NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS
Unpacking the Environmental Management Overlay Zones in Betty’s Bay: Urban Conservation EMOZ – Part 2
The segments in each newsletter that will be unpacking the environmental management overlay zones are merely an introduction to what the reader is able to find in the regulations available to him/her on the Overstrand Municipality website. Some useful extracts are shared to inform the reader of the available information but does not replace his/her responsibility as an active citizen to read more in order to understand these important regulations.
The Urban Conservation EMOZ consists of the following categories:
Category A: Pristine Ecosystems
– Pristine ecosystems to be protected and managed as wilderness, nature reserve or special management areas with very low impact development and environmental education and appreciation activities only.
Category B: Semi-Modified Ecosystems (not applicable in the Betty’s Bay map, which is covered by other categories)
– Semi-modified ecosystems with intact biodiversity corridor function to be managed as conservation areas with low to medium impact recreational uses.
Category C: Modified Ecosystems
– Modified ecosystems with a limited biodiversity function to be managed as recreational areas with medium to high impact.
Category D: Private Property
– Private property within priority conservation-worthy ecological corridors from mountain to coast and/or across priority conservation-worthy areas identified in accordance with the Overstrand Environmental Management Framework.
– In the face of development pressure, the Municipality may, if it deems it necessary, upon receipt of a development proposal or application that does not involve any activities identified under the NEMA listing notices, require that specialist biodiversity and/ or other relevant studies be undertaken by the developer/owner in order to inform development planning and retain priority ecological corridors and habitats.
The urban conservation EMOZ section further explores Vegetation Management; Fire Management within the Urban edge; Access; Activities/Uses; Infrastructure; Encroachment; Management Agreements; and Protecting, managing and enhancing priority conservation-worthy ecological corridors from mountain to coast and / or across priority conservation-worthy areas, in accordance with the Overstrand Environmental Management Framework in the face of development pressure.’ – OVERSTRAND MUNICIPALITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OVERLAY ZONE REGULATIONS 2020 (ANNEXURE C: EMOZ)
View the Public Viewer ArcGIS for maps here: https://overstrand.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html
Liezel Bohdanowicz