Pre-application biodiversity screening approach

The Fynbos Forum Ecosystem Guidelines for Environmental Assessment in the Western Cape propose a generic process for pre-application biodiversity screening or sensitivity analysis that can be applied throughout South Africa.  This process uses the National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment and available systematic biodiversity plans.

Read the chapter titled “Taking a pro-active approach” (pp. 14-21 of the Fynbos Forum ecosystem guidelines) for an introduction to this process.

The Fynbos Forum process consists of six steps:

Step 1: Preparation for the site visit.
Step 2: The site visit and how biodiversity considerations should inform project planning.
Step 3: What to do if a project will not have a significant effect on biodiversity.
Step 4: What to do if significant impacts on biodiversity cannot be avoided.
Step 5: The importance of identifying opportunities to conserve biodiversity.
Step 6: How biodiversity considerations can be written into recommendations.

Fynbos Forum Ecosystem Guidelines for Environmental Assessment in the Western Cape Updated Fynbos Forum Ecosystem Guidelines can be found here.