EIA Screening Tool Sensitivity Theme for Reporting

Transcription

1 EIA Screening Tool Sensitivity Theme for Reporting 13 th National Biodiversity Planning Forum 8 June 2016 Environmental Advisory Services Nicolene Fourie Chief GIS Specialist: GIS Operations Directorat: Enterprise Geospatial Information Management E- mail: nfourie@environment.gov.za Contribution from Dr Rudi Pretorius

2 Inaugural meeting of the Committee for Spatial Information 6 July 2016

3 Overview Input Contributions Application of Sensitivity Themes Sensitivity Themes Structure SEA documentation Consultation EGIM Internal Consultation EGIM, CSIR, SANBI Internal DEA: EIA, B&C WG 7 Provincial meeting (Gauteng, NC, to come KZN and WC) 2016 BPF Screening process Screening report Objective Sensitivity Themes Classes Dataset links Create awareness Contributions and input

4 2014 Regulations: Screening The 2014 Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (Section 16 (1) (b) (v)) make provision that an application for environmental authorisation must be accompanied inter alia by: The report generated by the national web based environmental screening tool Screening can be defined as the process of using spatial environmental data to determine if applications for Environmental Authorisations (Basic Assessment, Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment) have considered the major environmental issues in the area where development is being proposed. Screening tool referred to in regulations is an on-line tool that enables the user to generate a report (the screening report) referred to in the 2014 EIA regulations.

5 Screening Tool Reporting Screening tool report types 2016/ /18 General screening Commercial Wind Commercial Solar Electricity grid Mining Nuclear energy Fracking Aquaculture Env sensitivity SEA SEA SEA Mining and biodiversity guideline SEA SEA SEA Screening Report flag environmental sensitivities Screening report based on sensitivity features and buffers identified during the SEA process Screening report based on sensitivity features and buffers identified during the SEA process Based on the Mining and biodiversity guideline Contribution from Dr Rudi Pretorius

6 Screening Tool Reporting General Screening Various national and sub-national environmental datasets for environmental features will be used Protected areas, NPAES focus areas, CBAs, Threatened ecosystems, Wetlands, Estuaries Etc. In addition cadastral information will be available Screening tool will show if any of these datasets intersects the proposed development area and the development footprint No sensitivity criteria will be applied Screening report will contain information extracted from datasets that intersect the development area and footprint General screening report will not reference protocols Wind and Solar (SEA) screening Sensitivity features grouped into broad sensitivity categories E.g. Agriculture: High potential agricultural land, Field crop boundaries Sensitivity feature criteria - 4 colour coded sensitivity classes Sensitivity classes mostly based on buffer distances Criteria were applied in REDZ only Screening tool will apply criteria outside REDZ as well where possible This means wind and solar screening can be done outside of REDZ as well Screening report informed by sensitivity category and relevant protocols

7 Landscape Sensitivity: Buffer

8 Screening Report Content Main sections of report (proposed) 1. Title/Heading: Name of project 2. CIPS application number: 3. Date of report: System generated 4. Applicant / EAP details: 5. Competent authority name: 6. Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer text 7. Property details: Erf, farm number, SG code, Suburb, Town, Municipality name, S12 name, province 8. Orientation map: An orientation map showing major roads, towns as well as the properties under consideration. 9. Summary table: A summary table listing sensitivity features in the area under consideration. 10. Summary impact map: A map showing properties with all sensitivity features, development footprint. 11. Individual feature maps: Maps showing each sensitivity feature on a separate map with development footprint and key statistics/attributes.

9 Application Agriculture Sensitivities Categories Sub-Categories Datasets Name Wind Very High Wind High Wind Medium Wind Low Solar Very High Solar High Solar Medium Solar Low Land Capability Agricultural Potential (Land Capability) Agricultura Activity Field crop boundaries Croplands RE_SEA Agricultural sensitivity RE_SEA Agricultural sensitivity RE_SEA Agricultural sensitivity RE_SEA Agricultural sensitivity Agricultural sensitivity_vh-sensitivity Agricultural sensitivity_h-sensitivity Agricultural sensitivity_m-sensitivity Agricultural sensitivity_l-sensitivity Croplands Land capability classes I to III, as well as field crop boundaries for Pivot irrigation, horticulture/viticulture and shadenet All remaining field crop boundaries not considered very high sensitivity Land capability class IV that is not under cultivation Land capability classes V to VIII that is not under cultivation Land capability classes I to III, as well as field crop boundaries for Pivot irrigation, horticulture/viticulture and shadenet All remaining field crop boundaries not considered very high sensitivity Land capability class IV that is not under cultivation Land capability classes V to VIII that is not under cultivation Croplands Sensitivity_M Croplands Croplands Sensitivity_M Croplands

10 Sensitivity Themes Categories Sub-Categories REPORT HEADING SUB-HEADING

11 1. Agriculture Land Capability Croplands 2. Marine Biodiversity Ecosystems Species 3. Terrestrial Biodiversity Species Ecosystems 4. Conservation Expansion Strategy Protected areas Conservation Areas 5. Geomorphology Topography Soil Rocks Minerals Mining Geology Degraded areas 6. Heritage Palaeontology Archaeology Cultural Other Heritage Sites 7. Hydrology Surface water Ground water 8. Infrastructure Grid infrastructure Transport Bulk infrastructure Telecommunication Radar Social Nuclear sites Landfill Civil Aviation Restricted areas SEA Sensitivities 9. Visual Landforms

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15 Nicolene Fourie Chief GIS Specialist: GIS Operations Directorat: Enterprise Geospatial Information Management (EGIM) E- mail:

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