Natural Resource Management and Tourism Management

Flora and Fauna assessments are essential for most projects and consider several standards, most important of which are the IFC standards. These specialist studies also take into account national and provincial requirements for both international and local assessments. The following aspects are identified and assessed for flora and fauna assessments:

1. Any flora and fauna species of special concern both expected to occur in the area (from literature) as well as recorded from the area (during field work);  
2. A list of culturally important plants recorded from the site;
3. A list of alien and invasive species and related legislation;
4. A list of all plant and animal species recorded from the study site;
5. A categorization of the vegetation of the study site into community types with associated maps; and
6. The overall ecological sensitivity of the area with associated maps.

In addition to these standard flora and fauna studies, we also do several other aspects of this discipline including, but not limited to:

1. Nursery management;
2. Game park management;
3. Biodiversity offset reporting; and
4. Biodiversity Actions Plans

Rivers, dams and wetlands provide a range of goods and services, these may include regulating and supporting benefits, cultural benefits and provisioning benefits, however, the proficiency of these benefits are dependent on a healthy ecosystem in order to provide these services. The specialist assessments attempt to determine the importance of the services and value of the systems (dams, rivers and wetlands) in order to provide the means by which the value of ecosystem goods and services associated with the respective systems can be incorporated into effective management strategies. Specialist studies which have been completed include the following:

1. The ecological integrity (health) assessment of systems, for which the biological responses are primarily used as an indicator of ecosystem health. The integrity of selected biological response components for a particular system is determined and then integrated in order to determine the integrated ecological state.
2. Bio monitoring surveys of selected systems in order to determine the temporal and spatial trends of the systems. This includes the assessment of biotic (fish, macro invertebrates etc.) and abiotic (water, sediment etc.) components which are individually assessed and then integrated in order to describe the integrity of the systems.
3. The implementation of monitoring programmes to monitor surface water quality in systems in order to produce trend reports and visualizations of chemistry, eutrophication and microbiology.
4. Wetland assessments in order to identify and to determine the extent as well as the ecological services offered by the wetland. The delineated wetland areas are then characterized and then assessed in order to determine the integrity of the respective systems. The ecological services provided by the system are also determined and quantified.

Biodiversity assessments are conducted in order to determine the overall integrity (health) and functioning of the biotic environment, through the study of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Findings and conclusions from the specialist studies are incorporated into a management strategy. The strategy provides mitigation and action plans for biodiversity management, an interactive mapping tool is developed to aid in management of biodiversity priority areas as part of a Biodiversity and Land Management Plan.

Studies can also include:

1. Evaluation and monitoring of rehabilitated areas to determine if natural plant succession is proceeding and biodiversity is improving;
2. Biodiversity monitoring in selected natural areas to give an indication of potential issues or impacts that may arise from various activities;
3. Incorporating protected tree permitting into the process to identify suitable areas for relocation; and
4. Identification of management units with specific goals set to either maintain the current biodiversity status or improve such.

Sustainability can be defined as “capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage“. The focus is not simply to determine what is sustainable, but rather to identify how sustainable solutions can be implemented in support of both the environment and the associated business opportunity.

The interaction and experience of the team, both from a consulting and operational perspective has helped to develop a good understanding of what sustainability is and means for a business.

The rehabilitation of areas disturbed by mining is required to ensure the sustainability and an acceptable post closure land capability and land use. The rehabilitation planning should start prior to breaking ground as this ensures optimal movement of material for both opencast and underground operations.

The design of the various mine waste deposits that will remain after closure also needs to be done with final rehabilitation in mind.