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 OCTOBER to 31 DECEMBER 2016

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Table of Contents

Page

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

Report for 1 October to 31 December 2016

Jurisdiction

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

Annual Reserve visit

Leucospermum parile seed collection

Awarded certificate to the DCCP

Wire and pole removal

Fire Awareness Campaigns

Lack of storage and office

Lack of People and Conservation officer

Vehicle CA7122664

Photographs by DCCP staff

3. CONSERVATION PLANNING ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Proclamation process: Gazetting still in process

WANR Protected Area Advisory Committee

DCCP Office complex: Finalisation of Appeal process

4. FLORA .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Invasive Flora Management

Invasive species clearing at Brakkefontein

Fire breaks at Klein Dassenberg

Workload Assessments for WANR

Table with invasive clearing summary

Indigenous Flora Management

Baseline plant survey at WANR

Photographs by DCCP staff

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

Indigenous Fauna Management

Nocturnal Frog survey

Red Hartebeest monitoring programme

Capture and Translocations

Summary of Faunal and Floral sightings table

Mortalities

6. SOIL ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 12

Klein Dassenberg, photographs by DCCP staff

7. WATER ................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Table with Monthly rainfall statistics

8. FIRE ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Summary of controlled and uncontrolled fires

Prescribed fires

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 OCTOBER to 31 DECEMBER 2016

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Wildfires

Vehicles set on fire

Photographs by DCCP staff

9. PEOPLE, TOURISM & EDUCATION ...................................................................................................................................... 14

Environmental Education statistics

Special Environmental Day Programmes

Informal Environmental Education Programmes

Exhibitions and special events:

o Fire Awareness Campaigns

o Melkbosstrand Summer Safety Festival

Photographs by DCCP staff

External and Internal meetings

Staff, Regional and Branch meetings

10. STAFF MATTERS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Staff Establishment

Staff training

Occupational Health and Safety:

o Injury on Duty

11. LAW ENFORCEMENT ........................................................................................................................................................... 18

WANR incidents

Klein Dassenberg incidents

12. INFRASTRUCTURE & EQUIPMENT ........................................................................................................................................ 19

Repairs and Maintenance

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 OCTOBER to 31 DECEMBER 2016

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This quarterly report covers all the activities for the period from 1 October 31 December 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, 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 two official residential properties

and the Mamre Visitor Information Centre.

2. HIGHLIGHTS & CHALLENGES

Highlights

During October, the annual DCCP reserve visit with Julia Wood (Head: Biodiversity Management Branch),

Leighan Mossop (Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator) and Clifford Dorse (Biodiversity Coordinator) took

place. During the visit, sightings of various plants including Steirodiscus tagetes (Vulnerable) and Satyrium

carneum (Near Threatened) were recorded. It should be noted that these plants were found flowering in

the sector of the reserve where the January 2016 fires took place.

On the 01/11, the DCCP staff accompanied Jacques van der Merwe of the conservation services unit, to

collect seeds of Leucospermum parile (Critically Endangered) at Klein Dassenberg. The seeds will be sowed

at Nirvana Private Conservation area in 2017 to re-establish L. parile which would have originally occurred

at Nirvana.

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 OCTOBER to 31 DECEMBER 2016

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On the 11/11 the DCCP was awarded a certificate from the Biodiversity Management Branch for the most

improved nature reserve within the City of Cape Town for 2016. This is the third consecutive year that the

reserve has received a certificate. Previous certificates received were special recommendation in 2011,

special mention in 2014 and highly recommended in 2015.

On the 14/11, 15/11 and 30/11 the DCCP staff removed old stock fencing material at WANR11 which was

exposed after the January 2016 wildfire. The staff removed approximately 1.5 km of barbed wire most of

which was completely degraded due to rust.

The DCCP staff assisted the Cape Peninsula Fire Protection Association with a fire awareness campaigns in

Pella and Mamre, respectively.

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 remains without a People and Conservation Officer (P&CO) for this reporting period as well. This is

a huge disadvantage as the relationships, programmes and opportunities conducted with the

schools/groups/events are affected through the lack of an assigned People and Conservation Officer for

City of Cape Town | DCCP | Quarterly Report |1 OCTOBER to 31 DECEMBER 2016

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the entire DCCP. The P&CO maintains and builds on relationships with communities and or members of the

public.

The vehicle CA716622 is still not operational and still experiences the non-start difficulties on a weekly basis.

The vehicle currently remains at Fleet.

CONSERVATION PLANNING

The proclamation process remains the same as in the last reporitng period, in which the MEC signed the

Power of Attorney (PoA) in May 2016, this allows the attorneys to do the necessary notarisation against the

notarial deeds. The gazetting for final proclamation is till required to take place. However it must be noted

that all the relevant National and Provincial legislation as well as the City By-laws currently applies.

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 took place on the 11/08/2016. The

WANR PAAC meetings are fully operational with the fifth meeting which occurred on the 04/11/2016. The

sixth meeting will take place on 03/02/2017.

For the DCCP Office Complex, B Mnisi met with various vendors for a site visit in August 2016 regardin