Month: August 2018

In an application to be heard in the high court in Pietermaritzburg, evidence will be tabled before Judge Seegobin of how, since 2017, the mine has been violating the National Environmental Management Act by breaching environmental and other laws. The mining company operates illegally next to arguably the most sensitive area in South Africa, with the largest population of rhinos in the world.

Tendele’s human rights abuses and negative impacts on the lives and livelihoods of the greater Mpukunyoni area, where Somkhele is situated, will be tabled in various reports, including the South African Human Rights Commission’s recently released report on hearings with mining affected communities that include Somkhele. Meanwhile, Tendele plans to expand its operation and has identified 124 households to be moved from their rightful land. Many more families will lose their livelihoods and have their lives and health destroyed by living in close proximity to the mine.

“Furthermore, environmental degradation, and the failure to conserve biodiversity, prejudice the realisation of numerous other human rights, particularly the right to equality, but also the rights of access to sufficient food and water, health, housing, land and ultimately, the right to live with dignity.”  [Extract from SAHRC report, p.41]

The application is brought forward by The Global Environment Trust (GET) and members of Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organization (MCEJO) who believe #LawApplies2All. The applicants seek that the court interdicts and restrains Tendele Mining company from carrying on any mining operation in the area until it has complied with the law.

Kirsten Youens, attorney for the applicants sums it up by saying: “We are relying on our judicial system to ensure that justice is done. The law must be complied with by all, not a select few. This is an opportunity for a clear statement to be made that it is unacceptable for mining companies to comply with the law after they have already commenced mining and only when ordered to do so. The environment and thousands of people’s lives are at stake.”

For the latest on this case see the following links:

The Truth about Tendele – Mine throws Lie Line: https://wp.me/p768Un-HN

Summary of the Court case with links to court papers: https://wp.me/p768Un-HV

For background on Save our iMfolozi Wilderness Campaign: https://saveourwilderness.org

South Africa currently has a network of 23 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering only 0.4 % of the oceans around South Africa. This is far short of the global target of at least 10% protection of the oceans by 2020 – to which South Africa has committed to as a member of the United Nations. In 2014, as a first step towards reaching this target, the President announced that 5% protection would be achieved by 2016 through establishment of an expanded network of MPAs, and also that another 5% of ocean space needing protection would be identified by 2018.

Accordingly, in February 2016 the Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa published the intention to declare a representative network of 21 new, expanded MPAs and invited the public and key stakeholders to comment. These areas were identified as important to support fisheries recovery and productivity, to protect fragile and sensitive habitats and endangered species, to help combat climate change, and to ensure resilient and healthy oceans that can support coastal communities and a sustainable blue economy into the future.

Unfortunately, over 2 years later stakeholders have had no feedback from the Department of Environment Affairs about when the MPAs will be declared. There have also been concerns raised that the delay may be linked to the fact that by 2014 the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) had already leased about 95% of our oceans to large companies for oil and gas exploration.

“Offshore drilling will potentially produce petroleum along with a host of other environmentally harmful substances including arsenic, nickel, copper, chromium, zinc and barium. Heavy metals and hydrocarbons can be devastating for the health of marine organisms and to the people who live and feed off the coast,” commented Dr Jennifer Olbers, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, during a presentation on the potential impacts of the offshore oil & gas industry.

The bulk of our electricity and energy is generated from fossil fuels. Under the ocean floor, fossil fuels can occur as oil or gas. Drilling into these areas tap into these resources by use of a ‘drilling rig.’

“Drilling into the sea floor as part of oil exploration produces intense vibrations which have a negative impact on marine life living on or near the sea floor, the production phase is also associated with chronic disturbance” said WILDOCEANS’ Khalid Mather. “Another major environmental concern is linked to the disposal of highly toxic production waste caused by the hydrocarbon drilling. Small oil leaks usually occur during the production and transport of crude oil and pollutes the waters surrounding the rig.”

Seismic Surveys

Oil and gas reserves are hidden deep under the sea floor in cavities in the bedrock known as traps. Geologists (normally hired by mining conglomerates) can use various methods to locate these deposits and traps. One of these methods is seismic surveying.

Marine seismic surveying involves directing high powered sound waves, in the form of an acute, high intensity noise via an airgun towards the sea floor. The returning sound waves are read by sensors attached to streamers which are trailed up to 12 nautical miles behind the vessel, interpreting the patterns which bounce back as changes in geological formations and structures. The sounds are blasted at 10 second intervals which can travel over 4000 kilometres and can be ongoing for up to 24 hours a day, months at a time.

Seismic surveys have been proven to cause hearing impairment (temporary or permanent), physiological changes (such as stress responses) and tissue damage to marine life; and in some extreme cases even death.

In addition to the potential economic risks of off-shore mineral exploration is the issue of large scale environmental decimation. Unlike on land, factors like the waves and whales cannot be kept out of the mineral exploration area with a fence.

A catastrophic oil spill pollutes tens of thousands of kilometres in a very short space of time as the oil is carried by currents. Oil and water do not mix but it is simplistic to say that it sits on the surface only as an oil slick – offshore oil from leaks and spills is found throughout the water column. Crude oil is toxic, coating marine life such as seabirds, seals and turtles in a thick lethal substance. Methods used to reduce the severity of an oil spill, such as chemical dispersants are also known to have detrimental environmental impacts, persisting in the environment for years after a spill.

Sediment Mining

The sediments on the ocean floor contain minerals that are valuable for a number of applications, these include titanium, phosphates and diamonds. Extraction of these minerals (sediment mining) involves scraping the sea floor as well as digging up and filtering the sediments. This causes significant damage to the sensitive seabed environment, destroys the habitats of organisms living on the seafloor and disturbs mobile species (fish, mammals, birds) that depend on these habitats for food and shelter.

Coastal Communities

Janet Solomon of ‘Oceans Not Oils’ warns: “We must remember there has never been an effective mechanical recovery of a large marine oil spill. We must shift impacts to marine biodiversity and coastal communities from the margin of the off-shore oil and gas conversation and move it to the centre. Leaks are par for the course for offshore mining, and history shows us that oil and gas corporations only attend to these when they start to lose profits. Considering the high risk of pollution and disaster in one of the strongest currents in the world, plus the scant employment opportunities that offshore oil and gas industry offers South Africans (Sasol admitted in April that only 6 locals will be employed when they begin drilling operations for the platforms off the Durban and Zululand Basins, dispelling the myth of large scale local job creation and poverty alleviation that oil & gas claims), the market, legislative and governance uncertainties and lack of public participation within this sector, and the economic importance of our fisheries, leisure and tourism industries dependent on functional healthy oceans, we must question the logic of extracting a fuel that produces further climate change acceleration.”

How can I help?

Join the “Only This Much” campaign and spread awareness in your community: (www.onlythismuch.co.za)

https://www.facebook.com/OnlyThisMuchSA/

https://twitter.com/OnlythismuchSA

https://www.instagram.com/onlythismuchsa/

Avaaz Petition: https://tinyurl.com/anti-oilpetition

Community Meetings (Hosted by SDCEA: South Durban Community Environmental Alliance) opposing Oil & Gas/ Ocean Advocacy and opportunity to comment on the Marine Spatial Planning Bill:

21 August 2018  Tuesday: Margate Town Hall

27 August 2018  Durban, Diakonia Center.

28 August 2018  Richards Bay (venue to be confirmed)

Contact: Sherelee – South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA)

Sherelee@sdceango.co.za

Become an “Oceans not Oil” Member – https://becomingvisible.africa/contact/ or email info@oceansnotoil.com

“Oceans not Oil” Petition – SIGN UP HERE https://www.change.org/p/insist-the-dea-challenges-seismic-surveying-of-our-coastline

The nightly ritual of turtles emerging on the shores of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site, to lay their eggs first caught the attention of scientists in the 1960s along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. While this had been an extraordinary experience to witness over the years the critically endangered Leatherback and threatened Loggerhead turtle populations began to decline.

It soon became evident that these animals were being killed for their meat, and their eggs were taken illegally by local communities living along the coast. To advance the much-needed protection of the nesting turtles, the Ezemvelo Turtle Monitoring Programme was initiated. To tackle the decline in the nesting turtles’ population, the programme’s aim was, and still is, to turn the poachers into custodians.

The programme has seen significant job creation within the coastal communities and created a sense of ownership for the wildlife and the environment along the coastline. To date, due to the initiation of the turtle monitoring programme, the Loggerhead turtles have experienced a significant increase in numbers, while the nesting Leatherback turtle population is stabilising. There are approximately only 80 nesting Leatherback and 935 Loggerhead turtles that visit our shores annually. The continuation of this programme is necessary as it is their only chance of survival. Turtles play an important role in maintaining the health of the world’s oceans. Their roles range from maintaining productive coral reef systems, to transporting essential nutrients from the oceans to beaches and coastal dunes. As the turtle population declines, so does the ability to fulfil vital functions in ocean ecosystems.

“This programme is not only crucial for the survival of the Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtle populations, but also very important for the local communities who are truly invested in it. A programme such as this does not only create jobs, it also creates custodians of nature and wildlife, ambassadors that truly believe in the conservation and protection of unique, biodiverse areas such as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park,” commented Lauren van Nijkerk of the WILDTRUST.

To keep this programme running, WILDOCEANS, a programme of WILDTRUST, has launched a crowdfunding campaign in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and DIFFERENT.ORG. The goal is to raise R300 000 for the programme by the end of December 2018. To donate, spread the word and make a difference, simply click on the following link: https://different.org/projects/wildlands-conservation-trust/safeguarding-and-monitoring-turtles/.

“We’re excited to be partnering with WILDTRUST for this hugely impactful programme that seeks to conserve and protect vulnerable turtle populations while involving the local community in this process in a sustainable, meaningful way,” commented Simone Gregor, Head of DIFFERENT.ORG.

DIFFERENT.ORG is a reputable online crowdfunding philanthropy platform funding projects in South Africa. You can rest assured knowing that there are no monthly subscriptions, no commission on donations and no credit card fees. This ensures that every cent goes to the Turtle Monitoring and Safeguarding Programme, to maximise impact.

A total of 64kg of pre-loved clothing was donated to Gezubuso Projects recently, through the WILDLANDS Clothes for Life initiative. Gezubuso Projects was established in 2004, with their primary aim being to work in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, teaching men, women and the youth about HIV and AIDS.

The clothing is primarily used to barter indigenous trees grown by Tree-preneurs in under-resourced communities, who then sell the clothes to generate an income for their families. The WILDLANDS Clothes for Life drive was made possible by Makro and Nedbank.

Comrades 2018 has been another successful campaign for WILDLANDS as the fundraisers went above and beyond their call of duty raising over R 500 000, which is R 200 000 more than what was raised in 2017. This was a record-breaking year for Comrades Amabeadibeadie charities combined, as the overall funds raised stood at a staggering R 5 000 000, which is R 2 000 000 more than the previous year.

WILDLANDS has been one of the 6 official charities for over a decade and are set to continue until 2020 and beyond.

As an incentive to encourage our WILD RUNNERS to raise funds, 3 of the top fundraisers are taken on a WILDLIFE Experience at the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve to experience first hand conservation work being done to protect the rhino population on the reserve. This year, runners had an experience like no other as they witnessed conservation activities including the fitting of new tracking collars and the dehorning of both black and white rhino by a highly skilled team made up of a conservation VET, the Wildlife ACT monitoring team and reserve staff.

Comrades Marathon Association Chairperson, Cheryl Winn commended all runners who donated to the Comrades fundraising drive as well as all the official charities who did their best to make the 2018 Comrades count. “The Comrades Marathon charities handover is always a special occasion for us at the CMA. This does not only mark the closing chapter of Comrades 2018, but it is also an incredibly inspirational moment for all those who open their hearts into charitable giving,” she added.

WILDLANDS was responsible for cleaning up the first half of the route through the activation of the #GOGREEN campaign – an anti-littering and responsible waste management campaign launched in 2016. The campaign is set to uplift underprivileged schools in and around KwaZulu-Natal as the waste will be upcycled into 400 x Green Desks made possible by Polyolefin Recycling Company NPC (Polyco) – a non-profit industry body which aims to create a society where litter is minimised and the value of waste is maximised, through facilitating the responsible management of used polyolefin packaging.

A total of 7 867kg of waste was collected compared to 7 413kg collected last year. Plastic weighed the highest at 5 763kg. With less time exposure on the route, other streams like cans and glass were not collected and no material was sent to landfills. This is precisely what the #GOGREEN campaign advocates for.

Hanno Langenhoven, WILDLANDS’ Recycling Manager comments, “It was encouraging to see runners making use of the #GOGREEN Throw Zones and the commitment of 120 WILDLANDS staff who left the event route spotless. All the waste collected on the first 30 kilometres of the route will be upcycled into Green Desks. We hope to implement alternative hydration solutions to the event in the hopes of eliminating single use plastic.”

“As the WILDLANDS #GOGREEN campaign driver and runner, I would like to congratulate all those who completed the Ultimate Human Race. A huge thank you to our WILDLANDS runners for helping us secure a more sustainable future for our wildlife, particularly the rhino – we could not do this without them. We are grateful to the CMA for their continuous support and we look forward to an improved #GOGREEN campaign drive in 2019 that will change the of mindset the running community and encourage the use of alternative hydration solutions,” concludes Buyi Makhoba-Dlamini, WILDLANDS Strategic Marketing Manager.