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INTRODUCTION
The construction of Berth 208, a new additional bulk liquid berth, in the Port of Richards Bay, has been completed. This berth shares a border with the eChwebeni Natural Heritage Site (NHS), which is part of an original mangrove site that existed prior to the development of the port. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for Berth 208 identified potential impacts in respect of this site, with specific concern for the expected increased shoreline erosion due to greater ship movement. The record of decision (RoD) recommended that a solution be found to address the ongoing erosion between the existing Berth 209 (and the newly commissioned adjacent Berth 208) and Spinach Point.
The floating breakwater system (or floating pontoons) option was preferred from an environmental perspective.
As noted above, the mangroves (woody plants that grow at the interface between land and sea in sheltered and lagoon waters at tropical and sub-tropical latitudes) in the natural heritage site represent part of an original mangrove stand which existed prior to the development of the port. The area is thus particularly worthy of conservation, and its designation by Transnet SOC Limited, under authority of the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), underscores the conservation significance of the site.
Three species of mangrove trees occur in the NHS, namely the white mangrove Avicennia marina), the black mangrove (Briguiera gymnorhiza) and the red mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata). The eChwebeni NHS is one of the few areas in the country where all three species co-exist.
eCHWEBENI NATURAL HERITAGE SITESHOREUNEEROSION
The study identified two major impacts, namely...