ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT & SPATIAL PLANNING

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT BRANCH

Charline Mc Kie

Biodiversity Area Manager:

The Dassenberg Coastal Catchment Partnership City Sector (DCCP)

North Region Tel no: 021 444 7687 Email: charline.mckie@capetown.gov.za

mailto:charline.mckie@capetown.gov.za

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 April to 30 June 2016

2

Table of Contents

Page

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Baseline plant survey

Nocturnal frog survey

Removal of Pines

Burglary at the Mamre Toll house

Bulldozing activity

2. HIGHLIGHTS & CHALLENGES .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Veld Age assessment at KD

Brush pile burning at KD

Red Hartebeest calf

Expanded Public Works programme: invasive plant clearing

Lack of storage and office

Lack of People and Conservation officer

Photographs by DCCP staff

3. CONSERVATION PLANNING ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Proclamation process

WANR Protected Area Advisory Committee 2016

DCCP Office complex

4. FLORA .................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Invasive Flora Management

Blue gum removal at KD

EPWP at KD

AWS clearing of pipeline at WANR

EPWP clearing at WANR

Table with invasive clearing summary

Indigenous Flora Management

Veld age assessment

Student research project

Baseline plant survey at WANR

Photographs by DCCP staff

5. FAUNA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Indigenous Fauna Management

Nocturnal Frog survey

Red Hartebeest monitoring programme

Summary of Faunal and Floral sightings table

Mortalities

6. SOIL ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Klein Dassenberg, photograph by DCCP staff

7. WATER ................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Table with Monthly rainfall statistics

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 April to 30 June 2016

3

8. FIRE ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Summary of controlled and uncontrolled fires

Fire Standby

Prescribed fires

Wildfires

9. PEOPLE, TOURISM & EDUCATION ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Environmental Education statistics

Special Environmental Day Programmes

Informal Environmental Education Programmes, photographs by DCCP staff

Exhibitions and special events

External and Internal meetings

Staff, Regional and Branch meetings

10. STAFF MATTERS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15

Staff Establishment

Staff training

Occupational Health and Safety

11. LAW ENFORCEMENT ........................................................................................................................................................... 16

WANR incidents

Klein Dassenberg incidents

12. INFRASTRUCTURE & EQUIPMENT ........................................................................................................................................ 18

Repairs and Maintenance

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 April to 30 June 2016

4

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This quarterly report covers all the activities for the period from 1 April 30 June 2016 within the Dassenberg

Coastal Catchment Partnership (DCCP), City sector. The DCCP comprises of the DCCP West (Witzands

Aquifer Nature Reserve [WANR], three additional erven to the north of the Dune field and the Brakkefontein

Section and the DCCP East (Klein Dassenberg Section, the Kanonkop Section and Stewardship sites).

The managing of the DCCP further includes building and maintaining relations with various stakeholder

groups, communities, private landowners, City Departments including Sub Council structures and other

agencies. The DCCP is also responsible for the operational management of an official residential property.

There are still 43 plants that require infield verification according to the WANR Biodiversity Management

Tool.

On the 27/06/2016, the DCCP staff conducted a nocturnal Frog survey at Pond07 and Pond12 at WANR.

The DCCP staff removed Pinus sp. (Pine trees) at the Klein Dassenberg area.

The DCCP staff assisted by the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area (FoBCA) and the staff from the

Blaauwberg and the Tygerberg Nature Reserve removed Eucalyptus sp. (Gum trees) at Klein Dassenberg.

The Mamre Toll house was burglarised on the 08/05/2016 and it was discovered that a desktop computer

and all its accessories were stolen.

DCCP staff discovered a bulldozing activity taking place along the boundary of Klein Dassenberg.

2. HIGHLIGHTS & CHALLENGES

Highlights

During April, DCCP staff together with Andre Rossouw assessed the veld age of the management blocks at

the Klein Dassenberg section.

During the month of May, the DCCP staff with the assistance of numerous Biodiversity Management Branch

staff conducted brush pile burning operations at the Klein Dassenberg section and managed to burn a total

of 530 piles for May.

The operation was a great success even though staff had to navigate through difficult terrain and harsh

weather conditions with wind speeds peaking at 21km/h on one specific day.

From the 22/06 to the 29/06, a total of 49 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers conducted

invasive species follow-up clearing within Klein Dassenberg and initial clearing at Witzands Aquifer Nature

Reserve.

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 April to 30 June 2016

5

Challenges

The matter related to the lack of adequate office and storage of the DCCPs assets is still a major challenge,

together with office space for the staff complement.

The DCCP is still without a People and Conservation Officer for this reporting period. This remains a major

concern as the relationships, programmes and opportunities conducted with the schools/groups/events will

be affected through the lack of an assigned People and Conservation Officer for the entire DCCP.

CONSERVATION PLANNING

On 26/05/2016, Andre Rossouw reported at a Branch meeting that the MEC signed the Power of Attorney

(PoA) document for six Nature reserves, Blaauwberg, Bracken, Edith, False Bay, Helderberg and Tygerberg.

The PoA allows the attorneys to do the necessary notarisation against the notarial deeds, the document is

currently with the appointed City of Cape Town lawyers. The above mentioned reserves will be gazetted.

The signing of the PoA for the remaining reserves including Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve will take place

by the end of June 2016. Thereafter it will require gazetting for final proclamation.

As per the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, Act 57 of 2003, Protected Area

Advisory Committees (PAACs) for each of the City of Cape Towns nature reserves and protected natural

areas has been established. The first WANR PAAC meeting was held on the 23/10/2015, the second on the

09/02/2016 and the third meeting on the 11/05/2016. The fourth meeting will be on the 11/08/2016.

A Subcommittee meeting to the WANR PAAC was held 30/05/2016, to discuss whether the dunes must be

zoned or not.

For the DCCP Office Complex, a professional Services Team has been appointed to facilitate the detailed

designing and supervision of the construction of the Office Complex. Senior Management has reported that

construction of the Office Complex is expected to commence in October 2016. The appointed professional

service team has been to assess the site on several occasions for the detailed design planning including

assessing existing infrastructure and services. This remains the same for the April to June reporting period.

4. FLORA

Invasive Flora Management

Clearing operation