Mpumalanga Biodiversity Conservation Plan Handbook - bgis-sanbi

T1. PROTECTED AREAS (PAs) - 14.8%
of the Province (10.4% in Kruger National Park)
Protected Areas are managed primarily for biodiversity
conservation, but also for socioeconomic objectives such as
tourism and education. Because PAs are formalised and in
most cases managed by state agencies, their management is
provided for in laws and regulations at national and provincial
level (Chapter 2). These laws are explicit in terms of the
purpose, scope and required procedures involved in
managing PAs. Broadly they follow norms and standards that
are applied widely in other countries. There is no point in
providing more than a brief outline here.
In terms of these statutes a formally approved management
plan is required for each PA. Such plans must identify allowable
activities, uses and developments and allocate them to
appropriate zones. The plans are not just spatial, they also
deal with policy and implementation issues, with timeframes,
staffing, performance criteria and budgets. These
plans are also required to consider public participation,
capacity building, resource use and other social
and economic opportunities, including contractual and
comanagement arrangements. All operational aspects of
managing PAs are subject to their main purpose, being that of
protecting and maintaining biodiversity.
Biodiversity issues in the general landscape, outside of
Protected Areas, are the particular focus of the land-use
planning guidelines below.
T2. IRREPLACEABLE – 2.4% of the Province
IRREPLACEABLE areas are the most important areas of the
Province from a biodiversity point of view, outside of the
protected area network. Some IRREPLACEABLE sites may
already be managed carefully and sustainably by well-informed
owners with appropriate resources, but there is currently no
compelling legal or public pressure for this to be so.
Ideally, Conservation Management (Land-Use Type 1) should
apply to all IRREPLACEABLE areas. In some circumstances,
Extensive Game Farming and Livestock Production (Land-Use
Types 2 and 3), if well-managed, may also be positive for
M P U M A L A N G A
biodiversity. These two land uses are acceptable so long as
Biodiversity
they take into account the specific biodiversity values
(e.g. rare species or vegetation remnant) and vulnerabilities
(e.g. open-cast mining or alien plant invasion) of each site.
The most important short-term priority is that the land should
be managed in ways that at least have no further negative
impact on biodiversity.
CHAPTER 6 - LAND-USE GUIDELINES
Undertake specialist studies according to MTPA’s
‘Requirements for Assessing and Mitigating Environmental
Impacts of Development Applications’ document.
Land-use and administrative options for positive biodiversity
outcomes include:
The preferred land use is Conservation Management
(Land-Use Type 1) but Types 2 or 3 (extensive game
or livestock management) may be acceptable under
prescribed conditions;
Refer all development applications in IRREPLACEABLE
land to MTPA and or DALA for evaluation by
biodiversity specialists;
Encourage cooperative conservation arrangements such
as Protected Environments, conservancies etc.;
Where appropriate, incorporate these areas into the
formal PA system: by proclamation as a private or
contractual nature reserve, stewardship agreement,
legally entrenched conservancy agreement or other
legal means;
Restore damaged areas to natural ecosystem functioning
where possible (restoration guidelines are required);
Prepare for and conduct high level public awareness
effort on biodiversity values and use of these areas,
especially to land owners;
Priority for MTPA/DALA to carry out regular environ-
mental monitoring and reporting, for biodiversity
and/or change of land use, to prevent unauthorised
development or degradation by neglect or
ignorance (monitoring guidelines are required);
Prioritise these areas for land care projects: i.e. MTPA,
DALA, WfW, Working for Wetlands and NGOs to
direct their conservation projects, programmes and
activities;
The option to provide alternative land as a ‘biodiversity
offset’ in exchange for biodiversity loss in these
areas, should NOT be considered as ALL remaining
natural areas are required to meet targets. In
exceptional circumstances such offsets of different
but comparable value may deserve consideration;
Devise new financial and other incentives (e. g. resource
economic approaches) for achieving sustainable
conservation management;
Develop appropriate legal penalties for non-compliance
such as unauthorised development or destruction of
natural habitat. These, including environmental
auditing procedures, will probably require formal
regulations.
CONSERVATION PLAN HANDBOOK
43
LAND-USE GUIDEINES