Marine scientists have discovered that underwater noise has an impact and adversly affects whales almost 200km away. In light of the news filtering in of prospecting rights been given for possible mining off the sensitive Zululand coast, this is something that should be strongly considered while debating the impact on our environment. Given that this is a major migratory route for whales, it should be of particular concern to eveyone.

Marine biologists working in Massachusetts waters noticed that humpback whales sang less during the fall of 2006, when a low frequency signal showed up in their recordings.

Previous research suggests that nearby underwater noise from ships, airguns, underwater explosions and sonar may cause hearing damage and changes in feeding, mating and communication among marine mammals. But this is the first time whales have been reported reacting to man-made sounds from so far away.

According to Christopher Clark, director of Bioacoustics Research Program at Cornell University :  “Whales are extremely social creatures with a remarkable ability to play with sounds. When a male humpback starts to sing, it may keep going for weeks at a time.”

Read the full story at Wired Science and find out about prospecting rights off the  Zululand coast.

Have a look GreenLifeStore, a great online store promoting eco friendly and sustainable products, from eco disposable packaging to green toys. Based in Cape Town, they are proving to be innovative and trendsetting at the same time, and have the following to say:

Environment is an important area of concern for every person…every industry, every occasion, every celebration and every venture today has to essentially address the environmental issues that fall in its purview and scope of operation.

Going green and efforts towards maintaining and preserving the flora and fauna of the earth are an indispensable part of every corporate social responsibility initiative.

This week saw a win for the Karoo Action Group in their fight to prevent fracking in the Karoo regioin. We pick up this story published in the Business Day with their permission:

“A PRETORIA judge yesterday ordered Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu to supply anti-fracking lobby group Treasure the Karoo Action Group with an affidavit stating why the Department of Mineral Resources did not want to reveal details about a task team investigating the gas-extraction technique.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, would be used to extract gas from SA’s large untapped shale gas resources, the world’s fifth-largest — estimated by the International Energy Agency at 485-trillion cubic feet — under the ecologically sensitive Karoo.

The reserves became the subject of intense debate last year after it was revealed that petrochemical companies were keen to exploit them, in what is a global growth industry.

“We are greatly encouraged by our achievement,” Treasure the Karoo chairman Jonathan Deal said yesterday.

Ms Shabangu has placed a moratorium on shale gas prospecting, due to last at least until the end of next month, in part to give the task force time to investigate fracking.

SA’s resource plan for electricity has proposed that gas contribute up to 6% of SA’s total electricity mix.

Treasure the Karoo’s lawyer, Luke Havemann, said costs were awarded against Ms Shabangu and her department.

The hearing, before Judge Ben du Plessis, took place in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act application rules.

The group wants, among other things, access to the terms of reference relating to research to be conducted by a task team Ms Shabangu established to investigate fracking, and the identities of those on the “working group” assisting the task team.

The team consists of the directors-general of the departments of mineral resources, science and technology, and trade and industry, and the CEO of the Petroleum Agency of SA, but no representatives of the departments of water affairs, environmental affairs or agriculture.

Department of Mineral Resources spokeswoman Zingaphi Jakuja said: “It is confirmed that the court application by Treasure the Karoo Action Group … was postponed until month-end to allow the department to file its opposing affidavit.”

Treasure the Karoo also wants to know the qualifications of those on the working group, the entities they represent, and to see all correspondence relating to the working group and the task team.

Further court applications would be made if the information received was unsatisfactory, or if the information was not received, Mr Havemann said.”

blaines@bdfm.co.za

via BusinessDay – Court rules in favour of Karoo anti-fracking group.

Zululanders are slowly waking up to the news of the possibility of the equivalent of an open cast mine off the coast that could have dire consequences to the marine ecology of the entire north coast, stretching into Mozambique.

We pick up on this article by Tony Carnie, environment writer for The Mercury:

THE FUTURE of the marine ecology of the entire northern KwaZulu-Natal coast could be placed in jeopardy by plans to scour the sea for heavy minerals and gemstones, say critics of the proposed venture.

The latest Zululand application for mine prospecting, for the mouth of the Tugela River, has triggered alarm bells about the safety of a rich fish and prawn nursery ground.

The application has raised fears that the discovery of mineral deposits could lead to huge undersea trenches and opencast mining operations, disrupting a unique, complex sea food chain linked to the marine ecology of the entire northern KZN coast.

The application to prospect in a block almost 50km long and 22km wide has been lodged by Fast Pace Trade and Invest 58 (Pty) Ltd.

According to geologist Ian Basson from the Western Cape, he and University of KwaZulu-Natal geology lecturer Ron Uken, Durban geologist Damian Smith and black empowerment mining services group Siyakhula Sonke Corporation are shareholders, with 25 percent each.

Siyakhula’s chief executive is former Anglo Platinum transformation head Fred Arendse and the business development director is Champ Tekiso, a former assistant manager at PwC. Siyakhula also has interests in Redpath Mining and Sekgwa Mining Services.

Apart from gems such as garnet, the company is looking for heavy minerals such as rutile, ilmenite, zircon and iron ore, which are also mined nearby by Richards Bay Minerals and Exxaro.

If mining went ahead, it would be the first underwater mining venture for heavy minerals off the South African coast, although similar mining is done off the Australian and South American coasts.

The company does not have any record or experience in offshore mining, although some of its members have done extensive geological research and prospecting work for companies such as Richards Bay Minerals. They have also been involved in exploration or research at the Rossing uranium mine in Namibia, and gold and diamond mining in Tanzania and Botswana.

The application is restricted to prospecting rather than mining, but if large quantities of heavy minerals or gemstones were found, this could trigger a major controversy about the short-term benefits of mining as opposed to the long-term health and productivity of a nationally important marine environment.

Rudy van der Elst, director of the Oceanographic Research Institute in Durban, said the prospect of undersea mining on the Tugela Banks was of “major concern”.

“It’s not just the valuable prawn and fish nursery. If mining went ahead, it could affect the marine ecology of the entire North Coast.”

Environmental consultants acting for Fast Pace advertised the application two weeks ago and want written feedback before Thursday.

Van der Elst said the institute had asked for the company’s environmental management plan, but had not seen it yet.

“We have indicated that the notice period is too short. You can’t have such a tight schedule, particularly when we have not been provided with adequate information to comment properly.”

Van der Elst said he was unaware of similar ventures off South Africa.

Depending on the methods, mining could stir up clouds of sand and sediments that could have serious effects on the marine environment.

Bianca McKelvey, conservation manager of the Wildlife and Environment Society, noted that the Tugela was among the country’s biggest rivers and deposited vast quantities of sand, sediment and food nutrients into the sea.

The muddy environment was an ideal nursery for prawns and other creatures.

“Research shows that it is also a nursery for a larger group of species which go all the way up to Mozambique and beyond.

“In a worst-case scenario you could end up with trenches and an opencast mine underwater… the removal of large volumes of sand could… wipe out prawn fishing.”

Basson, also principal director of Tect Geological Consulting in Somerset West, said these fears were “premature and alarmist”.

He said only 3 percent of prospected areas were eventually mined globally.

Prospecting would involve desktop studies and the collection of sediment samples and low-energy seismic tests. Mining would be “largely benign”.

“It is pretty much what RBM and Exxaro are doing on shore. It is not as if there are coral reefs. It is basically an underwater dune field.

Asked if Fast Pace was acting or planning to act for a large mining company, Basson said: “We have not really thought that far ahead.”

A Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission data search suggests that Basson and Smith are the only two directors of the company.

via KZN coast mining fears – The Mercury | IOL.co.za.

tony.carnie@inl.co.za

Happy New Year!

Some lucky sods might still be on leave, and if you are we hope you are making the most of this excellent Zululand weather. The rest of us are back to the grind-stone and looking forward to an exciting 2012 ahead of us.

In this issue we touch again on some important road safety tips provided to us by Hi-Q Empangeni, as well as some more tips on how to pimp your ride on a budget. Remember you can read more on our site www.northcoastwheels.co.za.

This past year was a rather tumultuous one too, not least of which saw us taking leave of the visionary Steve Jobs of Apple fame, who passed away late last year. An inspirational man, he once said in a speech to a group of graduates “stay hungry, stay foolish…I have always wished that for myself, and I wish that for you”.

While we are sure to see more challenges in the year ahead, with a list of never ending global and local issues, let us all stay a little hungry and a little foolish, and perhaps we can pull through from all our issues a little stronger and all the better for it.

From the team at North Coast Wheels we would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and prosperous new year.

Happy New Year!

The decision by Sasol not to persue hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the Karoo has been a welcome one in the fight against this dirty and unsafe practice.

This is a continuing and pressing problem of international importance. It has the potential of  jeopardizing our waterways,  as part of the process includes injecting toxic chemicals into shale to extract natural gas trapped deep within the ground. This process is now being challenged around the world.

The Treasure Karoo Action Group defines fracking as follows:

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the controversial technology used for the extraction of unconventional gas, such as shale gas. The technique involves a vertical well that is drilled to a depth of between 2000 m and 6000 m, after which the drilling bore turns to drill horizontally for a few thousand meters. A mixture of 99%-99.5% water and sand, along with 0.5% – 1% chemicals are pumped under high pressure into the well. This process fractures the shale rock layer, releasing the gas trapped between rock particles.

This sounds reasonable enough, especially considering our insatiable appetite for energy to sustain our modern consumer driven lifestyles. Lets pause though for a minute and consider the following facts:

• 1 well uses 20 million litres of water (in the Karoo?)
• mixed with millions of litres of chemicals
• 1 well requires 2500 trucks
• there are 32 wells on a pad
• there are 10 pads in a development site
• there will be many sites in South Africa
• 52% of Karoo viable for fracking
• this is 20& of South Africa

If we consider the facts above, then it is a sobering thought that we are even considering this. Each well will have thousands of litres of chemicals pumped in, risking ground and surface water contamination, as well as  increased CO2 in the atmosphere from the further use of fossil fuel gasses.

France has outright banned this as far too unsafe for their environment and people. There have been minor earthquakes or tremmors in the United Kingdom that have been atrributed to this practice and resulting in a moratorium on fracking. Ireland and Australia have also imposed a moratorium on fracking, and there is growing aversion in America where a number of cities have banned it.

In South Africa, the moratorium imposed by government expires in February 2012. While it is a victory that Sasol have shelved their plans, this does not mean other companies will not be vying for the rights. In the meantime, applications have been accepted by government for prospecting in the Karoo, Drakensberg, West Coast and other areas.

For more detailed information visit the Treasure Karoo Action Group and add your voice.

To see who is proudly zululand in the 8th edition of So Much to Do, Zululand Visit Here

The heart of the Zulu nation is full of surprise and wonder, with large areas of untamed and pristine wilderness. As we head north from Durban and past Richards Bay we eagerly look forward to our encounters with all five of Africa’s big game in the northern regions.

Here we can try and picture in our minds what it was like in a land before. The first game reserve we reach is also the oldest, and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi can best be described as follows:

“Set in the heart of Zululand, the oldest game reserve in Africa where Zulu kings such as Dingiswayo and Shaka hunted and put in place the first conservation laws, where today the “big five” of African legend stalk the verdant savannah. Established in 1895, game viewing is the prime attraction.” Sourrce: Ezemvelo Wildlife

Heading further up the coast we discover Lake St Lucia and the Eastern Shores, making up the largest estuarine system in Africa. Declared a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, the preservation of this magnificent area is secured for future generations.

Of vital international importance, this Wetland is habitat to migrating birds such as the waders that breed in northern Eurasia, migrating here to escape the northern hemisphere winters. The area is also a safe haven to duck and other water birds, providing shelter from severe droughts elsewhere. From here these birds will then migrate back north to restock other wetlands in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

It is here we can dive into the warm sub-tropical waters of the great Indian Ocean, and discover the underwater world of coral reefs, a teaming world of bright colours and fascinating creatures. Futher up the coast, Sodwana Bay is one of Southern Africa’s premier dive sites and has an extensive community offering adventure and leisure activities.

All along the coast we find pristine sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and extensive reed and papyrus wetlands. This has resulted in a natural habitat and diversity hotspot, with more than 600 bird species being recorded by Bird Life SA. They have managed the Zululand Birding Route for over a decade now, and have created one of the region’s top routes.

Heading inland we link up with the Heritage Route, the R66 from Pongola to Gingindlovu, following one of the oldest trade routes through Zululand.

The Pongola Biosphere Reserve was first proclaimed   a conservation reserve in 1894 by Paul Kruger and is one of the top eco-destination in South Africa. Tiger fishing is one of the highlights on the Pongolapoort dam.

Along the route, visit cultural villages and heritage attractions, such as KwaBuluwayo, Shakaland and Stewarts Farm, all within a stones throw from the iconic Mandawe Cross. Other attractions include museums, battlefield sites and monuments.

The biodiverse Ongoye Forest, lushly wooded  and teaming with birdlife is a must see, or perhaps take a walk on the Dlinza Forest Boardwalk. accessible of Zululand’s