The newly acquired Namakwa Sands is a heavy mineral mining operation at Brand se Baai, approximately 385km north of Cape Town along the west coast of South Africa. The area falls within the semi-arid portion of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) and is acknowledged as the most biologically rich semi-arid region in the world, known for its unique habitats and diversity of species.

Due to mining activities, the exposed to conditions:

• High wind speeds (up to 6m/sec)
• Increased soil temperature
• Reduced moisture content of the soil
• Increased salinity in the growth medium (tailings from processing plants used as backfill material).

The re-establishment of the same species under new exposed conditions is therefore extremely challenging. The process is divided into separate actions to develop and maintain a sustainable rehabilitation programme to ensure that the area’s biodiversity is restored to its fullest potential after mining:

• Data capturing: Namakwa Sands adopted a GIS database in which all historical and current rehabilitation practices are captured for future reference. This data, together with monitoring results, can be used to identify best rehabilitation practices and opportunities for continual improvement
• Monitoring: An external botanical specialist annually surveys controlled and rehabilitated areas. Monitoring results is a way of determining the success of specific rehabilitation efforts against current closure objectives
• Topsoil recovery: The removal and final placement of topsoil is closely monitored and surveyed monthly
• Wind erosion protection: Shade nets are used as windbreaks to minimise the movement of sand and protect newly established vegetation. Windbreaks are maintained for five to six years until the established vegetation can replace their function. Almost 3 000km of windbreaks have been erected to cover 2 100ha
• Harvesting: Indigenous seeds are harvested per specie from approved areas during the summer months
• Sowing: Indigenous seeds are sowed in areas where rehabilitation earthworks have been completed and stabilised with windbreaks. A total of 862kg of indigenous seeds were sowed over 500ha in 2008
• Transplantation: Young indigenous plant species are transplanted from areas to be mined to the area where rehabilitation earthworks have been completed and the areas stabilised with windbreaks
• Propagation: A nursery was established at the beginning of 2007 to propagate indigenous plant species from seeds and cuttings in a protected environment to improve the individual species survival rate.

The Namakwa Restoration Initiative (sponsored by the Critical Eco-System Partnership Fund) has approached Namakwa Sands about its propagation and transplantation programme. The NRI believes some of the outcomes can be used as examples for other mining operations along the west coast of South Africa.