Shale Gas Development in the Central Karoo – Impacts on Heritage in the Karoo
Shale Gas Development in the Central Karoo: A Scientific Assessment of the Opportunities and Risks
Chapter 15: Impacts on Heritage in the Karoo
Author: Jayson Orton
Contributing Authors: John Almond, Nicholas Clarke, Roger Fisher
Publication: The CSIR led a large interdisciplinary team to analyse the potential impacts of shale gas mining on the Karoo.
Date: 2016
Abstract
The study area contains a rich layering of heritage resources stretching over some 4.6 billion years. Geological heritage sites and meteorites are the oldest aspects of heritage considered here, while palaeontological resources cover more than 300 million years of prehistory. The archaeological record spans some 2 million years and covers the Early, Middle and Late Stone Ages, as well as the Iron Age and historical period. The latter is responsible for the bulk of the built heritage that occurs, including the well-known Karoo vernacular architecture. Ensembles of individual cultural heritage resources relate to one another in various ways to produce urban and rural cultural landscapes throughout the study area. Living heritage binds the physical resources together and provides much of the character that is so highly valued by a wide community of South Africans.
Accompanied by an Appendix (click here).
This document, as well as the full CSIR report can be accessed at http://seasgd.csir.co.za/scientific-assessment-chapters/
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