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 49
Coal mining involves the extraction of a non-renewable
resource and benefits need to be compared with
industries such as agriculture, forestry and tourism that
involve renewable resource uses (Van Zyl, 2010).
3.6.5 Forestry
The forestry industry in PKSLM is small compared to
GSDM as a whole and consists of plantations covering
roughly 1,077 ha (or 0.21% of the total PKSLM land
area). It is probable that roughly 25 to 40 direct jobs are
supported by the sector based on provincial averages for
employment per ha of plantation.
Demand for timber is unlikely to increase beyond
normal growth levels. Water availability and the
availability of suitable land play are further factors
limiting expansion potential. In particular, the majority
of the study area coincides with areas of stress or water
deficit (DWAF 2004, 2004a and 2004b).
3.6.6 Economic values associated with
the maintenance of natural capital
The high value of properly functioning ecosystems
particularly in terms of water services provides an
economic justification for their protection and
restoration. PKSLM boasts grasslands that are generally
in significantly better condition than those in the
Maloti-Drakensberg and care needs to be taken to avoid
degradation. Improvements can be made in pockets of
land that have become degraded.
One of the key regulating ecosystem services provided
by grasslands are associated with the water environment
given the areas importance at the headwater of three
major catchments/WMAs. Numerous wetlands are
present in the area including the Wakkerstroom wetland
which is of national prominence (Palmer, 2010). The
Wakkerstroom wetland complex is one of few peatland
wetlands in South Africa. They are centres of
biodiversity, act as carbon sinks and are key to the
hydrological functioning of drainage systems (PKSLM,
2008). The services provide water security for the area
and also play a critical role as a ‘water factory’ area
with national importance for water security (Van Zyl,
2010).
Thus far the waste sink function and other regulating
functions of the aquatic and terrestrial environment
appears to be working relatively well in most parts of
PKSLM. Future planning and management will have to
be exercised with care if ecological infrastructure in the
study area is to keep delivering. Intensively developed
catchments nearby such as the Olifants River provide
lessons regarding to the economic risks associated with
the degradation of the water environment and natural
capital (Van Zyl, 2010).
3.6.7 Economic costs/externalities
associated with resource uses
Key resources uses (agriculture, tourism and recreation,
mining, forestry and harvesting) have the potential to
clash with each other and destroy/degrade natural
capital or ecological infrastructure from terrestrial and
aquatic natural areas.
Mining primarily impacts on water quantity and quality,
land degradation, air quality and biodiversity. It further
and exacerbates impacts through high volumes of truck
traffic. Water pollution may impact downstream of the
pollution source with potential international
implications.
The available evidence and observation of the situation
in other mining areas indicates a high risk of significant
unmitigated cumulative impacts from intensive mining.
Despite numerous EIAs and seemingly well funded
Environmental Management Plans, significant damage
is occurring in mining areas. Potentially unacceptable
residual impacts appear to be a reality of coal mining,
particularly where a number of mines operate in
sensitive areas. Adequate mitigation does not equate
with observable reality at this point and strongly
suggests that the precautionary principle needs to be
applied to the approval of mining in the first instance in
sensitive areas (Van Zyl, 2010).
The often parlous state of roads in Mpumalanga can act
as a significant constraint to tourism development in
remote areas such as PKSLM reliant on road access.
Forestry has a marked impact on the natural
environment and affects biodiversity, water and soil
resources as well as air quality. Extensive forestry also
has the ability to reduce available water substantially. In
the Usutu River, for example, it is estimated that
70 000 ha of pine plantations reduce water yield by
about 50%. In addition, elevated sediment loads and
pollution can be detrimental to water quality and the
availability of aquatic habitats.
KILI/BEAT G:\404946_PIXLEY EMF\7REPORTS\Status Quo report\Draft report\Draft status quo report, July 2010.docx July 2010