Glossary

Acronyms:

CA:

Competent Authority

DEAT:

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

EA:

Environmental Assessment

EAP:

Environmental Assessment Practitioner

EIA:

Environmental Impact Assessment

EMP:

Environmental Management Plan

I&AP:

Interested and Affected Party

MEC:

Member of the Executive Council

NEMA:

National Environmental Management Act (Act No. 107 of 1998)

SASOL:

South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation (previously South African Synthetic Oil Ltd)

Descriptions:

Affected Party:

a person or organisation which will be affected – directly or indirectly – by a proposed development (e.g. villagers whose water supply may be interrupted or degraded).

Alien (invasive) species:

a species not native to the region or country, often with the potential for out-competing native species (examples would be Common (Indian) Myna Acridotheres tristis, Blue Wattle Gen sp).

Annexure:

a document attached to an application or report.

Appellant:

person making an appeal.

Appellant Authority:

the authority to which an appeal is made.

Applicant:

the person or entity that wants to undertake a listed activity and is applying for permission.

Basic Assessment:

the environmental assessment applied to activities in Listing 1 of the EIA Regulations. A simpler, less comprehensive impact assessment than Scoping.

Basic Assessment Report:

the report resulting from the Basic Assessment process and containing a description of the proposed activity, a description of the environment that may be affected, and the possible geographical, physical, biological, social, economic, and cultural impacts.

Competent Authority:

the authority which is responsible for judging and then approving or rejecting the proposed activity.

Consultant:

person or company giving professional advice and assessments, often on a specialist area. Also known as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner.

Developer:

the person or company that will (or wants to) undertake a listed activity or development.

Draft Environmental Management Plan:

information on any proposed management or mitigation measures that will be taken to address the environmental impacts that have been identified.

EIA Regulations:

the legal basis and required structure of EIA in South Africa. See Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, gazetted April 21, 2006, No. 28753—R385.

Environmental Assessment Practitioner:

person or company, independent of the developer, that manages the environmental assessment process of a proposed project on behalf of the Applicant.

Environmental Audit Report:

a report detailing the impacts and effects a development is having (or has had) upon the environment.

Environmental Impact Assessment Report:

the report resulting from the Scoping process and containing a comprehensive evaluation of environmental and social impacts of a proposed Listing 2 activity, the significance of those impacts, potential alternative actions, mitigation measures, and includes a draft Management Plan.

Environmental Authorisation:

the Competent Authority's grant or denial of permission to undertake the proposed activity. Previously referred to as the Record of Decision.

Exemption:

a permission to avoid some part or all of the EIA process.

Interested and Affected Party:

an individual or organisation with a personal or professional interest in the proposed development (e.g. a wildlife-protection organisation.) Certain individuals and groups, specified by the regulations, are automatically registered as Interested and Affected Parties. However, any individual or entity can register with the Environmental Assessment Practitioner and or Applicant to be an registered as an Interested and Affected Party.

Linear Activity:

a development running in a line across land. Usually runs across the property various different landowners. (e.g. railway, pipeline)

Listed Activity:

an activity that is registered in either Listing 1 or Listing 2 of the EIA Regulations.

Plan of Study (for EIA):

a report stating the proposed approach to the EIA — what will be included, when the authorities will be consulted, how impacts will be assessed and how public participation will be included. The Plan of Study is part of the Scoping Report.

Public Participation:

the process by which the general public are able to become involved in the EIA process, a method of raising issues that may otherwise be overlooked in the process.

Respondent:

person responding to an appeal lodged.

Scoping and EIA:

a full-scale assessment of the impacts of a development, primarily applied to those activities in Listing 2 of the EIA Regulations.

Scoping Report:

a report, prepared as part of the Scoping Process, setting forth a description of a proposed project, the environmental and other impacts, and a Plan of Study for the Environmental Impact Assessment.

Specialised Process:

a process specific to the proposed development.

Specialised Report:

a report prepared on a specific aspect of the project.