Analysis of biodiversity impacts in mining environmental impact assessments before and after 2013 from Mpumalanga province, South Africa

In South Africa, the relevant authorities use environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to achieve sustainable development. Biodiversity impact assessment (BIA) studies are part of EIAs to ensure that biodiversity issues are considered. In 2013, the mining industry published the Mining and biodiversity guideline to improve the integration of biodiversity into their activities. This research analysed the inclusion of biodiversity impacts in mining EIAs before and after the publication of the guideline. A customised mining BIA report–review package was developed and used to review 46 mining BIAs produced before and after 2013. Secondary data were collected using questionnaires on the inclusion of biodiversity impacts in mining EIAs. The results showed that most BIAs failed to properly consider biodiversity issues, with an overall satisfactory score of 43% before and 57% after 2013. Areas of weakness included project description, sensitivity mapping, stakeholder consultation, consideration of alternatives, and monitoring. The extent to which biodiversity specialist inputs were included in the main mining EIA reports showed an improvement after 2013, with an overall satisfactory score of 78%, compared to the 52% before 2013. The majority of the BIAs complied with the minimum requirements for specialist studies stipulated by the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA). The analysis of the questionnaires revealed inadequacies regarding the inclusion of biodiversity impacts. These included poor consideration of indirect and cumulative impacts, failure to incorporate environmental thresholds, and use of the ecosystem approach.