (to counteract global warming), and clean air. Loss of biodiversity puts aspects of our … life at risk, and reduces socio-economic options for future generations. People are ultimately dependent on living, functioning ecosystems and the services they provide. Loss of biodiversity leads to ecosystem degradation … which tends to harm the rural poor more directly … while the wealthy are buffered against the loss of ecosystem services by being able to purchase basic necessities and scarce commodities. Our path towards sustainable development, poverty reduction and enhanced human well-being for all, is therefore dependent on how effectively we conserve biodiversity.’
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