Environmental Reports

Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) Environment and Tourism Department has undertaken an air quality management plan development project. Airshed Planning Professionals (Pty) Ltd was appointed to assist the metropolitan municipality in this regard.

Airshed subcontracted Environmental Science Associates and Zitholele Consulting to provide support services for the project. Zitholele is responsible for public notification of the project and for consultation with interested and affected parties.

The well known hierarchy of human needs that was developed by Maslow in the 1940s and 50s is still relevant today. Our most basic needs are inborn, having developed over tens of thousands of years.

Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied is it possible to address the higher order needs of influence and personal development that we also strive for in the development of our cities.

This document forms part of a set of biodiversity reports produced by participant cities of the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Project. It represents a critical starting point: a status quo assessment of biodiversity and its management in each LAB city.

Each biodiversity report covers four key themes*, namely:

• Ecology
• Governance
• Integration
• Participation

Each biodiversity report will be drawn upon to contribute significant and useful information for the compilation, by the LAB Project Team, of a Biodiversity Toolkit document. This document will contain best practice theory and examples, principles, strategies etc. for use by cities to better manage and integrate biodiversity into planning. The Toolkit will in turn contribute towards further steps in the LAB process.

An energy strategy supports the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of a city, via:

• Providing adequate energy for economic growth.
• Supporting poverty alleviation by promoting clean, safe and modern energy to households.
• Saving money by improving the efficiency of energy use.
• Reducing harmful effects of energy use such as pollution and global warming, by promoting cleaner, renewable energy sources.
• Promoting the use of more efficient transport, with a focus on public transport.

This document is the combination of two studies that were integrated in order to form a single EMF and represents the combination of two reports namely:

• The Environmental Management Framework of the Northern Service Delivery Region of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, December 2005; and
• the Status Quo Report of the Environmental Management Framework of the Eastern and Southern Service Delivery Regions of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, January 2006.

The development of a policy for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is a statutory mandate and responsibility placed on Local Governments to ensure a safe and healthy environment to those living and working within their area of jurisdiction.

The purpose of this policy will be:

• To spearhead sustainable development
• To improve the governance function of the municipality
• To create environmental awareness within the municipality
• To enhance a safe and healthy environment
• To direct sustainability and responsible decisionmaking

This Report has been prepared at the request of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), in preparation for the development of a Climate Change and Energy Strategy within the municipality.

The aim of the project is to provide a status report on the use of energy in EMM, which includes an assessment of the type of data available relating to energy supply and demand by energy carrier and by energy user. The project is also closely aligned to the Air Quality Management Plan, expected to be complete in March 2005.

Wetland Inventory involves mapping the extent, distribution and diversity of wetlands within an area and assessing the functions and values of those wetlands. The purpose of this wetland inventory report is to convey an objective, factual picture of the extent and location of wetlands in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM).