Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa

• Ground water pollution 
• Mining
• Surface water pollution
• Water (rain/water table)
• Climate change and severe weather events
• Acid mine drainage 
• Integrated Management plan to be finalized
• Interpretative and visitation facilities in case of concern re. additional material requested

On 2 December 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/915/documents/, which informs of the following progress:

• Continued monitoring of the Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Environs (FHSSSKE) component of the property is in place, following the Vulnerable Fossil Site Risk Prevention Strategy, submitted to the Committee in 2018. A process to develop similar risk prevention strategies for other components of the property has commenced;
• The Integrated Management Plan for the property will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review after ongoing consultations have been completed;
• No new mining licenses or other mineral extractive activities are presently planned;
• Water quality targets have been gazetted and are appended to the State Party report;
• The State Party has not made further progress on developing the requested Long-Term Solution (LTS) for the Western Basin Treatment Works, which has been provisionally deferred due to concerns over financial risks. The requested Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has not yet been commissioned. Meanwhile, the Short-Term Solution (STS) has been extended for three years from October 2020 and alternative technical and institution arrangements are being explored to further enhance it. A report on the efficacy of the STS will be completed by March 2021;
• Extensive ground and surface water quality monitoring results have been provided for the FHSSSKE component, noting that there are no fossil depots in direct contact with or in very close proximity to ground water or surface water. The southwestern portion has seen increases in sulphate and other mineral levels linked to mine water impacts and possibly due to sediment movement during heavy rainfall. Severe bacteriological contamination of the Bloubank Spruit (stream) continues, attributed to waste water treatment works. Inter-departmental discussions are ongoing to address the problem;
• The State Party is planning to redevelop extant structures at the Taung Skull Fossil site, including a Museum for Palaeontological and Archaeological These proposals were approved after being assessed through a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) and based on an approved Heritage Management Plan (HMP);
• Works planned at the Makapan Valley component include: stabilization of cave walls; construction of an office block, staff accommodation, store room, environmental education centre and museum; entrance gate upgrade; and road construction and infrastructure upgrades.

The efforts made by the State Party towards the conservation of the property are to be commended and encouraged, in particular as regards the continued monitoring of the FHSSSKE component and the process initiated to develop similar risk prevention strategies for other components, the gazette of water quality targets and the extensive ground and surface water quality monitoring results provided for the FHSSSKE component.

Analysis presented in the State Party report indicates that the Acid Mine Discharge (AMD) ‘slug’, spilled into the groundwater system in 2014, is slowly passing through the aquifer system. The STS has seemingly been effective in avoiding any further discharge to date. While it is unfortunate that no progress has been made on developing the LTS as permanent solution to counter the threat of future AMD groundwater contamination, extension of the STS for the interim is deemed sufficient, but only if its capacity is augmented to accommodate high volumes during wet summer rainfall periods. Developing an appropriate LTS, and continuing monitoring and evaluation of both ground and surface water quality and levels, remains of paramount importance. Despite the previously-reported agreement between the site management and the local authority to reduce the high level of bacteriological contamination in the surface and ground water, this remains a problem. The independent water quality monitoring report appended to the State Party’s report indicates that in limited instances measurements from monitoring stations are not regularly updated.

Completion of the Integrated Management Plan and Risk Prevention Strategies for the Taung Skull Fossil site and Makapan Valley components of the property also remains vital. No timelines have been presented for the completion of these Risk Prevention Strategies. All Risk Prevention Strategies, like water level and quality monitoring protocols, need to be embedded in the Integrated Management Plan.

The Committee may wish to reiterate its previous requests on the above matters.

The planned visitors’ facilities and infrastructure upgrades indicate the State Party’s commitment to developing the educational potential of the property. These proposals have been approved by the State Party after being tested through HIA and VIA and based on an approved Heritage Management Plan (HMP). The State Party should submit the assessments and the HMP, for both the Taung Skull Fossil site and the Makapan Valley components, to the World Heritage Centre for review before implementing these projects.