BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT PLAN: PICKERSGILL’S REED FROG
Title: Biodiversity Management Plan for Pickergill’s Reed Frog
Government Gazette Notice: GN 423 in GG 40883 of 20 June 2017
Commencing Date: 20 June 2017
The Minister of Environmental Affairs published a Biodiversity Management Plan for the Pickergill’s Reed Frog. The Pickersgill’s Reed Frog is a small frog known only from limited and highly fragmented coastal wetland habitat in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The species has been prioritised for conservation action due to its Red List status, endemism and ongoing deterioration in and loss of habitat. The species was recently downlisted from globally Critically Endangered to Endangered by the IUCN. Hyperolius pickersgilli is endemic to a narrow and extremely fragmented range within about 16 km of the KwaZulu-Natal coastline, where as of February 2016, it is known from approximately 24 localities. Twenty of these sites (i.e. 90%) are not officially protected and are experiencing ongoing decline in habitat quality and some even face the threat of complete elimination as a result of industrial development.
A Biodiversity Management Plan for this species is therefore warranted to formalise urgent, targeted conservation action for the species. Given that the majority of sites occur on privately or commercially-owned land, the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the management of habitat for the long-term protection of this species is crucial. Objectives and goals have been identified to reach the aim of the Biodiversity Management Plan.
So what for my operation?
It is important that those responsible for the implementation of this BMP-S recognise the need for and apply active adaptive management where necessary. If your operations can impact on the Pickergill’s Reed Frog species, special care must be taken to ensure that you adhere to legal requirements pertaining to the conservation of this species, as included in the Biodiversity Management Plan and elsewhere. Various additional requirements pertaining to planning, environmental authorisations, monitoring and reporting can be applicable. Furthermore, when conducting biodiversity specialist studies, the specialists must take note of the fact that the Pickergill’s Reed Frog is an endangered species and mitigation measures must be aligned with the contents of the Biodiversity Management Plan.
What is Shangoni’s approach?
Shangoni can assist you in identifying legal requirements pertaining to biodiversity present on your site. Furthermore, Shangoni can also facilitate an environmental impact assessment to determine whether there are any endangered or threatened species present on your site. For more information, contact Jan Nel at jan@shangoni.co.za.
