Abstract
The impacts of golf courses and golf estate developments are great and definite. Proof of
this can be seen in several Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), that have been
submitted to the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Conservation (GDACE) in
terms of the Environmental Conservation Act (ECA) (1989) and the National
Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (1998). The question is how to limit these
impacts on the environment. Guidelines on how to manage and mitigate these impacts are
of fundamental importance, to ensure the conservation of the environment. These
guidelines should set principles for the management of the environment from cradle to
grave, for future golf course and golf estate developments.
The main objective of this study was to develop guidelines for Environmental
Management Plans (EMP) specifically focused on golf course developments in the
Gauteng Province. To achieve this, a comprehensive study was conducted on the factors
pertaining to the environmental process by evaluating previous EIA reports and the
associated EMP’s as well as the supporting documentation.
The EMP’s were evaluated and several shortfalls were identified. The EIA scoping
reports were then appraised and ranked accordingly. The scoping reports assess the
impacts on the environment. These impacts must be mitigated in the development
process. These impacts and mitigation measures must be documented in an EMP. Hence,
the connection between the EIA scoping reports and the EMP’s. Several inadequacies
were recognized with respect to the inclusion of all the mitigatory measures for all the
impacts as identified in the EIA scoping reports. The conclusions drawn in the
evaluations were used to develop the guidelines for EMP’s. The guidelines given here
will assist in future compilations of EMP’s for golf courses. It is highly recommended
that GDACE and environmental consultants adopt this standard in preparing and
evaluating applications.
Prof. J.T. Harmse