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

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SRK Consulting in association with BKS Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality EMF – Draft Status Quo Report Page 29 Baltrasna Conservancy is the only area under protection. Eastern Plains Grassland This vegetation type covers a small area within the PKSLM comprising a gently undulating plain and some low hills in the west. Many shallow drainage lines and vlei-like wetland areas occur in the valley bottoms, draining towards the Heyshope Dam. As some of the land had been ploughed for agriculture in the central areas and forestry in the southern and eastern areas, and with mining becoming more and more conspicuous, the remaining natural grassland in this area should be regarded as endangered and therefore sensitive. Escarpment Grassland Within PKSLM, this vegetation type occurs as a narrow belt in the southern and eastern areas. Many kloofs with streams and bushy vegetation or forests dissect the area. Most of the area is still natural grassland in a good condition. Small areas are transformed by forestry, and due to the mountainous terrain, little agriculture is practised. Natural grassland covers the steeper slopes and occurs close to the streams or local wetlands. Escarpment grassland is only 2% transformed and is in good condition, rich in forb species and with some scattered shrubs and bush on the rocky outcrops. Forests are often present in the moister kloofs. Mountain Grassland This is a grassland type that is restricted to the mountainous area north of Wakkerstroom. The terrain is a continuation of the escarpment, and is composed of low mountains and undulating plains. Part of this area is protected within the proposed Baltrasna Conservancy. The Wakkerstroom Wetland is located within this vegetation type. This type of habitat is quite pristine, with only 6% transformed. Mountain grassland is very rich in species and therefore has a high conservation status and sensitivity. Parts north of Wakkerstroom are considered as Least Concern, due to inaccessibility, though some areas are considered as Important or even Irreplaceable by the Mpumalanga Biodiversity Conservation Plan (MBCP). This grassland has a high conservation status and sensitivity. Forests Small patches of forests occur in the Escarpment Grassland and Mountain Grassland areas. These forests occur in the proposed Mhlangampisi Conservancy and are not under threat. Conservation The National Grasslands Programme is an initiative of the SANBI which aims to sustain and secure the rich biodiversity and ecosystem services of the grassland biome for current and future generations. One of the key targets of the Grasslands Programme is to secure 22.3% of vegetation types within natural areas in the grassland biome. Participating stakeholders include government roleplayers, as well as the private sector and civil society. One of the partnering organizations is World Wide Fund for Nature. SANBI also runs the Working for Wetlands Programme which champions the rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetlands through co-operative governance and partnerships. The Mondi Wetlands Project is another organisation which works in the area for the protection and rehabilitation of wetlands. Further institutions working in the area on the conservation of biodiversity include Birdlife South Africa, which delineated an important birding area in the vicinity of Wakkerstroom and have set up a bird tourism route in the area, as well as the Endangered Wildlife Trust which runs the Crane working Group concerned with the protection of crane species. The Escarpment Environment Projection Group, the Botanical Society of South Africa and Mpumalanga Wetland Forum are other organisations also working in the area. Only a small part of the area is under formal or semiformal protection (see Map 23). Only a single provincial nature reserve, Paardeplaats Nature Reserve, occurs in the area. The Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve is a municipal protected area. Conservancies include the Bloukop and Reitvaal Conservancies, and the newly proposed Mhlangampisi and Baltrasna Conservancies. The Western Plains Grassland, Central Plains Grassland and Wakkerstroom Plains Grassland are important agricultural areas, already highly transformed. Due to the little remaining natural grassland, these areas are considered as Endangered or Vulnerable. However, the remaining natural grasslands are isolated patches, mostly close to wetlands. These patches are often KILI/BEAT G:\404946_PIXLEY EMF\7REPORTS\Status Quo report\Draft report\Draft status quo report, July 2010.docx July 2010
SRK Consulting in association with BKS Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality EMF – Draft Status Quo Report Page 30 intensively grazed. There is a medium-level need to protect smaller localised patches of grassland associated with wetlands. The Eastern Plains Grassland is considered to be Endangered / Vulnerable, due to extensive potential forestry and mining. Only a small part of this vegetation type occurs within the study area. There are currently applications for more mining in this vegetation type, within the study area. Consequently, the need for protection is high. The mountainous, steeper and rocky areas of the Escarpment Grassland and Mountain Grassland, as well as the Forests, are not really threatened due to less development on these mountains. Due to the ruggedness, these areas are also best protected against development and habitation and the conservation status is therefore Least Threatened. Although the threats are relatively small, the exceptional biodiversity and scenic beauty imply a high need for statuary protection. Threatened and endangered plant species The south-eastern parts of the study area are the most important as a hotspot area for Red Data taxa (see Map 24). This area mainly includes Mountain Grassland and Escarpment Grassland as well as the Wakkerstroom Wetland area. Alien plants Alien vegetation, mainly black wattle, is prevalent in the southern and eastern portions of the PKSLM. Alien invasive vegetation in the upper Buffalo River Catchment, and upper Vaal Catchment, are estimated to reduce the mean annual runoff (MAR) by 3.9 and 3.8 % respectively (Versveld et al., 1998). Alien vegetation also displaces indigenous species, and leads to a reduction in biodiversity. Furthermore, rooting systems of many alien plant species, such as black wattle, tend to be shallow and this makes stream banks that are colonised by such plants vulnerable to erosion. Fauna Mammals Threatened and endangered mammal species distribution was obtained from the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA). The PKSLM area contains 76 species of mammals, which excludes animals found in the nature reserves or game farms. Red Data listed mammal species include 12 species. These include species such as Ourebia oribi (Oribi) and possibly Poecilogale albinucha (African Weasel), Lutra maculicollis (Spotted-necked Otter) as well as shrew species of the genera Crocidura and Myosorex. Birds According to the MTPA database 17 Red Data listed bird species have been recorded from the study area. Some of these species are rare and protection of grasslands and wetlands is critical for their survival. Important Birding Areas are found almost throughout the entire municipality (see Map 27). Fish A number of fish species that are sensitive to water quality deterioration are expected to occur within the PKSLM. These are located mainly in the Usutu Catchment, and less so in the Thukela River Catchment. There are no highly sensitive fish species in the upper Vaal River Catchment. Alien fish species identified in the study area include trout, bass, grass carp and common carp, all of which tend to have a negative impact on indigenous fish species diversity. Grass carp were introduced into Heyshope Dam, so there is a possibility that they may move into the tributaries upstream of the dam (Engelbrecht and Roux, 2008). Reptiles Sixty species of reptiles (snakes, lizards, geckos, tortoises) have been recorded in the study area, eight of these being possible Red Data species. Amphibians Twenty-two frog species occur in the PKSLM. Although the MTPA data indicates Heleophryne natalensis (=Hadromophryne natalensis) and Vandijkophrynus gariepensis as Red Data listed frog species, neither are currently listed as Threatened. Invertebrates Data on threatened and endangered invertebrate species distribution was obtained from MTPA. A number of butterfly species were recorded from the study site; however, most of them are widespread and not KILI/BEAT G:\404946_PIXLEY EMF\7REPORTS\Status Quo report\Draft report\Draft status quo report, July 2010.docx July 2010
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