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Limpopo West Mine: Biodiversity and Impact Assessment10. Mitigation and Management MeasuresMitigation and management measures are essential for reducing the impacts associated withthe mine. The general management and mitigation measures and the monitoringrequirements for the proposed LWM have been discussed below. Specific management andmitigations measures for the impacts raised in Table 9-1 have been detailed in Table 10-1,together with the impact significance post-mitigation.10.1. Biodiversity Offsets or Migration CorridorsOne of the main management and mitigation measures for the proposed LWM, in terms ofbiodiversity, is the establishment of biodiversity offsets. The establishment of offsets requiresfurther investigation. As aforementioned in the Impacts Section, one of the main cumulativeimpacts of the region is the loss of a large percentage of the Limpopo Sweet Bushveld, adisruption of natural migration/dispersal patterns and the loss of wetlands due to all the coalmining applications within the region. Many of these impacts cannot be mitigated, as is thecase for the proposed LWM where large expanses of land will be disturbed due to miningoperations and associated activities. Biodiversity offsets can be used to compensate forthe residual impact to biodiversity that cannot be mitigated onsite and thereforebalance the impact of the project (Figure 10-1) (http://bbop.forest-trends.org/). Developersshould however only pursue biodiversity offsets at the end of the mitigation hierarchy, afterthey have reduced and alleviated residual environmental harm as much as possible.Figure 10-1The Mitigation Hierarchy (http://bbop.forest-trends.org)152
Limpopo West Mine: Biodiversity and Impact AssessmentBiodiversity Offset OptionsWhile appropriate offset activities will vary from site to site, a range of different landmanagement interventions could typically be involved in biodiversity offsets for the proposedLWM, these include (http://bbop.forest-trends.org/):Safeguarding unprotected areas. The D’Nyala Nature Reserve which is locatedsoutheast of Lephalale Town includes a small portion of the Limpopo Sweetveldvegetation type. One possibility would be to increase the reserve in a westerlydirection so as to include a greater area of the Limpopo Sweet Bushveld. Theinitiative could involve either setting up a stewardship agreement in terms of theNEM: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003 or the donation of the land to a legal provincialnature conservation agency or an accredited Public Benefit Organisation. The variousoptions available would need to be investigated in further detail.Establishing corridors: The establishment of corridors involves identifying andsecuring the conservation management of land that provides biological corridorsbetween protected areas. The formation of a “Mega-Corridor” from the WesternSandy Bushveld and Waterberg Mountain Bushveld vegetation types, through theLimpopo Sweet Bushveld and to the Limpopo River could be established. Theestablishment of such a corridor will allow protection of the existing sensitive habitatsdiscussed in this report and the continual migration of animal species. The “Mega-Corridors” should follow the two major river systems feeding the Limpopo River, theMatlabas and the Mokolo. The major disadvantage of this from a mining perspectiveis the loss of coal resources which are critical for the economy.Additional migration corridors or open space areas could be established within theLWM area. This will involve incorporating areas of remaining natural habitat, linked bycontinuous systems.Establishing buffer zones. Buffer zones need to be established around the areasidentified as having a Critically High sensitivity. Additional buffer zones should beestablished around all areas of Very High sensitivity that are not impacted on by thevarious phases, for example the pan systems.In the case of the Lephalale area it is recommended that a new government initiative beestablished that can manage and promote the safeguarding of unprotected land in the areaand encourage all the various parties (in particular all the mining houses within the area) toparticipate. The establishment of a Biodiversity Offset or “Mega-Corridor” or the expansion ofthe D’Nyala Nature Reserve will be a long-term project and will require the involvement of allstakeholders (e.g. developers, mining companies, environmental consultants, farmers andauthorities), involved in developmental and mining applications in the area, in order to be asuccess. The Lephalale Development Forum may be the correct forum in which theseconcepts can be discussed.The benefits, concerns and risks associated with Biodiversity offsets are briefly discussedbelow.153
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AcknowledgmentsIn addition to the E
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Remaining Natural Vegetation: Mediu
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6.1. Floral AssessmentLimpopo West
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