Page 20 - LandscapeSAIssue118

FEATURE

An invaded stream in the Palmiet River catchment Invasion of a water course in the Palmiet catchment, Western Cape

climate-adapted, species-rich indigenous
vegetation to single-species stands of
water-thirsty, invasive trees. This threatens
biodiversity, water security, the productive
use of land and the ecological functioning
of natural systems.

Due to the extent of invasions and the
need for their removal, IAPs are the largest
source of sustainable carbon for the
production of advanced biofuels in South
Africa, including sustainable aviation
fuel, with the caveat that their extraction
should be followed immediately by land
restoration to quickly restock the carbon
in the landscape and maximise the
greenhouse gas benefits of sustainable
aviation fuels produced from IAPs.

IAPs are currently being cleared to a limited
extent and left in the field, and this cleared
biomass poses a fire risk. Conversion to
sustainable aviation fuel would add value
and allow for large scale clearing of IAPs,
generating thousands of jobs in the small
and medium-sized enterprises sector.
Additionally, about 7000 trucking jobs A chainsaw operator felling a pine tree in the A Working for Water team member stacking cut
could be created by transporting IAP and Vyeboom wetland near the Theewaterskloof dam biomass in the Vyeboom wetland
garden waste biomass nationally.

IAP biomass availability is estimated to carbon in the landscape as swiftly as in Johannesburg. Better estimates and
be 217 million oven-dry tonnes for South possible. an understanding of garden waste
Africa as a whole. Most of this is located availability are needed, as the potential for
in KwaZulu-Natal (49.5 million tonnes), Garden waste removed from private and sustainable aviation fuel production could
the Eastern Cape (39.5 million tonnes), public green areas often takes up valuable be much higher.
Limpopo (34.6 million tonnes) and the landfill space instead of being used as
Western Cape (24.4 million tonnes). a highly sustainable, easily exploitable IAP clearing in the country is mostly
source of ligno-cellulose, at least where done through Working for Water, a part
On a national level, the most prominent its collection is centralised by municipal of the national government’s Natural
species are Acacia, Eucalyptus and Pine. waste management services. It can be co- Resource Management programme. This
IAPs are not a renewable resource and processed into sustainable aviation fuel programme was established in 1995
a given area should only be harvested with IAPs in various ways. with the goal of restoring landscapes
once, then immediately restored to start by eradicating IAPs and could initially
the carbon restocking process in order to Data on garden waste availability from provide biomass for the Fischer-Tropsch
allow IAP-based fuels any climate claims. municipalities is patchy – the WWF study processing plants.
To maximise the greenhouse gas savings estimated that 17 370 tonnes per year
of sustainable aviation fuel produced in wet weight could be sourced from The integration of existing clearing
from cleared IAPs, the clearing should the Eden Waste Management Centre programmes and SAF supply chains
ideally be followed by the rehabilitation outside Mossel Bay, and another 150 000 would kick-start sustainable aviation fuel
of indigenous vegetation to restock the tonnes per year from the Pikit Up depot development in the country. n

18 Landscape SA • Issue 118 2022