Ecosystem Guidelines for Environmental Assessment

The drafting process, which was co-ordinated by the Botanical Society's Conservation Unit, entailed:
Identifying a range of important ecosystems and habitats within the Western Cape;
Inviting more than 30 biodiversity specialists to contribute what they viewed as the most critical
questions that should be asked when undertaking environmental assessments in each of these
ecosystems or habitats;
Collating these contributions and presenting them as a discussion document for further development
and refining at a workshop hosted by the Fynbos Forum in 2004; and
Refining the guidelines with further input from specialists.
Limitations of the guidelines
These guidelines are not intended to provide detailed instructions to land-use planners, environmental
assessment practitioners or other users, or to substitute for scoping and/or the involvement of biodiversity
(or other) specialists in the environmental assessment process when appropriate. Please refer to the
Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning's (DEA&DP) Guideline for involving
biodiversity specialists in EIA processes (Brownlie 2005) for additional information on when, how, and
from whom to obtain specialist input on biodiversity.
Structure of the guidelines
The ecosystem-specific guidelines comprise eight separate sections covering different ecosystems,
as listed in Table 1. Each section gives the following information:
1. The main 'drivers' of the ecosystem, which determine its composition and structure.
2. The main issues in, threats to, and vulnerabilities of the ecosystem.
3. The 'bottom lines' or 'non-negotiables' for change in the ecosystem if its functioning and biodiversity
are to be conserved.
4. Considerations with regard to the most appropriate location or siting of infrastructure, activities
and/or disturbance within the ecosystem, to minimize negative impacts.
5. Best management within the ecosystem to promote its persistence.
6. The use of appropriate indicators for monitoring change within the ecosystem.
7. The probable reversibility of impacts on the ecosystem after disturbance, and the potential for restoration.
8. Potential compensation or offsets for loss of biodiversity within the ecosystem.
(left) Mountain fynbos complexes are mostly well-protected.
(right) Cultivation has irreversibly transformed many lowland ecosystems.
CHARL DE VILLIERS
MANDY BARNETT
12 : INTRODUCTION