Abstract:
Invasive alien plants (IAPs) like Rooikrans (Acacia Cyclops) have several undesirable effects on both the
natural environment and the social, economic and cultural wellness of society in the De Hoop Nature Reserve of the Western Cape Province. A few of these negative effects are: the change in coastal sediment
dynamics, the change in seed dispersal dynamics, and the fact that it is overtaking native plants. However,
Rooikrans can also potentially be used as biomass feedstock for electricity generation. Following a system
dynamics modelling approach, the feasibility of using woody biomass from Rooikrans was investigated. The
RE-model used data obtained from the Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA) Natural Resource
Management (NRM) division, consulted with experts and conducted literature reviews with respect to the
subject matter. Three scenarios were tested and the RE-model results showed that all scenarios have a
positive cumulative Net Present Values (NPVs), with the exception of the baseline case scenario. This study
shows that the production of electricity using Rooikrans woody biomass is a viable and feasible option in
comparison with electricity production by diesel generators.
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