Draft Status Quo Report for the Pixley Ka Seme ... - SRK Consulting

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Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality EMF – Draft Status Quo Report Page 28
Map 18 and Map 19). Map 20 provides an overview of
the aquatic biodiversity of PKSLM.
Table 3-2: PES categories
Category Description Rating System used for Wetlands
A
B
C
Unmodified, natural
Largely natural, with
few Modifications
Moderately Modified
Not within 100 m of any of the
above land use types
Within 100 m of both urban areas
and mines
Within 100 m of either cultivated
areas or degraded areas
The most important environmental factors that
influence the distribution of the plant communities are
terrain morphology and soil wetness. The vegetation
types are depicted in Table 3-3 and Map 22.
Table 3-3: Vegetation types
Specialist classification Mucina and Rutherford (2006)
Western Plains Grassland
Central Plains Grassland
Soweto Highveld Grassland
Frankfort Highveld Grassland
Amersfoort Highveld Clay
Grassland
D
Largely Modified
Within 100 m of urban areas, mines
and commercial plantations
Wakkerstroom Plains
Grassland
Wakkerstroom Montane
Grassland
E Extensively Modified
F Critically Modified
Source: DWAF (1999)
Eastern Plains Grassland
Escarpment Grassland
Mountain Grassland
Eastern Highveld Grassland
Paulpietersburg Moist Grassland
Low Escarpment Moist Grassland
Wakkerstroom Montane
Grassland
3.2.8 Terrestrial ecology
Bredenkamp (2010) provides an overview of the
Terrestrial Ecology of the PKSLM. Terrestrial
biodiversity is represented in Map 21.
Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation in the
Mpumalanga Province have placed floral and faunal
species under severe pressure. Factors that have
contributed to this include (Mpumalanga SOER, 2003):
• Agricultural development and inappropriate
practices;
• Commercial afforestation;
• Human overpopulation;
• Neglect of conservation of grasslands and wetlands;
• Alien vegetation;
• Overgrazing;
• Inappropriate burning regimes; and
• Modification of aquatic ecosystems e.g. rivers and
wetlands.
Areas within the PKSLM that are rated as Protected or
Irreplaceable for terrestrial ecosystem are the high lying
areas on the eastern side of the study area, including the
Paardeplaats Nature Reserve, Wakkerstroom vlei,
Kastrol Nek and surrounding areas.
Flora
Forest
Wetlands
Western Plains Grassland
Northern Afromontane Forest
Eastern Temperate Freshwater
Wetlands
This vegetation type is restricted to the western portion
of the PKSLM, and is largely transformed (25%). Large
areas are already developed for agricultural purposes,
which has led to the destruction of vast tracts of this
grassland. Western Plains Grassland is extremely
poorly conserved, with none of the vegetation type
currently statutorily protected, though a small part is
protected in the Bloukop and Reitvaal Conservancies
situated within the PKSLM. This grassland is
endangered mainly due to agriculture.
Central Plains Grassland
This type of grassland covers a large part of the study
area (41%), and 27% is transformed, mainly by
agriculture. This is also poorly conserved with a small
part protected within the area of the Reitvaal
Conservancy and partly in the proposed Baltrasna
Conservency in the PKSLM.
Wakkerstroom Plains Grassland
This grassland community occurs in the north-eastern
parts of the study area, and is likewise transformed by
agriculture, comprising 17% of the area. The proposed
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