Cover your Ears : Orange Basin Seismic Surveys EMP released for Comment

SLR Consulting has released the Draft Environmental Management Plan for the Proposed 2D Speculative Seismic Survey off the West Coast of South Africa. The commenting period is between 4 August – 6 September 2021. This is also an opportunity to register as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP), whereby you will receive notifications and updates on this process going forward from SLR Consulting.

Apart from the West coast having the highest densities of cetaceans in South Africa, this application has a disturbing disregard for Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBA), Ecological Support Areas (ESA), Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) and Marine Protected Areas (MPA). This is evident in the two maps below of the proposed seismic survey area, which are directly over some of South Africa’s most significant marine areas of conservation importance which are essential for ecological integrity. Effectively, seismic surveys cannot be undertaken within Protected Area Boundaries but other than common sense and a sense of responsibility to the environment, there are no legal tools to protect the other areas (CBA’s, ESA’s and EBSA’s) from being subjected reconnaissance or exploration.

According to SLR Consulting, members of the public are being given the opportunity to register as an interested and/or affected party (I&AP) and to comment on the draft version of the EMP.

The draft EMP has been distributed for a 30-day review and comment period from 04 August to 06 September 2021. The full report is available for download from:
• the SLR website (https://slrconsulting.com/public-documents/spectrum-west-coast); and
• on a data free website (https://slrpublicdocs.datafree.co/public-documents/spectrum-west-coast), which is
accessible from an internet-capable mobile phone without data charges.

Queries and comments can be directed to SLR via their website, phone or via WhatsApp.

SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd
Attention: Eloise Costandius
PO Box 798, Rondebosch, 7701
5th Floor Letterstedt House, Newlands on Main Building, Newlands, 7700
Tel: (021) 461 1118 or WhatsApp / SMS: 063 900 5536
Email: ecostandius@slrconsulting.com