CER Letter to Minister Shabangu re MPRDA s49 - 1 Feb 2011

4. Proposed prohibition
Against this background, it is proposed that prospecting and mining be prohibited in the areas listed
below, without conditions and for such period until the prohibition may be lifted within the requirements
of s.49(3)(a).
4.1. Mountain catchment areas declared in terms of the Mountain Catchment Areas Act,
1970 (Act 63 of 1970), such as the Amatholes in the Eastern Cape;
4.2. Ramsar Sites, or sites recognised under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 1971, such
as Barberspan near Delareyville, Blekbospruit near Springs, the Verlorenvlei north of
Lamberts Bay, Kosi Bay and the Turtle Beaches/Coral Reefs of Tongaland south of Kosi
Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, the Nylsvlei Ramsar Reserve in Limpopo;
Nylsvlei Ramsar Reserve, Limpopo (Photo: John Wesson)
The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for
national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands
and their resources. The wise use of wetlands is defined as "the maintenance of their
ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches,
within the context of sustainable development". "Wise use" therefore has at its heart the
conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources, for the benefit of
humankind. 19
19 www.ramsar.org