John Yeld
18 May 2007
Cape Town — The presence of a critically endangered indigenous plant species on a Zeekoevlei site is highlighting a dispute between prominent Cape botanists and conservationists over controversial development plans.
The wetland plant, Passerina paludosa, is one of the Peninsula's most endangered species, with just 500 or so individual plants left in the wild, although another population was recently found near Stanford.
A developer wants to build 28 single and double-storey homes, a club house and a swimming pool on a vacant 1.1ha property that adjoins the Zeekoevlei nature reserve and a conservation corridor linking this reserve with its Rondevlei neighbour.
The property is zoned for residential development, but critics point out this is a historical zoning approved half a century ago in an era where environmental and ecological considerations were non- existent.
A major part of the dispute is over the wetland status of the property.
A draft basic impact assessment of the development includes a botanical assessment done last July by Barrie Low, one of Cape Town's best-known botanists.
Low reported that Passerina paludosa, a Red Data List species, was found only in the area between the property in question and the edge of the vlei.
He also said that the property appeared to have been disturbed in the past, and was situated away from the sensitive wetland edge and interface with the inland flats on the edge of Zeekoevlei.
Although it formed part of the Cape Flats-Zeekoevlei dune system, which was regarded as "very important" for conservation in its natural state, most of this particular site was only of "moderate sensitivity and low rarity".
Low concluded that he supported limited development of the site, if 22% of it was kept as a conservation buffer between the proposed development and the vlei, and if a wetland further west in the corridor strip was artificially extended to make up for the loss of a wetland pan on the property.
But his findings outraged local conservationists and property owners on the Zeekoevlei Peninsula who are totally opposed to the development.
A 19-page objection to the draft impact assessment from the Friends of Zeekoevlei & Rondevlei conservation group - who include many local residents - states bluntly that Low's botanical survey appears to be flawed.
They say they found rare and endangered plants and animals on the site during a subsequent visit, including nine Passerina plants, seven of which were growing on the wetland pan area that would be built on in terms of the developers' plans.
"None of these plants is listed in the botanical survey," they say.
Other Red Data species found utilising the site included the Western leopard toad (critically endangered), the Cape sand snake (also critically endangered), the African Marsh Harrier and the Caspian Tern.
"We also see no reference to the extensive communal water-bird breeding colony that is adjacent to the proposed development, nor to the other Red Data species occurring in the area."
They have a host of objections, including the sewerage issue.
The group has also taken issue with Low's assessment of the limited wetland extent of the property, insisting that it is in fact a seasonal wetland - "one of the last remaining areas of undeveloped seasonal wetlands in the Cape Flats Dune Strandveld ecosystem" - and that any development is therefore "completely unacceptable".
They point out that specialist wetland ecologists augured the soil on the site and found that most of the site comprised "temporarily to seasonally to permanently saturated wetland".
"We insist that objective, scientific studies are conducted on the status of the area with specific reference to its wetland status.
"Further, we insist that a specialist freshwater report is provided, dealing inter alia with the impacts of the proposed development on surface water quality and quantity, its interactions with groundwater and the impacts of stormwater (which are) not mentioned in the impact assessment."
They are backing a recommendation by the City of Cape Town's nature conservation branch that "mutually beneficial trade-offs, land swops and/or a 'no-go' option" be explored with the land owner.
They have won at least this initial skirmish.
Developer Cas Muller told the Cape Argus this week that he had appointed a consultant to undertake a freshwater assessment, but could not say when it would be completed.
"Once that's in, we will take this to the next level," he said.
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