Blouvlei
An environmental monitoring committee was established in 1996 to oversee the implementation of the EMP. It is called the Blouvlei Intaka Island Environmental Committee and has continued to meet every one to two months since 1996. It includes representatives of the Century City Property Owners Association (CCPOA), Western Cape Nature Conservation Board, City of Cape Town local authority, Friends of Rietvlei, specialist botanical and ornithological consultants, and is chaired and coordinated by Paul Lochner (CSIR). The key person responsible for implementing the EMP is the Environmental Manager of the CCPOA, who is currently Louise de Roubaix.
Mandate and areas of influence of the Blouvlei Environmental Committee
The requirement for the formation of this committee was specified in a letter dated 24 July 1996 from the Western Cape Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning as part of the conditions of approval of the General Site Development Plan for Century City. This committee was originally called the Blouvlei Environmental Committee (BEC), named after the pan called “Blouvlei” that occurred on the site prior to development. This committee is referred to as the Blouvlei / Intaka Island Environmental Committee (BIIEC)
The first meeting of the BEC was held on 16th July 1996, and included representatives of the local authority, Cape Nature Conservation (then part of provincial government), environmental NGOs, local ratepayers associations, CSIR’s environmental specialists, and the developer, together with their engineering and planning consultants.
At the July 1996 meeting, the following Terms of Reference were proposed for the committee:
- Provide guidance on environmental matters
- Achieve consensus on a workable environmental management plan
- Review design options
- Develop a monitoring programme
- Negotiate controls
- Undertake field observations
- Identify environmental problems timeously
- Create public awareness.
The boundary and scope of the BIIEC’s input was stated as applying to the area specified by Province for the multi-purpose wetlands, i.e. the 16 hectare nature area, with the note that it would be beneficial to examine other environmental issues outside this area when required. The mandate and areas of influence of the BIIEC are presented in Table 1.1.
It is the CCPOA’s responsibility to implement this EMP and to take into consideration the advice of the BIIEC.
Areas of responsibility
Implications
Areas where BIIEC has direct influence:
- 16 ha nature area (all aspects, i.e. water, fauna, flora, human usage)
- Canal edges and banks on the Intaka Island side of the perimeter canal.
In these areas, the POA must consider the advice of the BIIEC.
Areas where BIIEC can express an opinion:
- Canals linking water bodies at Century City to the 16ha nature area.
- Canals edges/banks outside of 16 ha area (up to 1m from edge), in order to avoid undesirable plants being introduced that could impact on 16ha area and to promote designs that enhance water quality (e.g. use of soft edges).
- Detention pond – this is included because of close link between bird usage at Intaka and the detention pond. The detention pond is a valuable bird habitat at Century City. Note that there is no direct link in terms of water flow and water quality. BIIEC to also have influence in terms of plants and water quality.
POA should consider the advice of the BIIEC in these areas.
The Blouvlei Intaka Island Environmental Committee (BIIEC) has met regularly on a monthly or two monthly basis since July 1996. It is chaired and coordinated by Paul Lochner (CSIR) since October 1996, and includes involvement of scientific specialists to assist in the monitoring and recommendations (refer to Table 1.2). The key person responsible for implementing the EMP is the Environmental Manager of the CCPOA (i.e. Louise de Roubaix).
This updated Operational Phase EMP was prepared using inputs from the members of the Blouvlei Environmental Committee from the BIIEC meetings held during 2019, as well as via monitoring reports and notes from previous meetings. The section on predator prey relationships drew on wider inputs from experts from UCT, City of Cape Town nature reserves, Cape Nature and private consultants.
Members of the Blouvlei / Intaka Island Environmental Committee
The composition of the committee was proposed to be limited to approximately 6 to 8 members, in order to work effectively. This core membership must include representatives of the following:
- Developer (represented by the Century City POA)
- Local authority (City of Cape Town)
- Cape Nature (the representative receives notes of meetings and attends when possible)
- Environmental NGOs (Friends of Rietvlei identified by NGOs to represent their interests)
- Local community (i.e. ratepayers, who subsequently withdrew from such involvement
The core members of the BIIEC, and their affiliations and roles are summarized below:
Person
Affiliation
Role
Paul Lochner
Chairperson of the BIIEC, CSIR
Chairperson of BIIEC and lead author of EMP
Chris Blackshaw
CCPOA – CEO
Overall accountability for the implementation of the EMP
Louise de Roubaix
CCPOA – Division Head: Environmental, Horticulture and Sporting Codes
Lead person responsible for implementation of the EMP
Gordon Ralph
CCPOA – Division Head: Infrastructure & Facilities Manager
Water quality specialist and oversees water monitoring at Century City
Verinique Anyster
CCPOA – Intaka Eco Centre Manager
Plan and oversee the environmental education program at the Eco Centre
Banothile Khuboni
CCPOA – Intaka Nature Conservation Officer
Plan and oversee the nature conservation programs on the Intaka Island Nature Reserve
Dr Tony Williams
Specialist / Consultant – Ornithologist (African Insights)
Bird specialist and conducts annual bird monitoring reports
Dr Stuart Hall
Specialist / Consultant – Botanical & Restoration
Botanical specialist and conducts annual plant monitoring survey
Dr Liz Day
Specialist / Consultant – River and Wetland consultant
Independent ecological input into interpretation of water quality data and input into general aquatic ecosystem condition and management issues
Margaret Maciver
Friends of Rietvlei
Bird monitoring and assists with training guides
Pat Titmuss
Friends of Rietvlei
Input on behalf of Friends of Rietvlei and link with other local nature areas
Sonja Warnich-Stemmet
City of Cape Town – Head: Environmental and Heritage Management Branch-North
Review and input on behalf of City of Cape Town and link with other local nature areas
Katy Spalding
City of Cape Town – Environmental Professional: Environmental & Heritage Management Branch
Review and input on behalf of City of Cape Town and link with other local nature areas
Various scientists and reserve managers contribute
Cape Nature
Provide environmental advice on behalf of Cape Nature, depending on the needs.