Off-road Vehicle Use in the Coastal Zone: Using GIS to Provide Decision Support to Managers

L. Celliers (1), T. Moffett (2), B.Q. Mann (1), P. Pradervand (1), N. James (1)

(1) Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban (ZA)
(2) Coastal Management Unit, Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Pietermaritzburg (ZA)

In January 2002, the Minister of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of the South African government promulgated new regulations controlling the use of off-road vehicles in the coastal zone of South Africa. The new regulations provided for a general prohibition on the recreational use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) in the coastal zone as well as providing procedure for approving the use of vehicles in the coastal zone under specific circumstances. The regulations now specify that recreational use of ORVs can only take place in designated recreational use areas (RUAs). Implementation of the regulations has been delegated to the provincial government and specifically the Coastal Management Unit of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs of the province of KwaZulu-Natal. This paper described the process of developing a cohesive strategy for the siting of RUAs in the coastal zone of KwaZulu-Natal and providing scientific decision support to managers based on the strategy. This strategy was also developed to avoid ad hoc application for areas that might be unsuitable (environmentally or socially) for ORV use. Baseline data were gathered on historical and current beach use, as well as other information relevant to the designation of RUAs in the coastal zone of KwaZulu-Natal. Data were visualised and interpreted using a geographic information system. The expected outcome from the information gathering and interpretation was the identification of RUAs that are scientifically and socially justifiable in terms of size, location and usage. Potential RUAs were visualised using seven principles with spatially definable boundaries that disqualified beaches not suitable for ORV use. The seven principles were sufficiently generic to be applied to the other three coastal provinces of South Africa and probably further afield. The potential RUAs cannot be designated automatically but will need to be further scrutinised by an environmental impact assessment, which will require each application for a RUA to justify sustainability according to a number of other considerations. Strategy development was the product of a consortium of stakeholders, which included government, NGOs, parastatals and various beach user groups.