FEIR for Boitshepi Landfill Site .pdf - Zitholele.co.za

August 2010 558848Soweto Highveld GrasslandThe Soweto Highveld Grassland is found in the Mpumalanga and Gauteng Provinces in abroad band roughly delineated by the N17 Highway in the north, Perdekop in the southeastand the Vaal River in the south. The landscape is typical of the gently undulating Highveldplateau which supports dense tufted grassland dominated by Themeda triandra, Elionurusmuticus, Eragrostis racemosa, Heteropogon contortus and Tristachya leucothrix. Thisgrassland is only interrupted by wetlands, occasional ridges and agricultural activities.This vegetation type is endangered as almost no conservation of the vegetation type occurs.An estimated 45% of the vegetation type has already been transformed by cultivation, urbansprawl and mining.Endangered SpeciesAccording to the PRECIS database, there are six plant species of concern in the quarterdegree grid. These are listed in Table 8 below.Table 8: Endangered Plant Species.Family Species Threat Status Growth FormsAMARYLLIDACEAE Boophone disticha (L.f.) Herb. Declining Geophyte, succulentAMARYLLIDACEAECrinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Declining Geophyte, hydrophyteMilne-Redh. & Schweick.HYPOXIDACEAE Hypoxis hemerocallidea Fisch., Declining GeophyteC.A.Mey. & Avé-Lall.APOCYNACEAEStapelia paniculata Willd. subsp. Near Threatened SucculentpaniculataMESEMBRYANTHEMACEAE Lithops lesliei (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br. Near Threatened Succulentsubsp. leslieiASTERACEAE Gnaphalium nelsonii Burtt Davy Rare HerbSite DescriptionThe vegetation on site has been significantly disturbed by the waste disposal activities to thepoint where very little natural grassland remains on the site. Large sections of the wastedisposal site that are no longer operational have been covered by vegetation ranging fromindigenous grasses to alien invasive plants. Three main vegetation types could be identifiedon site, but all of them are significantly disturbed. The following vegetation types identified onsite are shown in Figure 17 below:• Urban garden;• Alien grassland; and• Barren land with scattered aliens.ZITHOLELE CONSULTING