Assessment report for rehabilitation project

Dr Irwin Juckes has commented on the Draft Basic Assessment Report for the Proposed Illiondale Wetland Rehabilitation Project.

Following the previous article published by the NEWS on August 26, the Illiondale Wetland Rehabilitation has been implemented by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) to improve the wetland functioning in the Juksei River and specifically within the Modderfontein Spruit by means of two phases.

Dr Juckes, from Edenvale RiverWatch, said the faunal study reports no evidence of mammals, reptiles or frogs.

“This under-represents the actual situation, which is far better, hence we need to address not just rehabilitating the wetland but protecting the biodiversity currently there,” said Dr Juckes.

He said with regards to mammals, records in the UCT Animal Demography MammalMap show the presence of water mongoose and greater cane rat in the wetland.

“The tracks of water mongoose may be seen on almost any suitable substrate in the river channel, their middens and signs of feeding are common, other mongoose are occasionally seen and evidence of moles is plentiful. In addition, Gerbil burrows are seen in great numbers in the section south of Cecil Awret Road, which was not in the original study area,” said Dr Juckes.

He said there are two previous faunal assessments for this area; a 2008 Isandovale Erosion Control Project and a 2009 Modderfontein Outfall Sewer Project. The latter study included rodent trapping that recorded striped mouse and other unidentified mice.

“This wetland and the surrounding area needs to be seen in the context of a corridor for biodiversity along the length of the Modderfontein river. Downstream is the 600 Ha Modderfontein Reserve, linked to this area by the river flowing through the Modderfontein Golf Course and the Modderfontein No 1 Dam with surrounding reed beds. By improving the habitat in the Illiondale Wetland, it increases the viability of biodiversity in the river corridor as a whole,” said Dr Juckes.

He said since the start of 2014, the river and wetland habitat has been subject to repeat cutting of grass and vegetation, presumably for reasons of security, fire control or general neatness. This has eliminated much of the cover for wildlife, prevents seeding of indigenous grasses that support birds and other wildlife, and promotes invasion by kikuyu.

Dr Juckes recommended that as the invader vegetation is removed in Phase 1 of the project, it should be replaced with endemic plants that offer cover for wildlife, especially grasses.

He said that an area along the river as it is now, should be clearly marked off and protected from EMM workers or contractors clearing vegetation.

He also said that the area south of Cecil Awret Road was added after much of the work was complete and needs to be incorporated into the plan.

Mr Nicus Durieux, the senior environmental consultant for the Environmental Impact Management Services (Pty) Ltd (EIMS), welcomed Dr Juckes’ comments and said his recommendations will be included in the EMP.

“His concerns are shared by the EMM and thus the objective of the rehabilitation project is to address the same issues he mentioned,” said Mr Durieux.

“The reason the wetland rehabilitation project has been commissioned by the EMM is because, as Dr Juckes also stated, it forms part of a biodiversity corridor and thus forms part of a much larger system. Therefore, improving the ecological functioning of these areas would lead to an increase in biodiversity. The EMM is systematically rehabilitating key wetland areas that can improve the function of the larger system, to promote increased biodiversity,” he said.

Mr Durieux said the area south of Cecil Awret Road does not form part of the scope of the rehabilitation project at present, but may be rehabilitated in future projects based on the EMM’s discretion.

“The delineated areas were identified through an initial wetland health assessment a few years back, and the areas that are currently being rehabilitated were identified as high priority areas. I was not involved in the initial wetland assessment, so I cannot comment on if and when the area south of Cecil Awret Road would be addressed,” he said.

Mr Themba Gadebe, the spokesperson for the EMM, said the municipality welcomes the comments from Dr Juckes, as he has constantly done over the duration of the investigations.

He said the aim of the wetland rehabilitation is to partly enhance the habitat for biodiversity, water quality cleansing and natural flood attenuation.

“A biodiversity study was aimed at assessing the latest condition of the wetland in addition to earlier studies conducted in the area. It is unlikely that the biodiversity has stayed the same with the level of degradation that the wetland has gone through over the years. Activities upstream and housing developments have been found to be responsible for the degradation of the wetland,” said Mr Gadebe.

Mr Gadebe said that with regards to the recommendations, that endemic vegetation be introduced, are welcome and will be incorporated as part of the rehabilitation measures.

“These will need to be quantified and costed so that the project can be implemented in totality. We will continue to engage with Dr Jukes on developments in the project,” he said.