Eskom and Endangered Wildlife Trust strategic partnership
A strategic partnership between Eskom and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) was established in 1996 to manage wildlife interactions. Eskom infrastructure was often hampered by inadequate understanding of the causes and effects of the interactions, little integration and coordination of initiatives, duplication of efforts, and the application of ineffective solutions. The partnership was launched to address these shortcomings. The concept was, certainly at the time, a novel one - the EWT, a civil society organisation committed to the conservation of endangered species, partnering with the biggest utility in Africa.
Number of reported bird mortalities per calendar year since the inception of the central incident register (data for 2008 consists of only three months)
Since 2004, the number of reported mortalities has shown a steady decline each year. Our research indicates that while our efforts are resulting in a decline in mortalities, this may, however, be impacted by other factors, such as reporter apathy.
During 2007, Chris van Rooyen left the EWT after managing the partnership for 11 years. Chris left the partnership on an extremely stable footing and was thanked for his invaluable contribution. Jon Smallie was then appointed as manager of the partnership. The partnership is still very strong, and aims to educate stakeholders and integrate efforts to develop, test, and implement devices aimed at reducing bird fatalities due to electrocutions and collisions with electrical infrastructure.
Through the partnership, Eskom can ensure that power is supplied without significantly impacting on wildlife, while the EWT fulfils its goal of promoting the conservation of Southern Africa’s biodiversity.
The Braamhoek partnership
A partnership was established between Eskom, BirdLife South Africa, and the Middelpunt Wetland Trust to rehabilitate and conserve a sensitive wetland and associated biodiversity next to the site where the new Ingula pumped-storage scheme is being built in the Drakensberg.
The partnership was formed to focus on environmental conservation before, during, and after construction of the Ingula pumped-storage scheme, with specific attention to the rehabilitation of the wetlands and the conservation of the white-winged flufftail, a critically endangered bird species that resides there.
Ekangala grassland project
The Ekangala grassland project aims to conserve a million hectares of high-altitude grassland that transcends Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State provinces. It is an important water catchment area for Eskom, and is home to more than 100 plant, 12 bird, six mammal, and two butterfly species unique to the area. The grass mantle covering these high-altitude areas serves as a crucial water catchment. The basal cover and numerous wetlands associated with the grasslands capture rainfall, filter it, and release it gradually, thus ensuring a sustained supply of high-quality water into the rivers.
Eskom/WESSA partnership
For the past 12 years, Eskom and the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (WESSA) have been conducting environmental education under the auspices of the Eskom Energy and Sustainability Programme. In its early years, the programme was run as a national environmental education competition. Since 2002, however, the partnership has managed a support programme for environmental active learning, which encourages school children to learn about, and work on, environmental sustainability issues within their local context.
Most of the projects focused on energy-related matters, with an even distribution of energy-efficiency projects and renewable energy projects. In addition, some sustainability projects focused on ecological footprints, water, and community social issues. Other projects looked at recycling, community service provision, and energy policy development at schools.
The Energy and Sustainability Programme is proud of the standard of the projects, some of which were entered for the eta Young Designers Award, an independent national competition sponsored by Eskom and endorsed by the Department of Minerals and Energy.
From a field of over 800 project submissions, the project "Young people against climate change” – a project under the “Eskom Energy and Sustainability Programme" - was selected as one of three nominees for the Energy Globe World Award in the category “Youth”.
Waste
As a generator, transmitter and distributor of electricity, our
significant waste streams are ash (a by-product of the coal
burned), oils and asbestos-containing materials. Management
practices are in place to report on various waste streams, ranging
from domestic waste, garden refuse, building rubble, metals and
fluorescent tubes to health care waste. Metals, paper and printer
cartridges are recycled where feasible. |
