The Landmark Foundation Fundraiser for the Opposition to the Garden Route Dam Development
- By: The Landmark Foundation
- Short URL: https://archive.backabuddy.co.za/the-landmark-foundation
- Date Created: 30 September 2022
Personal message
The Western Cape Government recently approved the environmental authorization to develop the public open around the Garden Route Dam. This has happened against a wide-ranging public opposition.
The Impact Assessors and the Specialist consultants misrepresented the impacts on the environment. They embarked on process deficiencies in the submissions to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development (DEADP) Planning, despite public inputs, objections and technical experts advising them of such deficiencies. DEADP approved this development despite these objections.
It would appear that state resource was used to further private and political interests in this matter to effectively transfer the public asset (our green and open spaces) to private interests. A university, hotel, commercial and housing are planned on the edge of the Garden Route Dam. Not only will the habitat for leopards be destroyed, but that of honey badgers, other faunal and floral species, public open space and a much-loved recreational area, and grave concerns about the impact on water quality. WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER HARTEBEESPOORT DAM IN THE GARDEN ROUTE.
We must now appeal this decision, and this involves an internal appeal that usually fails as these processes are mere greenwashing. Then we must be ready for a legal appeal to the High Court and possibly beyond.
We need to raise money to pay for legal expertise. We initial aim to raise crowdfunding R100,000 to this end.
It will safeguard habitat for leopards, honey badgers, and other faunal and floral species: much valued open spaces, water quality, and resources for the people of George.
It will pay lawyers and advocates to prepare the legal documents for the internal and court appeal against the irrationality and unconstitutionality of the development permit.
The fight against stripping our ecological resources for private gain. Any funds raised in excess of the stipulated target will be applied solely to leopard conservation.
Statistics
Fundraising target
R 100 000.00Donations to date
R 0.00Landmark Foundation Trust
Landmark Foundation is a conservation Non-Governmental Organisation based in South Africa that implements practical, economical, and ecological viable land use management approaches that ensure sustainable conservation goals at a large scale. We promote evidence-led, ethics-driven tools that create effective conservation custodianship so that Southern African landscapes can effectively be conserved. Our focus areas include work on top trophic species conservation efforts, landscape conservation and rewilding, ecological restoration, ecological governance and human wildlife coexistence in production landscapes.
The NGO has become an national leader in conservation and wildlife advcacy and recently won a seminal in the Supreme Court of Appeal for the righst to freedom of expression in wildlife conservation causes. Another battle was won holding government accountable in terms of leopard conservation.
The NGO has a particular interest in leopard conservation and advocacy for wildlife.