INCEPTION REPORT - Department of Agriculture and ...

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uThukela DM ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Apart from the District Management Area, uThukela encompasses the following local municipalities: Emnambithi Local Municipality (LM); Okhahlamba LM; Imbabazane LM; Indaka LM; and Umtshezi LM. At approximately 11,500 km 2 , the District is predominately rural and around 35% of the area is classified as either “tribal” or peri-urban. Ladysmith and Estcourt constitute the two major towns and economic hubs within the municipality. Figure 2: UTDM LMs This document serves as the Inception Report for the development of an EMF for UTDM, and it is based on the Terms of Reference (ToR), Nemai Consulting’s proposal and the outcome of the Inception Meeting held on 20 March 2012. 2. BACKGROUND Imperatives for promoting sustainable land use within the UTDM include (amongst others): uThukela comprises exceptional terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, species richness and endemicity; The District is endowed with rich cultural and historical resources; The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg mountain range is a World Heritage Site and forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Peace Park between Lesotho and South Africa; Unemployment and poverty are at a high level; Draft Inception Report (June 2012) Page 2
uThukela DM ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK The two national routes, namely the N3 and N11, that traverse the District form a critical link between uThukela and provincial, national and international destinations; Provision of sustainable infrastructure, water and sanitation services and eradication of the backlog are key priorities for the District; The District offers a host of tourism opportunities, such as the Drakensberg Mountains, Cable Way-Mnweni Valley, Zulu Gateway, World Heritage Site, Cannibal Route, and Dinosaur Valley; UTDM contains the basis of the Tugela-Vaal water scheme and good water resources; Although commercial farming is well developed, the full agricultural potential of UTDM still needs to be unlocked; Pro-active environmental management in the District is required. In order to address the triggers for sustainable development in the UTDM and the priority environmental opportunities and constraints, the specific objectives of the EMF will include the following: 1. To facilitate decision-making to ensure sustainable management of natural resources; 2. To provide strategic guidance on both environmental, economic and social issues in the District; 3. To identify environmentally sensitive areas; 4. To identify the environmental and development opportunities and constraints; 5. To assess the economic and environmental potential of the area; 6. To provide a decision support system in respect of environmental issues and priorities in UTDM; 7. To formulate a strategy that will incorporate issues such as land use, planning and sensitive environmental resources; and 8. To include existing policies as frameworks for establishing values, guidelines and standards for future developments. In its formal context, the EMF that is adopted by the Minister or MEC will be taken into consideration when reviewing applications for environmental authorisation in or affecting the UTDM. Draft Inception Report (June 2012) Page 3
Page 1 and 2: UTHUKELA DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY ENVI
Page 3 and 4: uThukela DM ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMEN
Page 7: uThukela DM ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMEN
Page 31 and 32: Figure 7: UTDM EMF Programme (versi

INCEPTION REPORT - Department of Agriculture and ...

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