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Verlorenvlei Estuary Management Plan
Introduction
The Terms of Reference for the development of the EMP for Verlorenvlei required that the following
aspects be addressed:
• Phase 1: Field visit to assess the current status and health of Verlorenvlei and preparation
of a Situation Assessment;
• Phase 2: Draft Estuary Management Plan - Setting the Vision, Objectives, Management
Strategies and Management Action Plans for the Verlorenvlei Estuary (including an Estuary
Zoning Plan) and designing a monitoring and evaluation programme.
The Situation Assessment (Phase 1) was prepared based on available information and the insights
developed during site visits and stakeholder workshops (CSIR, 2009b). The Situation Assessment
included the following:
• Legal requirements relevant to Verlorenvlei Estuary;
• The biophysical environment;
• Requirements stipulated in existing management strategies;
• The socio-economic environment;
• Conservation planning or Ramsar management strategies;
• Exploitation of living resources (fishing); and
• Provide detail on gaps in the knowledgebase and future research needs.
This 2 nd phase provides the draft EMP for the Verlorenvlei. The plan is organized into the three main
phases identified in the generic EMP framework (Figure 1), namely:
• Part 1: Situation Assessment (Auditing));
• Part 2: Resource Objectives & Zoning;
• Part 3: Detailed Implementation Plans.
Part 4 contains the roles and responsibilities of the Verlorenvlei Estuary Forum, while Part 5 contains
the Appendices to this document.
This Verlorenvlei EMP, including all its supporting documentation, should be viewed as a “living” document
to which stakeholders are continuously contributing and refining through implementation.
Important to note is that the EMP for Verlorenvlei is NOT an isolated plan! To be effective and sustainable
the EMP must be embedded in overarching national, regional and local plans. For example, at the local level
the Verlorenvlei EMP must be embedded in the local Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and the Spatial
Development Framework (SDF).
Also, this EMP is not a “new” management initiative, it merely aims to provide a structured approach
through which to integrate and optimize the numerous (often sectorally-based) management initiatives
already being implemented (or should be implemented) in the area under different legal mandates.
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