The second project undertaken in the joint CER-WESSA Promoting Participation programme is a series of community environmental rights workshop in Limpopo, focused on water resources, management and governance in the Nylsvlei Floodplain.
The Nylsvley Floodplain is one of sixteen RAMSAR sites in South Africa and is regarded as a very important waterfowl habitat and breeding site in Southern Africa. The Nyl River Floodplain is a complex sponge system that recharges annually, with extensive flooding occurring approximately every three years. It is a single, extensive system, approximately 30 Km wide and 150 Km long and approximately 50 Km at its widest point, to the east and into the adjacent Springbokvlakte. Extraction at one site effectively constitutes extraction from the system as a whole, which means that impacts are displaced throughout the floodplain. In addition, impacts on the system are occurring prior to the water entering the floodplain, through abstraction from feeder streams for urban settlements and agriculture. This important floodplain has existed in a functioning natural state for many thousands of years and until the last decade or so, has supported sustainable use by local communities.
The Nyl system is currently threatened by over-abstraction of water for urban and agricultural use; discharge of treated sewage effluent into the floodplain and a number of pending platinum and coal mining applications within the floodplain system. The system is of importance from a biodiversity conservation point of view and is also critical to the continued sustainable livelihoods of many communities who depend on this water resource. The water resource is already under pressure and proposed mining activities are likely to exacerbate this situation.
The project manager, Andy Gubb, and the project officer, Junaid Francis, visited the area on 24-30 October 2011 to establish contact with community-based organisations and NGOs surrounding the Nyl River and to enhance awareness about the CER’s involvement in the protection of the Nyl River and Nylsvley floodplain. During this sojourn, the CER met with all tiers of government, civil society organisations and other pertinent stakeholders of the Nyl River System, to disclose details about CER’s intended involvement and to obtain a deeper understanding of local dynamics affecting the river/hydrological system.
From 21 November 2011, the CER team will be hosting a series of community environmental rights workshops in the area to lay the groundwork for the formation of partnerships between various civil society organisations and, in so doing, enhance the capacity of communities to exercise their environmental rights and to participate meaningfully in environmental licensing processes that are likely to affect them.
For more information, contact Junaid Francis on jfrancis@cer.org.za or Andy Gubb on andy@wessa.co.za.
Nylsvley Floodplain
The second project undertaken in the joint CER-WESSA Promoting Participation programme is a series of community environmental rights workshop in Limpopo, focused on water resources, management and governance in the Nylsvlei Floodplain.
The Nylsvley Floodplain is one of sixteen RAMSAR sites in South Africa and is regarded as a very important waterfowl habitat and breeding site in Southern Africa. The Nyl River Floodplain is a complex sponge system that recharges annually, with extensive flooding occurring approximately every three years. It is a single, extensive system, approximately 30 Km wide and 150 Km long and approximately 50 Km at its widest point, to the east and into the adjacent Springbokvlakte. Extraction at one site effectively constitutes extraction from the system as a whole, which means that impacts are displaced throughout the floodplain. In addition, impacts on the system are occurring prior to the water entering the floodplain, through abstraction from feeder streams for urban settlements and agriculture. This important floodplain has existed in a functioning natural state for many thousands of years and until the last decade or so, has supported sustainable use by local communities.
The Nyl system is currently threatened by over-abstraction of water for urban and agricultural use; discharge of treated sewage effluent into the floodplain and a number of pending platinum and coal mining applications within the floodplain system. The system is of importance from a biodiversity conservation point of view and is also critical to the continued sustainable livelihoods of many communities who depend on this water resource. The water resource is already under pressure and proposed mining activities are likely to exacerbate this situation.
The project manager, Andy Gubb, and the project officer, Junaid Francis, visited the area on 24-30 October 2011 to establish contact with community-based organisations and NGOs surrounding the Nyl River and to enhance awareness about the CER’s involvement in the protection of the Nyl River and Nylsvley floodplain. During this sojourn, the CER met with all tiers of government, civil society organisations and other pertinent stakeholders of the Nyl River System, to disclose details about CER’s intended involvement and to obtain a deeper understanding of local dynamics affecting the river/hydrological system.
From 21 November 2011, the CER team will be hosting a series of community environmental rights workshops in the area to lay the groundwork for the formation of partnerships between various civil society organisations and, in so doing, enhance the capacity of communities to exercise their environmental rights and to participate meaningfully in environmental licensing processes that are likely to affect them.
For more information, contact Junaid Francis on jfrancis@cer.org.za or Andy Gubb on andy@wessa.co.za.