Development and technological progress across the spectrum of human activity have resulted in an ever-increasing demand for the earth’s resources. We use more water, fuel and minerals in the quest for a better life for humankind, and in the process continually increase the burden resting on our already overstressed planet. The rates of population growth, pollution, the destruction of natural habitats and the mismanagement of land are but a few of the threats to the environment which have to be dealt with.

The key to the proper management of our environment is information. Many decisions regarding the environment and development have been taken in the past without due reference to the real issues involved. This state of affairs can be ascribed to ignorance caused by a lack of available information, or a willful disregard of information which, although available, may not generally have been known. The environment and economic consequences of some of these decisions are all too well known today. With hindsight it is now clear that many problems could have been avoided if appropriate information had been made available, or if the available information had been acted upon correctly.

The concept of a generally available environment database containing applicable information was developed a number of years ago. This database became a reality after the introduction of computerised Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Rapid progress in this field during the last few years has, for the first time, made it possible to provide information to a wide spectrum of users, including planners, developers, environmental groups and the public at large. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has identified the need for such an information system within its own organisation. Thus, the concept of the Environmental Potential Atlas (ENPAT), a digital geographic database for use on a computer, was initiated.

Although the initial requirement of the study was to ascertain the feasibility of using the ENPAT within the national and provincial environmental departments alone, the most important decision to be taken was probably that the ENPAT should be made available to whoever needed access to it at a minimal cost. The philosophy behind this decision was that if the ENPAT environmental database were available to everybody, developers and environmentalists could utilise it, thereby ensuring the adequate provision of information in the performance of their environmentally related activities.

Developers would be able to use the ENPAT to establish possible environmental issues before embarking on expensive planning and design exercises. Simultaneously, all interested and affected parties would have access to the same information. Additional benefits of such a widely distributed database include aspects such as an improved data verification system through user feedback, and the promotion of a more open attitude towards data exchange between sources of information in the public and private sectors. Ultimately we hope that environmental considerations will form a natural part of development projects, from the early planning phases through to their completion.

Based on the findings of the feasibility study, the University of Pretoria was appointed to execute a pilot project to formally develop the ENPAT philosophy and to test its implementation. During the initial planning stages of the ENPAT a wealth of geographically represented environmental information was available. This information was widely distributed between many different organisations, and contained in a variety of media types such as paper maps, computerised drawings, graphics and text. However, access to all this information proved difficult due to the general prevalence of a ‘closed shop’ attitude among sources of information, and it could take months to gain access to, or acquire, certain information. All these challenges were accepted as part of the process, and most were eventually met with success. Today the digital ENPAT has been established as a major source of geographically represented information, and is recognised as such by a large number of users from a wide range of organisations and disciplines.

The success of the computerised digital ENPAT inevitably led to an increasing demand for printed, hardcopy maps depicting various ENPAT information categories. Access to the ENPAT information has until now only been available to individuals and organisations equipped with suitable computer hardware and software, who have obtained licensed copies of the digital ENPAT database on CD-ROM from the Department. The concept of producing the ENPAT in a popular CD-ROM format was necessitated by the demand for easily accessible electronic format of the data, and Enviro-Info 2001 is the result. All map information contained in this publication has been extracted from the 2000 version of the digital National, and 8 Provincial ENPATs on CD-ROM. Copies of the updated 2001 digital version of the National and 8 Provincial ENPATs on CD-ROM, can be obtained from the University of Pretoria.

Information about ordering ENPAT products, including the Enviro-Info CD, can be found under PRODUCTS