Die Greenies....

[Frederick]

News 24...
4x4 vehicles wreaks havoc on environment

2014-04-16 09:40
Vernon Pillay

Cape Town – A new study on the environmental impacts of 4x4s suggests that the vehicles have irreversible consequences on off-road areas.

The study calls for the vehicles to be removes form off-road protected areas due to its degradation on the soil and vegetation.

Strict legal measures should be applied to regulate 4x4 use in areas where the greenery is sensitive, and specifically wetland areas should be classified as absolute no-go areas according to Dr Gerhard Nortjé a researcher in wildlife management at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Wildlife Management.

“While it may not seem that off-road driving has negative impacts on the environment, especially on the soil and vegetation, the risk of damage is real”, Nortjé told the media.

“It is not an ecologically sustainable practice and should therefore not be allowed.”

He said increased soil erosion, damage to vegetation and habitat destruction are just some of the visible negative impacts of this popular so-called “eco-tourism” activity.

Nortjé focused his research in the Makuleke Contractual Park in the Kruger National Park and argued that SANParks should reconsider its management strategies for off-road driving in protected areas altogether.

SANPark’s best practice guidelines currently recognise the potential of off-road driving to negatively impact natural resources, but do not explicitly refer to soil damage.


- News24

[Hangover]

klomp aarsholes... Hulle skuld dat mens oki mee op die strand nerens mag kom nie..

[Frederick]

Probleem bly staan dat 'n klein minderheid ouens hul nie "gedra" nie en dan word die hele 4x4 gemeenskap oor dieselfde kam geskeer.
Maar ter selfde tyd wil hulle oor 4x4 moan maar fracking in die karoo gaan voort,die hele oostelike hoeveld is een groot mynhoop. plakkerskampe bring meer besoedeling van riviere en ontwrigting van ekologie as wat die hele 4x4 gemeenskap almal op brandewyn saam kan uitrig. Ons is nogsteeds die mense wat die geld in bewaring inpomp, my vraag is, wat doen die res?

[pietpetoors]

Yes, it is terrible, I guess the damage mines and squatter camps do to the environment is not a patch compared to 4x4 vehicles.
They can mine in a sensitive area (like Richtersveld to use only one example) but please just do not let the 4x4's in, they will destroy everything.

Seems like a bit of a bias report

It is like the Atlantis thing, they say the couple of drops of oil the Landies leave behind in the dunes is a threat to the ground water, but the squatter camp close to the dunes have no negative effect on the ground water or the environment.

[Mud Dog]

Probleem bly staan dat 'n klein minderheid ouens hul nie "gedra" nie en dan word die hele 4x4 gemeenskap oor dieselfde kam geskeer.
Maar ter selfde tyd wil hulle oor 4x4 moan maar fracking in die karoo gaan voort,die hele oostelike hoeveld is een groot mynhoop. plakkerskampe bring meer besoedeling van riviere en ontwrigting van ekologie as wat die hele 4x4 gemeenskap almal op brandewyn saam kan uitrig. Ons is nogsteeds die mense wat die geld in bewaring inpomp, my vraag is, wat doen die res?

+ 1

[Donkey]

Boooma must see this study, just now we have etolls all over
Bunch of idiots.

[Gerrie]

The funny thing is - we got the e-mail about the study and in that e-mail there is a picture attached of the person whodunnit... and lo and behold - he sits, smiling with his arm sticking through the window of, you guessed it, a Land Cruiser... slightly hypocritical, I would say...

[pietpetoors]

Funny thing is I also got an email from the study and I answered them with

Ons bespreek dit juis nou op die Hilux forum en dit laat ons bleod kook.
Niemand se iets oor die inpak wat myne het in bewarings gebiede, en die vee wagters in bewarings gebied, en die impak van plakkerskampe op die omgeweing.
Kyk na die Richtersveld byvoorbeeld, die helfte van die plek verkrag die myne en die ander helfte vreet die plaaslike bevolking se bokke alles tot nie, maar dan wil almal kyk wat die 4x4 voertuie doen en wat se impak hulle op die natuur het

Ek dink 'n myn en vee in 'n nasionale park is buitendien 'n bespotting van natuurbewaring.

As ons net na die myne kyk is die impak van 4x4 voertuie 'n sandkorrel in 'n woestyn, maar dit maak 'n lekkerder storie

Groete
Pieter

And the answer I received was:

Dis waardevolle terugvoering en geldige punte ... ... maar ek dink veral in privaat wildtuine gaan die 4x4 toeristevoertuie nogal soms erg aan ...

m

So first of all , it seems like 4x4 game viewing vehicles on private nature reserves are the real culprits, in other words owners of private nature reserves enjoy destroying their own farms with game viewing vehicle ????????????????????
Secondly , like was already mentioned, a small group of people screw up and now the whole industry is portrayed as being ars3holes

[ChrisF]

at the risk of life and limb - would you allow me to play devils advocate for a second ?

Look at Bojaanskop, to mention but one private trail.

the initial trail was most probably a NECESITY for the farmer, to reach remote areas of the farm. It is VERY steep, and with low range and diff lockers one can do this with minimal damage to the trail.

when we arived there we ASKED twice if our Jimny is suited for this trail. "Ja, ons doen dit elke dag in die plaas bakkie" (forgot to mention the plaas bakkie is a Cruiser.

Once I turned UP that steep section there was NO TURNING BACK !!!!! Lesson one - Andre is RIGHT when he says WALK the obstacle first. Had I done that I would have had enough common sense to turn back.

Without a diff lock the Jimny kept on loosing traction and often started spinning causing even more damage to the cross axles. Using more moment meant I lost traction when going over the bumps, same damage to the trail and even more to the vehicles drive train.


Fact is that by December 2009 the trail was in a BAD condition !! Various 4x4's have spun out more and more cross axles. The rain straiming down the trail was not slowed down by the vegitation as this was destroyed by the 4x4's, and thus the rain caused even more erosion.

There were no signs of any trail maintenance by the farmer.


For those that are not frothing at the mouth, lets recap :

- farmer NEEDS a trail to do his farm work.
- LIMITED number of 4x4's DO help to keep the trail clear and functional
- 4x4's driven "incorrectly" DO destroy trails !!
- unless the farmer incur huge expense the trail then deteriorates to a point where the damage is permanent .....


Think for a second of your favorite trails, trails you have SEEN to "evolve" over the last 5+ years.


those where the farmer leads the drive, the trail lasts so much longer.

mostly those where the farmer takes his money and turns a blind eye the trail get torn up ......



my biggest regret to this day - in 2010 we drove the Two Oceans trail. Ahead of us was a youngster in a 4x4 bakkie - DELIBERATELY switched it to 4x2 and spun the living daylights out his tires up that last incline .... with his buddies taking pics and laughing about how he "always does this" ..... my biggest regret is not taking a 10 second video of this "person" that is spoiling it for the rest of us.




YES, the report is one sided. BUT, "we" will have to take action against those in our mids that are stuffing it up for the rest of us.

[pietpetoors]

Agree, there are isolated cases, but there is no need to burn the whole industry and put the whole industry in bad light because of a couple of isolated cases.

Oorbeweiding veroorsaak meer erosie op groter skaal. When last did you drive through Limpopo, some areas look like a desert, huge areas, not a single track here and there, but hundreds of kilometers on end.

When last did you drive up the West Coast to see how De Beers and kie destroyed hundreds of kilometers of beautiful landscapes

[4x4BEES]

It's like the police, it only takes one idiot to make the whole lot seem incompetent.

[pietpetoors]

It's like the police, it only takes one idiot to make the whole lot seem incompetent.

Stem! en motorvervaardigger agente, selfe ding. Kry die ouens wat alles reg doen jammer want hulle word ook uitgekruit as sleg.

[ChrisF]

Pieter JIP, dis daai enkele vrot appels wat die wereld MOEILIK maak vir die res .....

[Thabogrobler]

Mmmmm...soos enkele ministers wat die hele spul laat sleg lyk?

[Thabogrobler]

Soos enige probleem(veral in die regering) word die skuld op iemand geplaas - gewoonlik die party wat eintlik heel onskuldig in die hele storie is!

[george]

OK so now the rangers must walk all over the KNP.The poachers will love this.

He should go further up North.Selous, Serengeti etc. There they drive where they want atleast in the KNP you stay in existing tracks.

Maybe we should just stay out of nature or maybe if we get a license or a guide than all is well

[Haboob]

"Mmmmm...soos enkele ministers wat die hele spul laat sleg lyk?"

Is this the same as saying that, if some 4x4's leak oil, that all the rest are the same...? :evil: :evil: :evil:

[ChrisF]

Kyk toe gisteraand na die nuwe Safari4x4, met Andre in sy nuwe Amarok.


sommer die EERSTE ding wat die plaas eienaar sê - die gidse ry saam, op sy plaas ry jy nie alleen nie.

en daar is geen trail skade nie ........ laat mens dink. (maar TRAGIES dat "ons" opgepas moet word om nie die natuur op te voeter nie ..)




en soos Andre mos maar is, wys hy toe weer wat gebeur as die bande druk en momentum verkeerd is ... trek terug, blaas die bande af, regte momentum en ry makliker daai klip uit as ouma wat die Prado op PnP se sypaaidjie parkeer ....

[Johan Kriel]

Ek het n groter probleem met al die stede waar daai groenes bly, hoeveel duisende hektare is onder teer en konkreet wat die natuur totaal vernietig het, dis nie n patch teen die paar paadjies wat die of roaders gebruik nie.

[george]

Reading on the Comm site this is more to do with tour operators in the KNP.The insinuation that this about 4x4 recreational activities is not 100% true.
If it is than one should look at a bit more skeptical. Must say the timing regarding NORS/NOW is suspected to say the lease.He did his thesis on the subject and someone is trying to use it for their gain...

[ThysdJ]

And all of a sudden we are right back in 2005 when all this started..... This is what got the whole NOW ball rolling... I smell a conspiracy....

[ChrisF]

And all of a sudden we are right back in 2005 when all this started..... This is what got the whole NOW ball rolling... I smell a conspiracy....

Thys en jy weet mos wat nou gaan gebeur ....

1) beskuldig die navorser dat hy nie weet wat hy doen nie .. ten spyte van bewyse

2) en dan begin die sports weer van voor af as een of ander politikus dit sien en weer ALLE 4x4 ritte wil "beheer"

3) volgende word die "guides and trianers" uitgekryt as n klomp opportuniste ...

4) intussen staan ons en "kyk" (sal dit mos nooit self doen nie) hoe "iemand anders" n trail opspin en deur sy g@t trek ..... maar behoede die wetter wat sê ek moet opgepas word om my te gedra op n trail ....



die enigste vraag wat oorbly - hoeveelkeer gaan die wiel draai voor "big brother" aandring op gidse .....



PS - ek WENS ons kan n punt bereik waar die alle daagse 4x4 ryer sy voet neersit en vandale uitwys !! Dit is DIE vandale wat ons toekoms "opvoeter" ... AS ons dit nie self gaan doen nie, gaan ons later huil ....

[george]

PS - ek WENS ons kan n punt bereik waar die alle daagse 4x4 ryer sy voet neersit en vandale uitwys !! Dit is DIE vandale wat ons toekoms "opvoeter" ... AS ons dit nie self gaan doen nie, gaan ons later huil ....

Stem Chris.

'n Ander ding as dit die ou se bevindigs was dat enige voertuig in daai area skade doen.Nie net die onverskilliges nie , maar almal.

[george]

To be honest I think the media was looking for sensation.
His studies was not aim solely at 4x4 recreational drivers.Hooligans or not.It was direct at the tourism industry
Hear is some more reading that give a better perspective.
http://web.up.ac.za/pdfs/8641_Study%20a ... 0areas.pdf

[Johan Kriel]

Being involved in road building and have seen many EIA reports and their so called rehabilitation proposals, most of them haven't a clue what they are doing. I still wondering where they learn get get all the crab they wrote.

We managed to sieve out some practical environmentalist with some savvy over many years that we could work with and who are able to do a good job and who understands nature.

Vegetation don't mind compacted ground, it will grow there. The problem is that seeds don't get a easy grip there but once it grows it's no issue. What vegetation don't like is the contact with tyres. Vegetation recover very quickly on tracks or roads if it was not covered with dead soil like gravel from borrow pits etc.

I would only be considered about erosion, if not being looked after.

And still saying the problem areas are cities

.