The dramatic increase in the use of regular and recreational vehicles in South Africa over the past decade and the damage they are capable of doing to the natural environment has not gone unnoticed. Here’s why.

Vehicles have a major impact on the environment, both directly and indirectly, and especially in so-called sensitive areas.

Some of the direct and indirect effects of vehicles on the natural environment include the following:

    • The soil is disturbed, leading to faster erosion, more sedimentation in waterways and even more frequent dust storms.
    • Plants and their root systems are physically damages, especially by off-road vehicles.
    • The seeds of weeds are spread, which can damage or overrun the native plant life.
    • Noise pollution caused by car and portable radios and the engines of motorboats and motor vehicles can be extremely alarming to animals.
    • Vehicle emissions can be deposited on soil and surface waters where they enter the food chain and affect the reproductive, respiratory, immune and neurological systems of animals.
    • Vehicle fluids, for example motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, air-conditioning refrigerants, etc., are toxic to humans and animals and can pollute waterways if they leak from a vehicle. They are often carried off in the water run-off from road surfaces.
    • Species diversity of nearly all plants and animals decline where roads are built to accommodate vehicles and human traffic.
    • Roads can act as barriers or filters to animal movement and lead to habitat fragmentation. Many species will not cross the open space created by a road. This barrier effect can prevent species from migrating and re-colonising areas where the species has gone locally extinct. The barrier also restricts access to seasonally available or widely scattered resources.
    • When vehicles approach too close to animals in nature reserves and especially when they encircle them to take photos, they often interfere with the animals’ natural activities such as searching for prey, mating and seeking cover.
    • Making trails to accommodate vehicles in protected areas obliterates ground-covering vegetation and encourages soil erosion and should be kept to a minimum.

What the law says

The dramatic increase of the use of recreational vehicles in South Africa over the last few decades prompted the ministry for the environment to place a general prohibition on the recreational use of vehicles in the coastal zone some years ago, making it illegal to drive a recreational vehicle on any beach in South Africa without the relevant permits. The non-recreational use of vehicles is permitted in just a few instances, such as in an emergency or where no other reasonable access road exists.

The Department of Environmental Affairs published guidelines that apply to the recreational use of all off-road vehicles inland in so-called sensitive areas that have been mapped by the department. The guidelines are aimed at uniform regulation of the off-road sector. They govern access to these areas, and ensure that the areas are managed and maintained in a way that prevents adverse impacts both on the areas and the local communities.

 

Sources

 

adventure.howstuffworks.com
epa.gov
Environmental impact of roads. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_roads
Impact of tourism vehicles on wildlife in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Retrieved from: https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/html/tourism/section6.html
www.4x4ineden.co.za
www.aawdc.org.za
www.arriveallive.co.za
www.environment.gov.za

 

Revised by M van Os