Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Information and Discussions on Endangered Ecosystems
Post Reply
leachy
Posts: 2918
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:17 pm
Country: rsa
Location: naspotie
Contact:

Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by leachy »

:-) :-) :-) :-)

check out this piece of very good news.....


"The MEC for the department of economic development has declared five new protected areas in Mpumalanga, including the largest, Chrissiesmeer.

CHRISSIESMEER – Excitement but mostly relief is what Ms Ursula Franke and her fellow activists experienced upon learning that the fauna and flora of Mpumalanga’s lake district will be safe from mining activities on January 22.

In December Lowvelder reported that the future of the largest natural lake in South Africa, as well as a 20 million-year-old ecosystem, lay in the balance due to several applications for coal-mining activities in the area. A group of community activists, with the support of local farmers and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), launched a campaign two and a half years ago to request that the so-called lake district of Mpumalanga be protected against inappropriate development.“We have been waiting for an answer for six months, and the sense of relief was overwhelming,” Franke told Lowvelder this week.

The announcement was made by the MEC for the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Me Pinky Phosa, who declared five new protected areas in Mpumalanga, including the largest, The Chrissiesmeer Protected Environment measuring 60 203 hectares.In a response via a joint media statement by private landowners and NGOs, this momentous achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the MTPA, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (SANBI) Grasslands Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF SA) and BirdLife South Africa (BLSA).“It is the result of long and fruitful partnerships that began as early as 2006 and formed part of the Mpumalanga Biodiversity Stewardship Programme, which aims to secure privately owned land within formal protected areas,” the statement reads.

Franke explained that in effect, the area is protected for 30 years, which can be extended to another 30 if landowners wish to do so. “I must say, without the support and involvement of the 60 odd farmers, we would never have reached this point,” she added. A management plan to render farming in the area more friendly in terms of biodiversity will be launched soon.The area where Msobo Coal planned to conduct mining activities is included in the protected area. Msobo Coal, a BEE entity acquired the Tselentis colliery from Xstrata Coal in 2012. The Harwar colliery, an opencast mine, was planned for Chrissiesmeer to extend the life of Tselentis and to preserve 600 jobs. The aim was to produce 1Mt of coal per year for 15-20 years.Two other mining applications fall outside of the protected area, according to Franke.South Africa’s grasslands are poorly represented in formal protected areas and the declaration on January 22 will now add over 73 000 hectares of important grassland habitat to the network of protected areas within the province.

The new protected areas are as follows:
• The Chrissiesmeer Protected Environment (60 203 hectares);
• The Kwamandlangampisi Protected Environment, near Wakkerstroom which is extended by 3 094 hectares;
• The Mabola Protected Environment (8 772 hectares), also near Wakkerstroom;
• The Tafelkop Nature Reserve (1 208 hectares);
and• The first community-owned protected environment in Mpumalanga, known as the Mndawe Trust Protected Environment (826 hectares), near Lydenburg.

http://lowvelder.co.za/47127/chrissiesm ... st-mining/


the future is not what it used to be
Duke

Re: chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by Duke »

Thanks leachy \O


User avatar
Flutterby
Posts: 44150
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:28 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Contact:

Re: Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by Flutterby »

\O \O


User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by Lisbeth »

Good news \O


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
okie
Posts: 3446
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 1:58 pm
Country: Not here
Contact:

Re: Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by okie »

Good news indeed \O


Enough is enough
User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75834
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

Re: Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by Richprins »

Very good indeed! An economically viable birding paradise! ^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
User avatar
nan
Posts: 26304
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 9:41 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Central Europe
Contact:

Re: Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by nan »

\O


Kgalagadi lover… for ever
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
User avatar
Flutterby
Posts: 44150
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:28 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Contact:

Re: Chrissiesmeer declared a protected area

Post by Flutterby »

Nice to hear some good news for a change! \O


Post Reply

Return to “Endangered Ecosystems”