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What you should know about South Africa’swetlands

World Wetlands Day2 February

Blesbokspruit is the only Ramsar wetland in the Gauteng province. It is situated 4 km outside Nigel, the Highveld town at an altitude of 1,585 m.

Ntsikeni Nature Reserve is located between the small towns of Creighton and Franklin in the south of KwaZulu-Natal. It covers an area of 9,200ha which contains one of the largest high altitude Ramsar wetlands in South Africa.

The Bot-Kleinmond Estuarine System is in the coastal Southern African temperate area, within the Agulhas Bioregion.

Umgeni Vlei Nature Reserve is one of South Africa’s smaller Ramsar wetlands with a total area of 958ha at the high altitude of between 1800m and 2100m.

There are different names for this park which could be confusing. Natal Drakensberg Park is the name used to refer to the Ramsar wetland. Geographically, the Ramsar wetland is the same area as the uKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park of South Africa.

Lake St Lucia is an estuarine lake system in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the largest estuarine lake in Southern Africa, covering an area of approximately 350 km 2, and falls within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site.

Verlorenvlei is a partially closed coastal estuarine lake and marsh system fed by an intermittent allogenic river. The estuary mouth lies along the Atlantic Ocean at the town of Elands Bay, which is located 25 km south of Lambert's Bay. This is one of the largest natural wetlands along southern Africa's west coast.

Blesbokspruit wetlands Bot-Kleinmond Estuarine System

Ntsikeni Nature Reserve Umgeni Vlei Nature Reserve

Natal Drakensberg Park

The Prince Edward Islands are two small islands in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean. Activities on the islands are restricted to research and conservation management. The only human inhabitants of the islands are the staff of a meteorological and biological research station.-

Prince Edward Islands

St. Lucia System Verlorenvlei

Urban wetlands: prized land, not wasteland

As demand for land increases, the tendency is to encroach on wetlands

Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future

WHAT IS A WETLAND?

A wetland is defined in the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) as the land which is transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface, or the land is periodically covered with shallow water, and which land in normal circumstances supports or would support vegetation typically adapted to life in saturated soil.

WETLAND REHABILITATION

1. Address the cause of the damage e.g. over grazing or drainage ditches. 2. Attempt to re-establish the natural water flow patterns within the wetland. 3. Consider vegetation of buffer zones and wetland areas. 4. Remove invasive alien vegetation. 5. Follow up as necessary and monitor progress.

Barberspan (1)

Blesbokspruit (3)

De Hoop Vlei (2)

De Mond (4)

Kosi Bay (8)

Lake Sibaya (9)

Langebaan (7)

Makuleke Wetlands (18)

Natal Drakensberg Park (13) Ndumo Game Reserve (14)

Ntsikeni Nature Reserve (20)

Nylsvley Nature Reserve (16)

Orange River Mouth (10)

Prince Edward Islands (19)

St. Lucia System (5)

Seekoeivlei Nature Reserve (15) Turtle Beaches/Coral Reefs of Tongaland (6)

uMngeni Vlei Nature Reserve (21)

Verloren Valei Nature Reserve (17)

Verlorenvlei (11)

Wilderness Lakes (12)

RAMSAR SITES IN SOUTH AFRICA (21)THE VALUE OF WETLANDS AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Wetlands were referred to as wastelands in the past, but far from being wastelands; wetlands are amongst the most productive ecosystems in the world. Wetlands play an important part in river catchments both directly and indirectly by contributing to flood control, drought relief, water storage, sediment & nutrient retention and export, soil protection, water purification, erosion control, sustained stream flow, food security, fish nurseries, groundwater recharge, reservoirs of biodiversity, wetland products, cultural value, recreation & tourism, climate change mitigation and adaptation amongst others.

STATUS OF WETLANDS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Wetlands make up only 2.4% of the country’s area, but 48% of wetland ecosystem types are critically endangered. South Africa has lost approximately 50% of the original wetland area. Approximately 300 000 wetlands remain, making up only 2.4% of South Africa’s area.Of South Africa’s 791 wetland ecosystem types, 48% are critically endangered, 12% are endangered, 5% are vulnerable, and 35% are least threatened making wetlands the most threatened ecosystems of all in South Africa. Over 70% of South Africa’s wetland ecosystem types have no protection and only11% are well protected.

ECOSYSTEM THREATS

Invasive alien plantsErosionDevelopments within and around wetlands and Draining of wetlandsPollution and excess nutrientsBurning of wetlandsMining

World Wetlands Day in 2018 is celebrated under the theme “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future,” as approved by the 54th Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention.

Wetlands are important for the ecosystem as they provide a number of benefits, not only to the natural environment, but also to our livelihoods. In urban areas, wetlands improve water quality and serve as reservoirs, containing run-offs from roads, drains, roofs and storm water drains. Wetlands also help to reduce and prevent urban flooding.

They also act as crucial “green lungs” for the cities. Wetlands in urban areas are also important for human related value especially landscape amenity and recreational purposes, than those in non-urban areas. However, for many years, urban wetlands have been regarded as wastelands, with their vital importance and functions not been fully understood.

WORLD WETLANDS DAY 2018