NFEPA Atlas 5.3_20111025_FINAL.indd - Biodiversity GIS - SANBI

Part 1: IntroductionThis section describes:1.1 The importance of healthy ecosystems, emphasising theneed for sustainable development of water resources1.2 Guiding principles that should direct the managementof freshwater ecosystems in support of sustainabledevelopment1.3 Major pressures on freshwater ecosystems1.4 Systematic biodiversity planning: how it originated interrestrial settings and has evolved to become applicableto freshwater settings, and how the approach wasapplied to identify Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas1.4 History of freshwater biodiversity planning in SouthAfrica: acknowledging the body of work and foundationon which the NFEPA project builds1.5 Planning at different scales: resulting in a nested systemof broad-scale and fine-scale plans1.1 The importance of healthy ecosystemsWater affects every activity and aspiration of human society and sustains all ecosystems.Rivers, wetlands, lakes and estuaries have long inspired artists and musicians, enrichingthe human spirit with their beauty. Freshwater ecosystems provide for many of ourfundamental needs: water for drinking and irrigation, food such as fish and waterbirds, andreeds for craftsmanship. Healthy ecosystems also provide important regulating ecosystemservices, such as preventing floods and easing the impacts of droughts. A healthyecosystem supports functional communities of plants and animals that are able to removeexcess nutrients and toxic substances from water, keeping it cleaner for drinking, irrigationand recreation. Healthy rivers, wetlands and groundwater systems also maintain watersupply and buffer the effects of storms, reducing the loss of life and property to floods.Healthy river banks with natural vegetation help to trap sediments, stabilise river banks andbreak down pollutants draining from the surrounding land. Estuaries provide nursery areasfor marine and estuarine animals, and supply fresh water and nutrients to the sea, whichdrive marine food webs and maintain important fisheries (Lamberth et al. 2009).Freshwater ecosystems provide for many ofour fundamental needs: water for drinkingand irrigation, food such as fish andwaterbirds, and reeds for craftsmanship.Healthy ecosystems also provide importantregulating ecosystem services, such aspreventing floods and easing the impacts ofdroughts.Wilma StrydomWater is also one of South Africa’s most limited resources, constraining our future socialand economic development. Its wise use is critical to the sustainable development ofour emerging economy and the well-being of all our citizens, particularly the poorest,who depend directly on the health of natural resources for their livelihoods (MillenniumAssessment 2003). Yet this valuable national asset is in crisis. Pressures arising fromsocial and economic needs have resulted in widespread degradation of freshwaterecosystems. In many regions of the country water demand outstrips supply, and waterquality has declined due to increased pollution from industry, urban expansion, mining,power generation, agriculture, forestry and inadequate sewage treatment. The NationalBiodiversity Assessment 2011 revealed that over half of our river, wetland and estuaryecosystem types in South Africa are threatened (Nel et al. 2011). Such widespreaddegradation of freshwater ecosystems inevitably compromises ecosystem service deliveryand results in more costly management interventions and the loss of resilience to changingcircumstances. This current situation is even more alarming when future pressureson water resources are considered – the demand for water is predicted to escalatedramatically (DWAF 2004) and many parts of the country are expected to become drier asa result of climate change, threatening our water supplies (Schulze 2005).Introduction - 2 -