CONDITIONS SET by the Department of Environmental Affairs will ensure that the Coega development is one of the world’s most environmentally friendly industrial zones and ports. “Right from the start, we have said that one of the selling points of Coega will be its environmental standards,” says Coega Development Corporation (CDC) ceo Pepi Silinga. He says there are two main reasons for this positioning. The first is the commitment of Coega and the government to sustainable development. Environmentally unfriendly industry is not sustainable in the long term. The second is the fact that industries investing in the zone will have a competitive advantage in the world market. The growing global consumer awareness of environmental issues means that all manufacturers have to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards. Conditions set in the Record of Decision which rezones the land in the first phase of the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) from agricultural to industrial use include: A provision that the CDC be held liable for any non-compliance in the environmental conditions by contractors. The CDC is required penalise any contractor failing to meet the standards. An environmental education programme must be compiled and implemented for all contractors and sub-contractors working on the project. HIV/AIDS awareness training must be provided to all workers on site. The CDC and National Ports Authority, in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Metropole, must plan for the influx of job seekers to the Coega Development site. Uncontrolled settlement of job seekers must be managed to avoid social disruption and environmental damage to the surrounding area. Separate environmental impact assessments must be carried out for all activities within the IDZ that could effect on the environment. The ROD adds: “Considering the significance of the environmental impacts associated with this development, undisputable proof of the economic viability and socio-economic benefits of the development must be provided to the satisfaction of all relevant authorities in order to justify the environmental costs of the development.” An Environmental Monitoring Committee (EMC) must be set up to monitor compliance with the conditions as set out in the record of decision. The CDC must appoint an independent environmental control officer, whose sole responsibility will be to ensure that the environmental management plans are implemented. The CDC must ensure that an alien invasive eradication plan is formulated and implemented. Should closure of a salt works and an abalone farm in the area be necessary, the CDC must ensure that the retrenched workers of these industries as well as the relocated communities, are retrained and receive preference during recruitment of personnel for both the IDZ and the port development. The CDC must facilitate the establishment of the necessary licensed general and hazardous waste disposal sites. The cost for the maintenance of the sites must go to the CDC. Utilisation and destruction of plant and animal species must be carefully monitored, managed and controlled to prevent destruction of protected scarce and red data listed species. In the event of possible destruction, the species must be relocated to a suitable site in co-operation with the relevant provincial department. The status of the Duthie’s golden mole and pygmy hairy-footed gerbil occurring in the dune habitats in the Coega area must be determined. Although fragmentation of habitats will occur, viable corridors must be determined with the relevant provincial environmental department and maintained between habitats to allow migration of animals. The CDC must undertake regular monitoring of the groundwater, surface water and near shore seawater in accordance with an approved monitoring strategy. In order to limit visual impact of the development on the proposed Greater Addo National Park, the CDC and ports authority must appropriately design the IDZ buildings, limit lighting and promote the use of screening vegetation. This must be planned in co-operation and to the satisfaction of the South African National Parks. The CDC must demonstrate adherence to its own environmental management policy, by obtaining ISO 14001 certification before the commencement of construction within the core development area. The full list of conditions can be obtained from the CDC web site at www.Coega.co.za Silinga says all the planning for Coega has been geared to creating a zone that exceeds the international ISO 14001 environmental standards. “Coega will set the global bench-mark for environmentally-friendly manufacturing,” he predicts.