Coal Mining

The Mpumalanga highveld, part of the grassland biome, currently produces the majority of South Africa’s coal, and has been doing so for over a century. Coal is mined through open-cast or underground methods, depending on the depth of the coal seam. South Africa’s electricity is primarily derived from coal and is one of the cheapest sources of electricity in the world. Additionally, coal is also a significant earner of foreign exchange based on the export of high grade coal.  

Coal mining has a deleterious impact on biodiversity and impairs the production and delivery of ecosystem services. Wetlands, often mined first, are either destroyed  or severely impacted, the result being a decrease or elimination of the services they provide - water purification, flood attenuation, erosion control and water storage. Yet demand for coal is increasing due to the demand for cheap energy. This is causing the expansion of coal mining at a rapid rate across the grasslands leading to even more pressure on flora, fauna and ecosystems services.

The challenge for biodiversity and ecosystem management is to limit and manage the impact of coal mining on the grasslands and wetlands. This will be achieved by ensuring that the relevant and current biodiversity and ecosystem information is used by mining companies, the authorities, including the Department of Mineral Resources, the Department of Water Affairs and the Department of Environmental Affairs, and other entities concerned with the planning, authorisation and management of coal mines.

The coal mining component of the Grasslands Programme, seeks to provide solutions to these issues by assisting the mining companies and regulatory authorities to plan new coal mines using current research and knowledge.