National Strategic Environmental Assessment for Aquaculture Development in South Africa Focus Group Meeting 30 th Sep - 7 th Oct 2016
Agenda for 5 national focus group meetings being held in Cape Town, Pretoria, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth TIME ACTIVITY/PRESENTATION PRESENTER 09:30 – 10:00 Arrival & registration with tea / coffee 10:00 – 10:10 Welcome and introductions DAFF Overview of Aquaculture SEA – approach, objectives, scope, key CSIR 10:10 – 10:45 outputs & stakeholder engagement Applicable legislation and permits/licenses CSIR 10:45 – 11:20 Data capture & mapping of existing aquaculture projects based on CSIR 11:20 – 12:30 national data – inputs from meeting participants 12:30 – 13:00 Lunch Findings from literature review: key challenges & impacts, siting criteria and environmental attributes to inform the national-scale CSIR 13:00 – 14:15 mapping of opportunities and constraints – inputs from meeting participants DEA 14:15 – 14:30 Way forward and closure 2
Purpose of the meeting • The purpose of this focus group meeting is to discuss & gather information on the following topics: – additional stakeholders to be included on the database for the SEA; – current provincial legislation and permits/licenses applicable to aquaculture projects; – mapping of existing aquaculture projects (especially freshwater) based on national data; – key challenges & impacts, siting criteria and environmental attributes identified that will inform the national-scale mapping of opportunities & constraints that then informs the identification of focus areas (or “zones”) for potential aquaculture development; – input on existing experience and capacity within the provinces & examples of good practice. • Prompt! Add extra inputs & comments on paper slips provided 3
Overview to the SEA • Aquaculture includes the breeding, rearing and harvesting of plants and animals in salt or fresh water. • Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world. • An additional 50 million tonnes of fish is required to feed the world population by 2030 - production will come mainly from aquaculture. • Operation Phakisa, 2014 – promotion of Oceans Economy Aquaculture is one of the priority focal areas for implementation • DEA, in collaboration with DAFF has commissioned the CSIR to conduct a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for aquaculture development in South Africa. • The overall purpose of the SEA is to promote and support the responsible growth of the aquaculture industry in South Africa. 4
Key challenges, impacts & risks • Over regulation of the sector; • Production is only focused on a few high-value species; • Scarcity of adequate freshwater and a harsh marine environment; • Difficulty in accessing project funding; • Limited pool of skills and support services; • Unpredictability associated with climate change; • Vast difference between winter and summer temperatures; • Challenges with access to sufficient land and sea space; and • Perceived competition with the tourism and conservation sectors. 5
Approach to the SEA “Focus area” scale National scale We are here! ~Dec 2017 ~ Sept 2016 ~ Feb 2017 ~ Aug 2017 6
Key objectives of the SEA • The SEA aims to achieve its purpose in two ways: • Firstly, by identifying suitable areas where environmentally sustainable aquaculture development can be prioritised and incentivised; and • Secondly, by providing a streamlined and integrated management and regulatory framework to reduce compliance complexities and improve decision-making processes. 7
Scope of the SEA • The SEA is being conducted at a national & provincial scale, including all relevant competent authorities. • The SEA will assess the identified environmental attributes , specific siting criteria and key impacts associated with both marine (salt water) and freshwater related activities of aquaculture planning, development and operations. • The assessment will consider natural (offshore, inshore and inland) and “artificial” or land-based systems operating in cold/temperate and warm waters. • Priority species that will be considered during the assessment include abalone, mussels, oysters, prawns, seaweed, tilapia, trout and marine finfish (e.g. cob and salmon). • The SEA process will also review existing legislation , including licensing/permitting and authorisational procedures currently governing marine & freshwater aquaculture on a national & provincial scale. 8
Scope of the SEA Flow-through Abalone Cages Finfish e.g. Salmon Longlines & rafts Mussels, Oysters incl. racks Marine Aquaculture Sea- or land-based Seaweed Production Systems Finfish e.g. Salmon Recirculation tanks Finfish e.g. Cob Ponds Prawns 9
Scope of the SEA Tilapia Cages, Dams, Ponds Trout Freshwater Aquaculture Recirculation tanks Tilapia Production Systems Trout/Salmon Flow-through (juveniles) 10
Key outputs of the SEA • Aquaculture development zones (ADZs) or focus areas/suitable habitats in South Africa. • Environmental compliance framework (standards) for streamlined & integrated decision-making to reduce (or limit) the need for permitting & authorisations. • Environmental screening & risk assessment for aquaculture in SA that can be continuously updated & maintained by DEA & DAFF. • Generic Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the management of aquaculture activities in South Africa. 11
Stakeholder engagement • Setup stakeholder engagement process: – Stakeholder database (comprising authorities, NGOs, research & industry); – Project Steering Committee (PSC); – Expert Reference Group (ERG). • Launched the SEA process: – Advert published in 4 national scale newspapers; – Advert/article published on CSIR, DEA & DAFF websites; – Created SEA website (http://aquasea.csir.co.za/); – Created SEA e-mail account (aquasea@csir.co.za); – Prepared and released the Background Information Document (BID). 12
Project Steering Committee • The Project Steering Committee (PSC) comprises authorities with a legislated decision-making mandate for aquaculture development in SA (incl. DEA, DAFF, DWS, DMR, DPME, DPE, DPW, DST, DTI, DRDLR, TNPA & 9 provinces) • The purpose of the PSC is: – To inform, guide and monitor the implementation of the SEA process; – To coordinate the mandates of all organs of state in an integrated manner; – To facilitate sustainable development and ensure legal compliance; and – To facilitate discussion on the outcomes of the SEA so that they may be adopted and implemented by government. 13
Expert Reference Group The ERG comprises representatives of the following: • South African Aquaculture Industry Associations • Directorates from the DEA Oceans and Coasts & DEA Environmental Programmes • DAFF Fisheries Branch • Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) • South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) • South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) • Agricultural Research Council (ARC) • Provincial representatives (e.g. from nature conservation & planning departments) • NGOs e.g. WWF South Africa, etc. • Relevant research bodies and academia. 14
Expert Reference Group • The purpose of the ERG is: – verify that the process proposed at the outset of the SEA has been implemented in a fair and unbiased manner in that suitably experienced experts have been involved in the process; – review structures have been designed and implemented in a credible manner; and – queries/comments from the public have been adequately addressed . 15
Stakeholder database Stakeholder Database Client SEA Team (DEA & DAFF) (CSIR) National Provincial Local NGOs / Industry Investors Research Agencies / Government Government Government Corporations e.g. e.g. City of Associations, e.g. ARC, 9 Provinces DWS, DMR, Cape Town Land Bank SANBI, e.g. WWF, Societies, DPME, DPE, SANParks, IDC, ECDC, DPW, DRDLR, Producers, WRC, SAIAB, Lindon, DST, DTI & Processors, Universities IDZs TNPA Suppliers, Tourism Are there any other key stakeholders to consider? 16
Overview of literature and permits Library of documentation Acts of Parliament Provincial Acts & Ordinances Authorisations, Legal Framework Licensing & Permitting Guidelines, Policies & Regulations Manuals, Integrity & Strategic Frameworks Norms & Standards Planning, Development & Environmental National Management Frameworks, Operations Spatial Development (South Africa) Frameworks, Integrated Development Plans Biodiversity Risk Assessments Aquaculture Species Feasibility Studies Research Papers E.g. AktaVIS International Experience (Norway) 17
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