Ecosystem Guidelines for Environmental Assessment

STEP 4: WHEN SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ARE UNAVOIDABLE
When pre-application project planning has exhausted the preceding steps, and significant impacts on
biodiversity cannot be avoided, minimised or remedied, advise the proponent that the following
courses of action ought to be pursued:
CR ecosystems: Potential 'show-stopper', therefore proceed at risk;
EN and VU ecosystems: Proceed to scoping and include appropriate biodiversity terms of reference
in the Plan of Study: Scoping; emphasise restoration and biodiversity offsets; or
LT ecosystems: Go for authorisation on the basis of the application form and scoping checklist,
emphasising, where relevant, the maintenance of ecosystem functioning (i.e. retention of ecological
corridors and vegetation boundaries) and the protection of critical habitats in project design,
implementation and management.
STEP 5: CONTRIBUTING TO CONSERVATION GAINS
Always seek to take advantage of opportunities to conserve biodiversity when undertaking pre-application
project planning.
Conservation gains can include:
Setting aside part of the land on the site to be
managed for conservation, through a stewardship
agreement or biodiversity off-set;
Setting aside another site of equivalent or greater
biodiversity significance to be managed for
conservation, through a stewardship agreement or
biodiversity off-set;
Clearing alien vegetation; and
Rehabilitating or restoring land or aquatic ecosystems
that have already been degraded (note that
rehabilitating or restoring land or ecosystems that will
be disturbed as a result of the development does not
constitute a conservation gain).
Consult CapeNature about identifying conservation
opportunities on private land.
CAPENATURE SHOULD BE CONSULTED ABOUT ANY
OF THESE OPTIONS.
Site-specific conservation measures may also be
translated into broader conservation benefits by:
Aligning environmental assessment procedures and
project planning with regional conservation programmes
(e.g. the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor); and
Piggy-backing on the Western Cape agriculture
department's LandCare Area-wide Planning
programme, informing Spatial Development Frameworks
or influencing industry 'greening' strategies
(e.g. agricultural produce accreditation schemes).
SUE WINTER
20 : TAKING A PRO-ACTIVE APPROACH