Carbon sequestration is a naturally occurring process whereby carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. Trees play an important role in this process since they take in carbon dioxide and use it during photosynthesis to produce nutrients.
Uprooting of about 100 000 trees at the proposed construction site. Trees as we know, provide a micro habitat for small faunal and floral species and also provide, micro climatic conditions suitable for the survival of these species. Moreover, trees are carbon sinks and provide all living organisms with clean air for breathing. Thus said, cutting down trees, especially rare trees such as the baobab, and the mopani tree, on which the edible mopani worm feeds, will be disastrous to the ecology and to the livelihoods of those in Limpopo. The canopies of the huge trees such as baobabs also form micro-habitats since they limit light penetration allowing other species to grow in their shade.
If so many trees are uprooted from one site at once, many species, particularly birds, dependent on trees for nesting and resting, will be displaced. This will be problematic since species that are only endemic to the area could be completely eliminated and even driven to early extinction.
Even if the said number of trees are uprooted and taken somewhere, the species that are dependent on them cannot be transferred together with the trees. This implies that all those said species will be displaced and stand a great chance of elimination.
Another potential risk to the SEZ is that during rainy seasons, trees intercept rainfall, increases and increases infiltration, thereby reducing the risks of flooding.
