ECO MANAGEMENT
Every possible environmental and ecological implication
was considered when designing the Sabi River Eco Estate
and strict procedures will be adhered to before, during
and after developing the estate. Indeed, permission for
the development was conditional on an Environmental
Management Plan being submitted after the Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA). The estate meets and exceeds
all the criteria for an eco estate in South Africa, as
defined in SA Property Magazine in March 2006 being:
-
Not introducing an artificial concept onto the
landscape such as golfing, equestrian centres,
vineyards or orchards;
- Allowing no agricultural activity;
-
Being relatively inexpensive to establish, relying
mostly on nature’s own landscaping rather than
man-made ones;
-
Removing alien species and introducing endemic trees
and plants; and
-
In addition, a condition of sale will be that all
homeowners plant at least six indigenous trees on
their stand – a provision that is seen as a positive
move that will be welcomed by everyone who is
interested in owning a property on the estate.
-
All road reserves are wider than average – wide enough
for paved roads to meander through the road reserve,
and allow for trees to be planted in the meanders.
This means that there are no long straight stretches of
road but rather a gently curving, tree lined area
leading to homes. The objective behind the estate is to
return the area to the pristine, natural splendour of
the Sabi River Valley. Eco-guidelines are intended to
create harmonious living and a theme for the estate that
permeates through every aspect.
Preservation and enhancement of biodiversity of species
is a central theme to the estate, and the
re-introduction of indigenous trees and plants will see
an increase in the variety of birds, small animals,
insects and plants on the development.
