NCGS-M007 — Ecological appropriateness and avoided harm
- Code: NCGS-M007
- Version: NCGS-2026-09-22
- Approval status: Approved
Determination of whether planting trees at a site would harm the existing ecosystem, from the mapped SANBI vegetation type, the observed land cover and its intactness, resulting in either clearance to plant or planting withheld on ecological grounds, recorded as a positive safeguard result.
underlying principles and assumptions
The Highveld is a naturally treeless grassland biome; an intact grassland, wetland or riparian strip is not a poorly greened site because it lacks trees. A decision not to plant on such ground is a success of the programme (ADR-0006). The safeguard is judged by someone competent in grassland and wetland ecology who is not the assessor.
methods and procedures
Look up the SANBI vegetation type at the site’s point; record the observed land cover and intactness; score the two ecological criteria (land cover and biome; ecological appropriateness); where either is not met, file withheld on ecological grounds with at least two geotagged ground-cover photographs and a written reason; route the record to safeguard review.
data requirements and inputs
A conformant site record with land cover, intactness and vegetation type; one criterion score per ecological criterion; for a withheld determination, intact land cover of an indigenous type, the vegetation type, two ground-cover photographs and a determination reason.
calculation and transformation rules
If either ecological criterion is not met, the derived determination is withheld on ecological grounds regardless of the safe-space criteria. Land cover and biome is not met when the observed cover is indigenous grassland, wetland or riparian with intactness intact.
outputs and units of measure
A withheld or cleared ecological judgement within the suitability determination; feeds the indicators plantings withheld on ecological grounds (count, unit NUM) and, read against the planting and delivery records that followed, the ecological appropriateness rate (PERCENT).
validation and verification approach
Safeguard review: a reviewer holding the grassland-and-wetland-ecology knowledge domain above its threshold, and who is not the assessor, examines the photographs, the vegetation type and the reason, and approves or rejects. The workflow ends in withheld, verified only after approval.
limitations and applicability boundaries
Desktop vegetation mapping is coarser than a parcel; the field judgement of intactness decides. Does not assess species choice for cleared sites.
rationale
Secunda and Evander lie in Soweto and Eastern Highveld Grassland, both Endangered; without an explicit safeguard a programme reporting trees planted will be pushed to plant where it should not.
Applicability
- NCGS-M007: the pinned map has no vegetation unit at this site’s point, so the assessment is held for a supervisor: it counts once a supervisor or office analyst restates it with a reason confirming the site (ncgs:unmappedSiteConfirmation, ADR-0026).
- NCGS-M007: the site’s land cover and intactness must be known (from this assessment, the registration or another site record) and the assessment must carry the mapped vegetation type before ecological appropriateness can be judged.
- NCGS-M007: both ecological criteria must be scored, unless the determination is deferred.
Indicators it serves
Activity types
Knowledge domains a reviewer needs
- Field survey and data capture
- Grassland and wetland ecology
Variables
| Variable | Role | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derived determination (D) | DerivedOutput | UNITLESS | D = withheld if any ecological v_c is not met; else suitable with conditions if any safe-space v_c is not met and n_cond >= 1; else unsuitable remediable if any safe-space v_c is not met; else suitable if all v_c are met; undefined while any v_c is unknown. |
| Ecological appropriateness rate (R_e) | DerivedOutput | PERCENT | R_e = 100 × |assessed sites whose latest determination was respected| / |assessed sites|: a withheld, unsuitable or deferred site with no planting record; a cleared site planted or handed over only. |
| Criterion value (v_c) | MeasuredInput | UNITLESS | Met, not met or unknown for each of the eight suitability criteria. |
| Intactness (I) | MeasuredInput | UNITLESS | |
| Land cover (LC) | MeasuredInput | UNITLESS | |
| Vegetation type (VT) | MeasuredInput | UNITLESS | The SANBI unit at the site’s point, a desktop input confirmed or contested in the field. |