HESSEQUA NEWS - World Wetlands Day was celebrated on 2 February, but CapeNature plans to host 21 awareness initiatives throughout the month.
Wetland habitat is lost through erosion, invasion by alien vegetation, pollution, extreme flooding and inappropriate fire regimes.
CapeNature has collaborated with several organisations to rehabilitate important wetlands across the Western Cape. One such project is the Goukou-Duiwenhoks Wetlands Project, which aims to rehabilitate wetlands through invasive alien clearing. This increases water supply and encourages the growth of indigenous species. Clearing is often followed by gabion construction (wire cages filled with stones) which stabilises areas where plants were removed.
"Wetlands cover over 4 million hectares of the country's surface area and provide essential ecosystem services such as fresh water supply, flood reduction and erosion control," says Ben van Staden, Programme Manager: Natural Resource Management at CapeNature. "These ecosystems also provide spiritual, educational and recreational benefits. They provide jobs through sectors such as tourism and restoration. Projects such as these not only create employment, but allow for skills transfer as well as development support to small businesses."
In addition to rehabilitation efforts, CapeNature creates awareness around the topic through the implementation of various educational programmes. Members of the public are encouraged to focus on their relationship with the natural environment. Citizens can do their part by reducing pollution, planting indigenous plants and participating in river clean up and alien clearing projects.
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