Dear Birders
Most of you within South Africa and many of you from other parts of
the world will have visited or will be familiar with Strandfontein
Sewage Works (known officially as the Cape Flats Waste Water
Treatment Works) in the vicinity of Cape Town. Although consisting of
a fully operational water treatment works and a largely artificial
area of wetland, Strandfontein has long been a mecca for local and
visiting birders alike, providing a greater diversity of aquatic
habitats than any other locality on the Cape Flats. Access to the
site has always been open to birders and we are very grateful to the
authorities for this privilege. Monthly counts by the Cape Bird Club,
which are now included as part of the national Co-ordinated Waterbird
Counts (CWAC) scheme, run by the Avian Demography Unit, clearly
identify this locality as one of South Africa's five most important
sites for waterbirds. Summer counts consistently record over 10 000
birds, contributing to the site's designation as an Important Bird
Area (IBA). It's close proximity to Cape Town and its high density
and diversity of waterbirds have made Strandfontein an automatic
inclusion on the itinerary of most visiting birders, highlighting the
potential that the area possesses for ecotourism.
However, there is currently a major threat to this wetland and the
nearby Zandvlei Nature Reserve in the shape of the proposed R300
(N21) ring road. This road is a toll road and a profit-making,
private undertaking. It is not being financed by national or by
regional government. While there is not complete objection to the
entire route of the new road, the proposed Southern Greenfields
Sections would result in the destruction of 25% of Strandfontein's
oxidation pans and create a physical barrier between the
Strandfontein complex and the adjacent Rondevlei and Zeekoevlei
wetlands. Rondevlei is an important breeding area for a wide variety
of resident water birds. Strandfontein is their principal feeding
area and their numbers are augmented in summer by thousands of
palaearctic migrants, such as White-winged Black Terns and
shorebirds.
The Greenfields Section also passes the northern boundary of the
Zandvlei Nature Reserve and will damage a six hectare section of the
road reserve. The strandveld vegetation within the road reserve is
the best condition vegetation in the entire Zandvlei region. The
direct loss of this six hectares will decrease the long term
viability of the reserve. Although minimum population size is not
known for most species the populations of many animals, such as
Cape Grysbok and Porcupine, may not be viable in the long term. In
addition to this there are numerous plant species which occur within
the road reserve but not in the neighbouring nature reserve. Perhaps
the greatest impact of the proposed road will be the loss of
aesthetic appeal of the reserve due to visual and audio pollution.
Visitor numbers, in the form of organised environmental education
groups and casual visitors, have been growing steadily in recent
years. Without doubt, the road will be audible and visible from all
points within the reserve. This is aggravated by the fact that the
road will have to be elevated in order to pass over the railway line
and Keysers River on the north western boundary of the reserve. It is
impossible to mitigate the effects of the road during this phase due
to the direct loss of habitat and the impacts to the ecotourism
potential of the reserve.
BirdLife South Africa, in conjunction with the Cape Bird Club, is
objecting to and opposing this development. The proposal does not
have the full support of the Cape Metropolitan Council but, having
been designated a National Road, will be under consideration by
central and provincial administrations. We believe that the loss of
waterbodies, fragmentation of this wetland and the resulting
reduction in its appeal to visiting birders and ecotourists
will far outweigh any advantage gained by building this road. If you
do not wish to see more wetland and important waterbird habitat
disappear under yet another six lane highway, please consider taking
the time to voice your opposition to this proposal. The first
step is to register as an Interested and Affected Party with the
facilitators (Chand Ecosense JV) and then to state why you are
opposed to the project. Your objections need to be factual and
relevant; the facilitators will discard emotive input if it is not
backed up with factual detail. Full details of the proposed road can
be found at the following websites:
Penway Consortium (the developers): www.peninsula-expressway.org.za/index.htm
Zandvlei Trust: http://www.zandvleitrust.org.za/art-Toll%20Road.html
To register as an Interested and Affected Party contact Emily
Herschell at:
Chand Ecosense JV,
P.O. Box 6997,
Roggebaai,
8012,
South Africa
Tel. +27 (0)21 418 4212
Fax +27 (0)21 418 6278
Email:
An example of the sort of points that could be raised are:
A comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment needs to take into
account the affect of the development on the flora and fauna of the
area over a period of annual seasons, otherwise the information is
of little use in making an informed decision. The Penway timescales
allocated to environmental study are hopelessly inadequate.
Does this road really benefit the community? The road will be in
business for profit for 30 years before it has to be handed to
National Government. No significant investment into local communities
or the infrastructure of the Western Cape is planned from this
development.
The City of Cape Town, in its Integrated Metropolitan Environmental
Policy for the next 20 years, is committed to "the conservation of
fauna and flora and the City of Cape Town's unique biodiversity",
"promotes appropriate transportation systems that reduce
environmental impacts while increasing mobility for all", is
"committed to minimising the need to travel and promote the use of
public transport as a preferred mode of transport" and "supports
community driven environmental projects and including communities in
the decision making process". This proposed road makes it difficult
for the city to uphold these committments. Upgrading the public
transport system would seem to be a higher priority to reduce the
number of vehicles on metropolitan roads and thus negating the "need"
for extra roads to speed up travelling times.
Please register as an I and AP as soon as possible and make your
opinions known to those involved in the decision making process. Your
contribution could make the difference between conserving our natural
heritage for future generations or losing it forever.
Conservation Committee of the Cape Bird Club.
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
