The final version of Shale Gas Development in the Central Karoo: A Scientific Assessment of the Opportunities and Risks edited by Scholes, R., Lochner, P., Schreiner, G., Snyman-Van der Walt, L. and de Jager, M. 2016. CSIR/IU/021MH/EXP/2016/003/A, ISBN 978-0-7988-5631-7. CSIR: Pretoria was published electronically on the Shale Gas SEA website on 15 November 2016.
Click here to download the scientific assessment.
Furthermore, documented responses to stakeholder comments made on the Second Order Draft in July 2016 are also available.
Phase 3 of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes runs until March 2017, were CSIR, SANBI and CGS work in collaboration with government to translate the evidence-base presented in the scientific assessment into policy-relevant material to guide responsible decision-making in the future.
The Shale Gas SEA Team would like to thank stakeholders for their participation in the process so far. In the Foreword to the publication, Dr Sibusiso Sibisi states
Most of all, I am grateful to the South African public, for their participation in this landmark process and in exercising their civil rights and duties by contributing so diligently. The collaborative philosophy in which the scientific assessment process has been undertaken has been an astonishing success. I hope that, when confronted with equally important choices, our policy-makers can look back on this exercise as a model for their future actions.
