Working for Wetlands History and Strategy 2013-17 March 2013

Environmental Affairs Water Affairs Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries

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Introduction This document is compiled to outline the context of the Working for Wetlands Programme and profile its future possibilities in the light of its capacity, partnerships and in-house expertise. With the increasing global trends of looking at ways in which “ecological infrastructure” can fulfil developmental and societal needs, the Programme has taken significant steps in working in water stressed areas as is described in its “Provincial 5year Plans”1. In the build-up to these plans, the document describes the Working for Wetlands Programme from its inception and its broader achievements to date. It goes on to explore the future planning that it has done and surmises a healthy complement to the other Natural Resource Management2 (NRM) Programmes which currently run within it. Our wetlands collectively play an important role in sustaining the ecology and economy of the country, but despite vital linkages between wetlands and people, they have been severely affected by human activities. Responding to this crisis, the Working for Wetlands programme was formed to champion the rehabilitation, protection and sustainable use of South Africa’s wetlands. The programme’s philosophy is underpinned by four interlinked pillars – rehabilitation; communication, education, participation and awareness; applied research and building capacity. Although the programme is a joint initiative of three departments, the driving force behind its formation lay in civil society, and expertise in the private and public sector is used in project implementation. The benefits from rehabilitated wetlands include improved livelihoods, protection of agricultural resources, enhanced biodiversity, cleaner water, reduced impacts from flooding and increased water security. Since 2004, 639 wetlands have been rehabilitated at a total cost of R 513 million3. The social benefits provided by Working for Wetlands include employment, training, enterprise development and the dignity of decent work. In support of the objectives of the Expanded Public Works Programme, Working for Wetlands has created 14 496 job opportunities since 2004 for people from the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. The Working for Wetlands Programme is a government-led initiative dedicated to the rehabilitation, protection and sustainable use of South Africa’s wetlands. It is managed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute on behalf of the departments of Environmental Affairs, Water Affairs and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and forms part of government’s Expanded Public Works Programme. In line with the principles of the Expanded Public Works Programme, Working for Wetlands uses an approach to the implementation of its rehabilitation and wise use projects that maximises employment creation, creates and supports small businesses, and transfers relevant and marketable skills to its beneficiaries. It has assumed a very critical role in securing functionality of identified wetlands, restoring very important ecological infrastructure within the landscape. This, as there is complicit threat against wetlands from a range of land users and decision makers. How, then does Working for Wetlands make its business case? Attached, as annexures at the end of this document, are detailed “Provincial 5-year Plans”. Natural Resource Management: a Chief Directorate falling within the “Environemental Programmes” Branch of the South African Department of Environmental Affairs. 3 Working for Wetlands data available from its on-line system, http://sanbi.isoftnet.co.za/ 1 2

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The problem: wetlands under threat Our wetlands collectively play an important role in sustaining the ecology and economy of the country. They represent natural infrastructure for gathering, managing and delivering water for human use. With their proven ability to purify water, many wetlands have been likened to the kidneys of the landscape. Wetlands also have significant worth as warehouses of biodiversity and as sites of spiritual, recreational, educational and scientific value. With climate change predicted to change rainfall patterns, our wetlands will play a more important role than ever before in reducing the impacts of floods and droughts. By providing highly productive agricultural land, grazing, water, fish, fibre and medicines, wetlands underpin the health and livelihoods of many rural communities. Yet despite these vital linkages between wetlands and people, they have been severely affected by human activities. Wetlands have often been perceived as wastelands, having little productive use to society and no direct economic value to landowners. They needed to be “reclaimed” to enhance the economic benefits that people could derive from them. As recently as the 1970s, many governments around the world, including South Africa, were still providing farmers with incentives to convert their wetlands for agriculture. Studies in several areas have suggested that between 35% and 60% of South Africa’s wetlands have already been lost or severely degraded. This condition is exacerbated when it is taken into account that by 2025, South Africa will be one of fourteen African countries classified as water scarce (less than 1000 cubic metres per person per year). The 2011 National Biodiversity Assessment4 identifies 48% of wetland ecosystem types as being critically endangered, wetlands make up only 2.4% of the country’s area and wetlands crucial for purifying water and regulating flow, of high value ecological infrastructure. Broader consequences of this wetland loss include diminished water security, desertification, reduced food security, reduction in biodiversity, lost livelihoods and increased vulnerability to natural disasters, especially floods and droughts. Degraded wetlands no longer provide the important services they previously supplied when in good condition. The recent Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the most thorough examination ever of the health of the planet’s ecosystems, highlights that the continued loss of wetlands will further reduce human health and wellbeing, especially for the poor. The Assessment further notes that many of the Millennium Development Goals are unlikely to be achieved without significant improvement in the management of ecosystems. Wetland goods and services are especially important for the poorest and most vulnerable people in society. The rural poor are most directly dependent upon natural ecosystems such as wetlands for their survival, and suffer disproportionately from wetland degradation and loss. Fortunately, recent years have seen increasing acknowledgement of the range of benefits that wetlands provide. This has brought an acceptance of the role of healthy wetlands in underpinning human well-being, especially in developing countries like South Africa. Research has also shown that degradation is not necessarily permanent, and that it is possible to improve the health of degraded wetlands through rehabilitation, and in so doing restore essential life support functions. Driver, A., Sink, K.J., Nel, J.L., Holness, S., Van Niekerk, L., Daniels, F., Jonas, Z., Majiedt, P.A., Harris, L. & Maze, K. 2012. National Biodiversity Assessment 2011: An assessment of South Africa’s biodiversity and ecosystems. South African National Biodiversity Institute and Department of Environmental Affairs, Pretoria. 4

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A solution: the Working for Wetlands programme South African government policy reflects the recognition that, in order to be truly effective, strategies for wetland conservation need to include a combination of proactive measures for maintaining healthy wetlands, together with actions to reverse past degradation. This latter aspect forms the core business of a governmentled wetlands programme. Working for Wetlands champions the rehabilitation, protection and sustainable use of South Africa’s wetlands, using approaches that emphasise co-operative governance and partnerships. As a component of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), Working for Wetlands implements its projects by maximising employment creation, creating and supporting small businesses and transferring skills to its beneficiaries. Since 2004, the programme has created 14 496 job opportunities5 through its projects and almost 1,9 million job days have been worked. Working for Wetlands has a proven track record of delivery (see Table 1). Three mechanisms exist for annual verification of outputs, including those listed in Table 1, produced by project implementers: 1. Intervention Completion Inspection Reports, compiled by independent professional engineers, to verify that all rehabilitation interventions have been completed according to specifications listed in the project’s Rehabilitation Plan. 2. Regularity Audits, conducted by external auditors appointed by project implementers, to test compliance with the terms of the implementer’s contract with SANBI, Working for Wetlands Best Management Practices, and verification of reporting on expenditure, employment and training. 3. Performance Audits to verify correlation between Rehabilitation Plans, Project Progress Reports and Intervention Completion Inspection Reports. In line with the Working for Wetlands approach of “learning by doing”, the performance audits also extract lessons that are incorporated into future operations to improve performance. The benefits from rehabilitated wetlands include improved livelihoods, protection of agricultural resources, enhanced biodiversity, cleaner water, reduced impacts from flooding and increased water security. These are available as case studies from the Programme on request. The Programme is also well placed in the work that it is currently doing, to address water security, especially in the light of the predicted impacts on climate change on biomes. In addition, the social benefits in the form of employment, training, the dignity of decent work and opportunities for enterprise development provided by Working for Wetlands have made a difference in the lives of thousands of people from the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. With very humble beginning, and a budget of R40m for the first year, the programme has grown substantially in its outputs over the years and the recorded delivery against targets is noted in the table below. The details of these figures are available from the on-line reporting system used by the Programme on http://sanbi.isoftnet.co.za/ 6. Interpretation of these figures and clarity may be obtained from the Programme staff members.

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Defined by the EPWP as paid work created for an individual on an EPWP project during a particular year.

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Use “view” for both “UserID” and “Password”.

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Table 1: Selected indicators of performance from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2012 Key performance indicator Wetlands rehabilitated Number of people employed Job days of work provided Training days Average cost per job day Historically disadvantaged enterprises utilised Gabion structures built Concrete structures built Earthen structures built Earthworks Re-vegetated areas Invasive alien plant clearing Expenditure

Target

Actual 647 639 11,879 14,496 1,903,526 1,821,806 197,443 165,924 R291 R281 1,143 1,269 66,004 m3 63,422 m3 43,146 m3 37,536 m3 3 83,171 m 70,792 m3 280,160 m3 293,891 m3 833,964 m2 746,209 m2 11,059 ha 11,409 ha R554,074,446 R513,039,129

% 99 122 96 84 111 97 82 79 105 85 104 93

Although the programme has been operational for just over ten years, the efficiency and success of the rehabilitation work is already evident. Short-term indicators of success have been observed, such as stabilisation of erosion, re-wetting of previously drained areas and return of wetland birds. While many projects have been judged successful against short-term indicators, more recent studies have evaluated the impacts of several projects. There are post implementation assessments done to record the effectiveness of the rehabilitation measures, and these have been very positive year on year. Besides this, there is valuable work being done by the Water Research Commission to assess long term benefits of the rehabilitation work done by the Programme. The results of this will be available in a year or two. Partners and stakeholders Working for Wetlands is managed by a public entity, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), on behalf of the departments of Environmental Affairs (DEA), Water Affairs (DWA) and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). Although Working for Wetlands is government-led, civil society was instrumental in establishing it, and several NGOs continue to be closely involved in the programme (see Brief History of the Programme). When Working for Wetlands was being conceived, key stakeholders agreed that the programme should construct itself as a multi-departmental initiative. Wetlands fall within the mandates of several sectors, including water, environment and agriculture, and consequently have “fallen between the cracks” in the past. The multi-faceted nature of wetlands and cross-cutting mandates for their management require coherent and integrated governance. It was thus critical that the programme position itself to coherently express the relevant policy objectives of the key national departments concerned with the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. These were the then departments of Water Affairs and Forestry (now DWA), Environmental Affairs and Tourism (now DEA) and Agriculture (now DAFF). The formal mechanism through which the partners provide strategic guidance, monitor performance and ensure alignment is a steering committee, which meets three times a year. The committee is co-chaired by DEA, DWA and DAFF on a rotational basis, and includes SANBI, Wildlife and Environment Society 5

(WESSA), Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Water Research Commission, Endangered Wildlife Trust and Working for Water. The committee has proven a very useful vehicle for information sharing and coordination on wetland issues, which has improved cooperation between the three parent departments. A memorandum of agreement between DEA, DWA, DAFF and SANBI, formalising co-governance of the programme and streamlining operational and regulatory procedures under various legislation, has been approved by the parties. Other key stakeholders include organisations implementing projects on behalf of SANBI, landowners on whose properties wetlands are being rehabilitated, and the programme’s beneficiaries – the workers and contractors employed through the projects. It has been estimated that each person employed in Working for Wetlands in turn supports between four and ten dependents. At project level, advisory committees are constituted to facilitate the participation of local level stakeholders. The primary mechanism for engaging provincial stakeholders is through provincial wetland forums, which exist in all nine provinces. Key objectives and strategies Working for Wetlands’ philosophy is underpinned by four interlinked pillars – wetland rehabilitation; communication, education, participation and awareness; applied research and building capacity. Wetland rehabilitation All rehabilitation interventions aim to improve the health and functioning of the ecosystem, and address both causes and effects of degradation. Underpinning the rehabilitation interventions are deliberate and detailed planning procedures, which are guided by the continuous research commissioned by the Programme (outlined later). Typical project activities include:  building concrete, earth or gabion7 structures to arrest erosion, trap sediment and re-saturate drained wetland areas;  plugging artificial drainage channels;  addressing other causes of degradation, such as poor agricultural practices and invasive alien plants;  plant propagation, re-vegetation and bio-engineering; and  building boardwalks, bird hides and interpretive signboards to enhance the recreational, tourism and educational value of rehabilitated wetlands. While healthy wetlands benefitting the nation’s people is the primary goal of Working for Wetlands, the vehicle adopted to achieve this end is deliberately labour-absorbing and skilling, targeting those individuals excluded from the mainstream economy. In line with EPWP norms, the programme employs 55% women, 40% youth and 2% people with disabilities. By maximising the use of labour intensive work, employment benefits are capitalised, while the environmental impacts of heavy equipment in sensitive wetlands are avoided. Communication, education, participation and awareness 7

Wire mesh baskets filled with rocks

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In parallel to “hard” rehabilitation interventions, Working for Wetlands aims to influence the practices that lead to wetland degradation. This recognises that people’s actions, rather than engineering solutions, are the key to healthy, sustainable wetlands. Working for Wetlands activities cover a wide spectrum, from the project level, aimed at workers and landowners, to production of resource material (publications, posters etc) aimed at particular target groups, to field visits with journalists and key decision makers. The programme has coordinated national celebrations of World Wetlands Day since 2004. There is a monthly newsletter, “Gumboot” which reflects on the significant happenings in the Wetland sector. Applied research Given the lack of pre-existing guidance on how to do its work, Working for Wetlands moved fast to build a robust scientific and technical foundation for the practice of wetland rehabilitation in South Africa. A partnership formed in 2003 between SANBI, the Water Research Commission and the University of KwaZulu-Natal is culminating this year in the publication of an eleven volume series of reports, manuals and guidelines for wetland management and rehabilitation. The tools have already proven useful for a range of other applications beyond rehabilitation, and are in considerable demand. The National Wetlands Map has generated systematic national overviews of our wetlands with the ??? version currently in use. The Map now contains over 114,000 wetlands, is continuously being improved and is freely available online8. The information is being applied in policy development, monitoring, integrated water resource management and systematic rehabilitation planning by researchers, government and the private sector.

Building capacity The shortage of wetland rehabilitation skills and experience constrained the growth of Working for Wetlands at its inception. As a result, the programme invests heavily in developing adequate capacity to rehabilitate, manage and conserve wetlands. The programme was a driving force behind the creation of the Wetland Alliance for Training, Education and Research (WATER), a physical and virtual learning hub drawing on wetland experts, social scientists and environmental educationalists. WATER has to date developed a competency matrix for Working for Wetlands’ workers, created training courses and produced training materials. Brief history of the Programme The programme has its roots in another pioneering government initiative, Working for Water, which since 1996 has been engaged in removing thirsty invading alien plants that threaten the country’s water security, agricultural productivity and biodiversity. Soon after the launch of Working for Water, the potential for the programme to complement its objectives through an expansion into wetland rehabilitation was identified. A conceptual connection was made between increasing water flows through the removal of invasive vegetation, and restoring the ability of wetlands to better manage this water. It was also felt that the labour intensive,

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SANBI Biodiversity Geographic Information System website: http://bgis.sanbi.org

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poverty alleviation model for managing natural resources pioneered by Working for Water would be equally suited to the activities involved in rehabilitating wetlands. The driving force behind this realisation was the Mondi Wetlands Project (MWP), a private sector-sponsored initiative of two NGOs, the Wildlife and Environment Society (WESSA) and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). The MWP tirelessly lobbied Working for Water and its parent departments to convince them of the complementarity between alien plant control and wetland rehabilitation. As trust and technical capacity was built between the parties, Working for Water agreed to fund a series of pilot projects in order for the advocates to demonstrate the feasibility of their concept. Following the success of these projects, a sub-programme within Working for Water, dubbed Working for Wetlands, was born in 2000. By 2003, Working for Wetlands had matured to the stage where its establishment as a fully-fledged programme was seen as the best way to ensure it could continue to grow to its full potential. In 2003 the programme moved out of Working for Water and its parent department, DWAF, and was established as a programme under a new parent department, DEAT. In 2004, the passing of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act established a new agency under DEAT, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). The act gave SANBI a mandate to coordinate ecosystem rehabilitation programmes, and as a consequence, Working for Wetlands moved to this new institutional home in 2004. Within SANBI, Working for Wetlands was still advised by a Steering Committee made up of the Departments of Environmental Affairs, Water Affairs and Agriculture, together with other NGO’s. SANBI was seen as being well placed to strengthen government’s machinery of delivery, while adding value to implementation functions through its research, education, planning and policy advice functions. Through its “managed network” model of operating, SANBI was also considered ideally placed to tackle the challenges of securing the vital collaboration between relevant players, in order to bring about the outcomes desired by all the partners in Working for Wetlands. This was valuable in Working for Wetland’s formative years, and has now grown its own network partners and will be fully functional in any institutional home. Obstacles and solutions Although Working for Wetlands had an established model in the form of Working for Water to use as a springboard, several significant challenges still had to be overcome. Lack of capacity Unlike Working for Water, Working for Wetlands opted to locate project implementation capacity outside SANBI, in order to avoid placing a large administrative burden on the small organisation. With wetland rehabilitation being relatively new in South Africa, there was also a severe shortage of skilled people able to plan and implement the work. The solution was to design an operational model that used available capacity in other organisations for project implementation. SANBI appointed a small core of fifteen staff to deal with planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and contract management. With SANBI as the hub, projects are implemented by a range of organisations, including other public entities, municipalities, NGOs and the private sector. Contracts with 8

each implementer spell out the terms on which projects will be executed, and detailed business plans containing quantified deliverables form part of the contract. In order to ensure programmatic coherence and consistency across all Working for Wetlands projects, the contract also contains a binding Best Management Practice document. In 2012-13, as an example, 17 implementers were contracted by SANBI to execute 40 projects across the country. In a decentralised programme such as Working for Wetlands, the flow of information between implementers and SANBI becomes crucial, as it is linked to the disbursement of payments by SANBI to implementers. Experience in similar programmes has shown that inefficient and non-standardised systems for planning, monitoring and reporting can significantly affect performance, especially where disbursement of funds depends on these systems. The solution adopted by Working for Wetlands, drawing on the experience of DEA, was to design an internetbased information management system9 containing templates and work flows for project business plans, progress reports and site inspection reports. This interface has become the backbone of Working for Wetlands’ management systems and has greatly accelerated the process of approving projects and progress reports and transferring funding to implementers, while maintaining controls required by the Public Finance Management Act. The system has also made the reporting and monitoring system virtually paperless. To be effective and sustainable, rehabilitation must be planned correctly and take into account stakeholder inputs, causes and effects of degradation and regulatory requirements. Early in its existence, Working for Wetlands lacked the capacity, systems and knowledge for integrated planning, which occasionally manifested in poorly designed rehabilitation. The programme invested heavily in improving its planning processes, to the point where an integrated twoyear planning cycle has been in place since 2007 (Annexure 11). Rehabilitation planning is now undertaken by teams of ecologists, hydrologists and engineers, and includes components that prioritise and assess wetlands using innovative techniques developed through the research programme. Stakeholder participation forms an integral part of the planning process. New tools and information now make it possible to align prioritisation of wetlands with the country’s broader water resource management, conservation and poverty alleviation objectives. Resource mobilisation Working for Wetlands derives its core funding from a rolling three year allocation within the Medium Term Expenditure Framework of DEA. This provides the programme with a secure horizon within which to plan its operations and appoint staff and implementers. Funding is provided from DEA to SANBI in the form of an annual grant. The programme’s 2012/13 budget was R79.5 million, and for the 2013/14 business year, R87 million. Since 2004, Working for Wetlands has spent R 513 million on wetland rehabilitation (see Table 1).

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http://sanbi.isoftnet.co.za/scripts/runisa.dll?NBI . Use “view” as both username and password

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DWAF has provided R42 million of the programme’s budget since 2004, recognising the relevance of Working for Wetlands’ activities to its mandate, and reflecting its co-ownership of the programme. Partnership projects are also underway with provincial and local governments. Two current examples are contributions by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Tshwane Metro for rehabilitation work in their areas. Working for Wetlands is also committed, as part of the EPWP, to provide relevant, quality training to its workers, in order for them to exit the programme with marketable skills. Workers are entitled to two days training per month, which includes both vocational and life skills elements. A strong relationship has been built with The Bateleurs, an organisation of pilots who donate their time for conservation-worthy causes. Over the past three years, The Bateleurs have flown the Working for Wetlands planning teams over areas selected for rehabilitation. Covering at least 2,2 million hectares, these aerial surveys have provided a rich overview of over 50 selected catchments, thereby enabling degraded wetlands to be systematically prioritised for closer investigation. The flights saved the planning teams weeks of tedious and expensive time on the ground, and in the process contributed to a stronger knowledge base of our country’s wetlands. The value of flying time donated by The Bateleurs amounts to several hundred thousand Rand; savings that have been ploughed into further rehabilitation work and employment. The programme has drawn heavily on a range of technical skills within its parent departments. This has translated into cooperation on individual projects, collaboration in research and awareness-raising activities, sharing of technical expertise and operational support, and building synergies through coordinated project selection. While it has utilised stakeholder forums such as provincial wetland forums and the National Wetland Indaba for support, it has also played a key role in sustaining these groups. Such partnerships have been, and will continue to be central to the effective design, implementation, monitoring and sustainability of wetland rehabilitation interventions. The Business Process The business process of the Programme begins with the planning which is firmly embedded in the strategic directions of SANBI, national water sector departments and NGO’s involved water related conservation. The planning process begins with aerial reconnaissance to identify wetlands that are being impacted upon. This is done with provincial input (Annexure 10) where catchment issues are discussed for remediation. To begin the rehabilitation, desktop studies are undertaken to look at historical land uses, reference conditions and landscape features. Following these studies, landowner engagement is undertaken with the potential work sites, followed by detail scoping, involving engineers, wetland scientists and hydrologists. These studies culminate in a detailed rehabilitation plan outlining work needing to be done, complete with costs and government legislative authorisations. These plans are then implemented by private and public sector entities who deliver within contractual agreements. The planning takes approximately two years and the implementation one year. Audit mechanisms are in place to measure the performance of the projects relative to the targets. There are regular reporting protocols to meet with the funder’s (Department of Environmental Affairs) needs. Programmatic evaluations are performed at strategic workshops every 3 to 5 years. As shown in the historical figures the Programme has evolved into a very efficient initiative to address a very critical water security function. 10

Working for Wetlands constantly re-aligns its operations with changing circumstances. In line with this, new training on rehabilitation methodology is constantly needed when new approaches are recommended by the research fraternity. To address this need, Working for Wetlands looks constantly for partnerships to encourage development of the knowledge within its team members. This becomes increasingly challenging with the ever increasing expectations of the funders to create more jobs with the budget provided. The critical area of training has been identified by the Programme as fundamental in taking it through the next five years of operation and beyond.

The future years … Beyond the delivery of the Programme in the past decade, it is now well placed to deal with increased scope and pace of work. Systems and procedures are in place to deliver on well-planned targets. These targets are constantly updated within provinces and guide the high level direction of the Programme. The trend of delivery as displayed in figure 1 has guided by the Programme’s Five year Plans, as will all future delivery. The latest 5-Year Plans (Budgets for these have been worked out, but not included in this document in all its details) are summarised very briefly here. Details are available in the plans attached as annexures to this document. Province

E Cape (Annex 1)

W Cape (Annex 2)

N Cape (Annex 3)

Previous areas of work Worked in Penny Park, Sneezewood, Mountain Zebra National Park, Tsitsikamma, Kouga Mountains and Upper Mzimvubu (Queens Mercy area).

Future potential work Wetlands in the Longmore area, wetlands in the Kubesie River system, St Francis sand dune wetlands, Baviaanskloof wetlands and wetlands in the Mkambati Nature Reserve. Nelson Mandela Bay Depression Wetlands. Work in Penisula, Agulhas, Move to new catchments – Duiwenhoks/Goukou and Langvlei and Jakkalsvlei and Verloerenvlei. selected areas in the Groot Wintershoek Freshwater Corridor. Twee Reviere River system, Dassenberg Coastal Catchment. Bitou River wetlands / lower estuary. Knysna and Wilderniss estuaries. Work done in the past in Orange Work to move to Niewoudville, River mouth and Kammiesberg valuable work to complement the Namaqualand Biodiversity Sector Plan needs. Valuable work for monkey beetles and endemic bees.

Reason for the new areas Move to unique wetland types of national and global importance. Move within the next 3 years with biodiversity conservation objectives in St Francis and Pondoland areas. Areas identified by NFEPA10 as priority areas. Areas of high water yield. Network of seeps and other wetland types which secure steady and high quality water Voelvlei Dam and the Olifants River to the north. The Twee Riviere system for the enhancing river system for the RedFin (Barbus erubescens). In Dassenberg, protection of unique wetland types. In N Cape and work is valuable to address severe water shortage issues in northern Cape. Also, the unique bioregion and key priority area for the high degree of endemic species, both plants and animals.

Nel JL; Smith-Adao LB; Amis M; Bhengu S; Hardwick D; Mack S; Maherry AC; Mbona N; Petersen CL; Swartz E; Van Deventer H; VanNiekerk L; Wistebaar N. 2009. Identifying & enabling protection of national freshwater ecosystem priority areas (NFEPA) for South Africa. CSIR Report: CSIR/NRE/ECO/ER/2009/0030/A 10

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Work has been done in Seekoevlei, Upper Wilge, Maluti a Phofung and golden Gate Nature Reserve. Work has been done in Klip River, Soutpanspruit in Tshwane, Colbyn and Rietvlei also in Tshwane, Blesbokspruit, Ezimvelo Nature Reserve, Esselen Park in Ekurhuleni.

Work to move to identified areas in Thabanchu, Bothsabelo in Bloemfontein and Vredefort in Parys. Important work has been identified on the Suikerbosrant river, the Crocodile West and Hennops Rivers, all of which have issues related to water quality. The work on Rietvlei has shown very positive results, and expansion of this work on-going.

KZN (Annex 6)

Work has been completed in Hlatikulu and Ntabamhlophe, Bloodriver Vlei. Tshanetshe Pand and Mkuze Game reserve. Upper Mzintlava and Mzimvubu.

Work identified in Umngeni, Paddavlei. Kleinspan and iSimangaliso Wetland Park also within planning phase, details of these are being worked out with the Park Authority. Move to Flanklin and Mzintlava River north-east of Kokstad.

Limpopo (Annex 7)

Work has happened in Mutale, Work likely to move to Thaba Waterberg and Kruger National Metsi (Gemsbokfontein), Upper Park Nyl, Shawu, Lupepe Nwanedi (in Thohoyandu) and Lambwe systems, Lake Fundudzi.

Free State (Annex 4) Gauteng (Annex 5)

Mpumalanga Save the Sand, Hondekraal, There is additional work to be Steenkampsberg, Wakkerstroom, done in Steelpoort and on the (Annex 8) Amanzi, Upper Vaal and Upper Usuthu, Draaikraal, Verloeren Valei and Skukuza were completed. Valuable mitigation work was done in conjunction with mines. Further work in this regard is still under way.

North-West (Annex 9)

Highveld Project – much restoration work. Work to move to the Chrissiesmeer area. Move to partnership work to work on the KwaMandlaNgampisi Protected Environment (KPE). Further focus on the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere reserve. Work has happened in Investigation point out to Rustenberg, Potchefstroom, movement to Harts river Marico, Molopo, Borakalalo, (Baberspan Ramsar Site) and Mareetsane, Taung, Kuruman. moving to different areas within Taung and Kuruman.

Restoration of wetlands for functionality and water security.

Much work has been done in urban areas, and these have now been taken on by metros as there is interest to deliver by them on restoring wetland functionality. Next big steps would be to engage metros on catchment scale to look at catchment management issues to enhance water supply. Work being done to improve water supply and is aimed at complementing parallel initiatives on improving catchment conditions to enhance water quality and reduce costs of good quality water for the urban areas. In the Paddavlei area, protection of valuable habitat for Blue and Crowned Cranes is targeted Most of the work is related to the poor farming methods and addressing water quality issues. There is valuable “Wise-Use” work being done, in conjunction with communities to assist in the rehabilitation pre and postassistance. Work to be done in line with the priority areas of the Mpumalanga Conservation Plan. Ramsar area work in conjunction with Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA). Much of this is to be accomplished with close work with the Mpumalanga Provincial Government and other key role-players. Work to address water quality in terms of the 177 resident and migratory bird species, poor farming methods have led to wetlands being lost and this trend needs to be reversed for water quantity and quality purposes.

As can be seen, the programme has tangible work planned for the next five years, based in national, provincial and local governmental priorities. Besides these, there are initiatives driven by SANBI and Working for 12

Wetlands itself to widen the work to include more wetlands and work on critical systems that provide ecosystem goods and services. This work will require the Programme to increase its budget and widen the partnerships that it has formed with all local and provincial tiers of government. This work has already commenced and is showing very promising results. Working within the Natural Resource Management chief directorate of DEA will allow this critical work to be done and enable critical water resource protection. Conclusion Working for Wetlands has unlocked substantial financial resources and political support for wetland conservation far in excess of what anyone in the wetlands community could have dreamed of 15 years ago. The innovative adaptation of the Working for Water model for application to wetland challenges has seen rehabilitation become entrenched as a vehicle for tackling broader wetland conservation and wise use issues. This potential can still be further developed, by building on the programme’s reputation as a highly effective instrument that delivers on a range of policy objectives, while illustrating the Constitutional principles of cooperative governance. Working for Wetlands has succeeded in establishing itself because it made a compelling argument about the direct connection between healthy wetlands, a healthy economy and healthy people. It persuaded the right people that natural capital represented by wetlands also constitutes an economic asset worth investing in. In this way, the programme can not merely claim to alleviate poverty in the short term through employment creation, enterprise development and skilling. It further contributes to people’s well-being in the long term by ensuring that wetlands will continue to yield economically productive and beneficial flows of ecosystem services into the future. The Programme is squarely on track to deliver more substantially on wetland rehabilitation than it has done in the past 10 years. The opportunities that the new arrangement within the NRM section offers is immense and the plans of the Working for Wetland Programme, with all its valuable research, processes and targets will bring much value to the other resource protection programmes to reclaim the natural systems’ losses made in the past.

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Annexure 1

Working for Wetlands Eastern Cape Wetland Rehabilitation Five Year Plans 15 March 2013 1. Introduction Wetland rehabilitation work started in 1999/2000 in the Eastern Cape under the auspices of the Working for Water project. Members from the Mondi Wetlands project (WESSA) surveyed the Gatberg, Nsikeni and Kromme River wetlands during the 1997 – 1999 and good information of the problems in these wetland systems were available to base the rehabilitation interventions on. Since 2003, after the Working for Wetlands program came into being the projects were extended to other wetland areas in the Province e.g. Penny Park, Sneezewood, Mountain Zebra National Park, Tsitsikamma area, Kouga Mountains and the Upper Umzimvubu (Queens Mercy area). The Eastern Cape wetlands Forum was the first forum to be created in 1998 in the country. The forum was very active in the first couple of years and was instrumental in selecting the priority wetland areas to be rehabilitated in the Eastern Cape. Other priority wetland “hotspot” areas that were subsequently selected include the Hogsback area, St Francis sand dune wetlands (Sand River), the Baviaanskloof River wetlands and the wetlands in the Mkambati Nature Reserve on the Wild Coast (Pondoland project). Rehabilitation planning (Rehabilitation plans are available) was done for these projects but no budget is currently available to implement these projects. Subsequent to the planning of the abovementioned new wetland area, other priority areas were also suggested by different role players. These areas include the depressions in and around the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro area (including Pond 6), wetlands in the Longmore area (Eland River Mountains), and wetlands in the Kubusie River system All wetland related rehabilitation work at Ntsikeni project was completed in 2007, the MZNP rehabilitation work was completed in 2008/09 and the Kouga Mountain rehabilitation project was completed in July 2009. The budgets of these projects were shift to other projects. The wetland projects that were implemented in Kokstad district were given over to the Kwa-Zulu Natal region since 2009 and include the Upper Umzimvubu, Sneezewood and Upper Umzimhlava projects. 2. Statement of purpose In the middle of the 1990’s the Mondi Wetlands Project (then it was known as the Rennies Wetland Project) recognized the importance of wetlands in the Eastern Cape and started to survey many of the wetlands. The Eastern Cape is well known for its diverse wetland types and the 4 main types can be classified as follows: 14

 The grassland wetlands of the northern and central part of the Eastern Cape including various wetland systems on the south-eastern foothills of the Drakensberg (Gatberg, Queens Mercy) and on the Winterhoek/Amatole mountain escarpment (Hogsback wetlands and Kubusie River system)  The fynbos wetlands that are associated with the Cape Super Group geology (Cape Folded Mountains) which includes the Palmiet dominated wetlands in the Kromme and Tsitsikamma Rivers.  The Pondoland wetlands which occur on the Natal Group sandstones which include Swamp forest wetlands, grassland wetlands and Palmiet wetlands in close proximity to each other.  Endoergic pans in the Albany district (Thicket biome) and around the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. The Working for Wetlands program is very active in the rehabilitation of grassland wetlands (largest component of all the wetland types) and in the Palmiet dominated wetlands. Through our work in Palmiet dominated wetlands (Krom River and Tsitsikamma River) the program has learned very valuable lessons through the years in the construction methodology of this high energy, flood prone wetlands systems. These lessons can (are currently used in new structural designs for the Baviaanskloof and Tsitsikamma projects) be used in other similar systems in the Western Cape and South-eastern Cape (Cape Fold belt/mountains). Over the last 13 years great strides have been made in understanding the dynamics of the different wetlands types in the Eastern Cape but also a much better understanding in the most effective ways of rehabilitating the main causes of wetland degradation. When the projects started in 1999/2000 most of the structural interventions comprises out of gabions structures (easy to build). Through experience we have learned that to use gabions in wetland soils/conditions do not provide permanent solutions (constant maintenance is required) to the problems with the result that the program in recent years almost completely switch to the construction of concrete interventions and some bio-engineering interventions in low energy wetland systems. Currently wetland rehabilitation work is done in only 5 wetland nodes (“hotspots”) in the Eastern Cape of which 2 is in grassland wetlands (Gatberg and Hogsback projects) and 3 (Krom River, Baviaanskloof River and Tsitsikamma projects) is in the Cape Floristic region (fynbos). If we are serious about biodiversity conservation (in relation to wetland types) the program must extent the rehabilitation work to areas such as the Pondoland area and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and St Francis sand dunes area (Sand River). Two of these areas contain absolutely unique wetland types that one does not find anywhere else in RSA and possibly the world. Additional budget will be needed for the Eastern Cape in order to achieve this. If additional funding can be sourced a phased approach of staggering the starting dates of new projects over a 3 year period (one project per year) is recommended to allow good regional support for new project implementation. The wetland rehabilitation vision for the Eastern Cape is to continue with and complete the existing projects (important systems) but also try and extent the number of wetland rehabilitation projects to include some of the very unique wetlands types in the Eastern Cape Looking at existing projects and identifying new wetland priority areas, it is important to make use of the most recent and up to date information for example the National Freshwater Ecosystems Priority Areas project (NFEPA) database and data sets from the 2011 National Biodiversity Assessment. The Wetland

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Management Series – WET-Prioritise was also use to help with the identification and prioritisation of wetlands in the Eastern Cape. It is clear from Map 1 that all the current and future wetland projects in the Eastern Cape falls within the Critically and/or Endangered ecosystem threat status for wetland ecosystem types

Critically endangered Endangered Vulnerable Least threatened

Map1: Ecosystem threat status for wetland ecosystem types (NBA, 2011) Equally importand is that most of the Rivers (Map 2) in the western part of the Eastern Cape is also regarded as Critically endangered. The Tsitsikamma, Kromme, Baviaanskloof and Klipplaat (Hogsback) Rivers fall with in this criteria. The upper Umzimvubu River (Gatberg project) is regarded as Vulnerable

Map 2: Map of ecosystem threat status for river ecosystem types (NBA, 2011) 16

All the identified existing and new projects fall within the National Biodiversity priority areas (NBA, 2011) for example: Kromme River is important from a Critical Biodiversity area (CBA) and Wetland Freshwater Ecosystem Priority area point of view Baviaanskloof River: Land-based protected area Titsikamma Project: High water yield area and focus areas for land-based protection area expansion Hogsback project: Critical Biodiversity area and High water yield area Gatberg project: Critical Biodiversity area and High water yield area 3. Project approach Wetland rehabilitation work is currently being done in 5 different project sites namely the Kromme River, Baviaanskloof River, Gatberg, Tsitsikamma and Hogsback. The rational to keep on working in these areas are as follow: Kromme River wetland project: This project was started in 1999 after the Mondi Wetlands Project survey showed that the system was heavy impacted by the influence of 5 mayor active head cut erosion gullies that were migrating in different sections of wetlands along this extended longitudinal wetland system. Much of the initial work were very experimental in nature because this was the first time that anyone has try to rehabilitate Palmiet wetlands that contain thick layers of peat intermitted with very coarse sandy sediment layers. Many of the first structures suffered major damage after severe flooding in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. In 2007 a maximum flood intensity of over 1300 000 000 l/sec was measured in the Kromme River. The structures were design to cope with 540 000 000 l/sec. After every flood event the structures were modified to withstand future flood events. Structures in the floodplains of Palmiet wetlands will always be expensive because they need to stretch across the entire floodplain and need a deep solid (concrete) cut off wall on the upstream side of the structure to prevent undermining (because of sandy sediment layers or lenses) of the structure. All Palmiet wetlands occur in high energy systems (steep mountain catchments) which are prone to regular flooding. The five year plan for the Kromme River includes one new structure and maintenance (rebuild according to new designs) of the existing structures. The current allocated budget (including annual increases of 5%) is sufficient for the work in this area. During 2009/10 maintenance and extension work to structures K90A 05 002, K90A 05 003 and K90A 08 001 will be done. During 2010/11 maintenance work to structures K90A 02 001, 002 and 003 and 2 structures in the Seekoei River (all concrete structures) will be done as well as building a new structure at Hendrikskraal (K90A 05 004). Designs exist for all of this work. The last structure to rebuild is K90A 05 001 and that will take at least 3 years with the currently budget allocation to the project (R8 million to replace). Frequent floods make work extremely challenging in the area and maintenance work is often required. ). After 13 years of working in the area it is important to objectively re-assess (by specialist wetland scientists) the feasibility of continuing with the work in the area. It is important to involve a fluvial geo-morphologist in the assessment team to evaluate the sediment movement in the system. The Gamtoos Irrigation Board is the Implementing agent for this project since its inception and they have the specialized equipment (excavators, trucks) to work in this very difficult environment. They are willing to continue with the implementation of the work. Gatberg wetland project: This project also started in 1999 and although the name refers to the Gatberg River system, the project is actually restoring all the wetland systems around the Elliot, Ugie and Maclear districts. 17

This includes the wetlands in the catchments of the Gatberg, Wildebeest, Gqaqala, Mooiriver and Ntombizininzi Rivers. The project is currently in a process of replacing all the gabion structures that was built during 1999 to 2004 period with concrete structures (or completely capping the gabion baskets with concrete) because of failure of these structures (corrosion of the wire baskets). Future rehabilitation work will include working further down the tributaries of the Gatberg, Wildebeest and Gqaqala Rivers. This work can be extended to the Ntombizininzi and Mooiriver in future. There is enough work for at least another 6 to 10 years (based on the current funding levels including a 6% annual increase) in this area which is an important catchment of the Umzimvubu River (18% of all RSA annual runoff goes down the Umzimvubu River). After 13 years of working in the area it is important to objectively re-assess (by specialist wetland scientists) the feasibility of continuing with the work in the area. The Joe Gqabe District Municipality (previously known as Ukhahlamba District Municipality) is the Implementing Agent for this project since its inception. Problems with their performance regarding reporting and procurement of services and material have been experienced over the last 2 years and this need to be monitored in future to ensure improvement in performance of the Implementer. Tsitsikamma wetland project: Work started in 2007/8 financial year and we will complete most of the rehabilitation work on MTO land by the end of the 2009/10 financial year. A mayor problem was identified in a large Palmiet wetland in the main stream of the Tsitsikamma River (south of Clarkson) that needs urgent attention to prevent further mayor loss of the functions of this important wetland. Early budget estimation of the first structure is in the order of R7 to 8 million. The allocated budget for 20010/11 is R1.5 million which is inadequate for such a large structure and the program need to increase the budget to at least R2 million to allow the speedy construction of this intervention. The structure will be built in phases but the likelihood of flood damage increases if we try and built it over and to long extended period. After the first structure more work will be needed downstream from the structure and possibly upstream as well. There is enough work for the next 5 years in this system with a budget of around R2,5 million per year. MTO is currently implementing the project and they are willing to continue with the implementation of the project even if it is not on land that they manage directly. Hogsback wetland project: The Hogsback project is a new project that will start in August 2009. Work during the first 2 to 3 years will take place on the Amathole Forestry Company’s (AFC) land (State land). Additional work on adjacent private land was identified and part of the new rehabilitation plan (2010/2011 Plan) will include some work on Private land. There is enough work in the Hogsback area (catchment of the Klipplaat River on both the State and Private land) for at least 5 years. The budget in year 2 and onwards has to be increased to around R1.9 million to allow 2 teams to work for the full year AFC was appointed as the Implementer for the project and so far we had very good co-operation from this Company. Baviaanskloof River wetlands: The uniqueness of this wetland system is the fact that a peat layer of about 50 cm was found in what used to be an extensive wetland. It must be a rare phenomenon to have peat accumulated in such a dry environment (400mm average annual rainfall). Another important factor to prioritize work in this drainage system is the fact that it provides water to the Kouga dam which is the main supply of irrigation water to the Gamtoos River Valley and 40% of the Nelson Mandela Metropolis domestic water supply. The area also falls within a declared World Heritage Site. The farmers in the regions is very co18

operative and there is a multi-organizational (CSIR, Dutch Government, GIB, Working for Woodlands, Eastern Cape Parks Board, Wilderness Foundation, Rhodes University, Working for Wetlands and DLR) research project been launched in the Baviaanskloof to try and rehabilitate the veldt and riparian area. The area was surveyed during June 2009 and a wetland rehabilitation plan was made available in October 2009. After detail analysis of the longitudinal gradient of the river floor it was decided to change the location of the initial design to 3 different sites. The changed plan (EIA) is in the process of being approved by the DEA. There is only a small budget (R1 million) for this project although the Dutch Government gave some funding (R200 000) for initial wetland work on one of the farms. It is hoped that larger Government funding can be obtained for this project in future. A budget of around R2.2 million/annum (with 6% annual increases) will be needed to keep two teams employed for the entire year. The Gamtoos Irrigation Board is currently the implementer for the project because they are already involved in the implementation of the Working for Woodlands project in the area.

New projects: The Eastern Cape was pro-active in the planning for new projects in case more Government funding was made available for wetland rehabilitation work. Three new priority wetland areas were identified in the past with the help of some academics (Prof Ellery and Dr Kotze) and the EC Wetland Forum. They are the Pondoland, NMBM depressions and Cape St Francis dune field wetland systems. The Pondoland and St Francis dune field areas were surveyed and rehabilitation plans exist for these areas but might have to be revised before implementation. The rational to work in these systems are as follow: Pondoland wetlands: The Pondoland wetlands refer to the unique wetland that is found on the Natal Group sandstone (Msikaba Formation) in the Mkambati Nature Reserve and on the Magwa Tea Estate on the Plato of the northern Wild Coast. These wetlands are situated in the Pondoland centre of endemism (been acknowledge as one of the important centres of plant diversity and endemism in Africa – Davies et al. 1994). A few pockets of very rare swamp forest wetlands occur in the Mkambati Nature Reserve and are close associated with grassland and Palmiet wetlands. The closes relic of Palmiet wetland type occur 430km further south west (close to Grahamstown) from Mkambati NR. This is the only place where all three wetland types occur in close proximity. Huge peat deposits also occur in this area. Most of the wetlands outside both the Nature Reserve and the Tea Estate occur on communal land and are severely degraded because of illegal Sand Mining and crop production (rehabilitation not an option). Both the Magwa Tea Estate and Mkambati NR were survey in 2008 and many problems were identified that need urgent attention. A rehabilitation plan exists for this project but there is no budget to implement this project. One mayor complication to implement this project will be to find a suitable Implementer in this remote rural area. The road to the Mkambati NR is in a bad condition and more than 2 hours drive from the closest town and tar road. The average cost per intervention will be very high in this area. Poverty is however rampant in this area. Cape St Francis sand dune system: The wetlands that are associated with the Cape St Francis dune fields and Sand River is rare and unique. The system is groundwater driven but researchers (Rhodes University) are still busy analysing data to try and understand the dynamics that drive the system. An endemic grass species and frog species occur in one section of the wetland. One of the wetlands in the dune fields was surveyed during July 2009 and the rehabilitation plan will be ready by October 2009. No budget is currently available for this project. An implementer also needs to be found for 19

this project. See Table 1 for the proposed budget allocations for future implementation Nelson Mandela Bay Depressions: A current study by NMMU (WRC funding involving 2 Ph.D. and 2 MSc students) on the depression wetlands in the Metro area is revealing some fascinated wetland types which might need some rehabilitations interventions in future. 2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

Kromme River R2 498 006

R3 500 000

R3 750 000

R3 975 000

Project completed – re-assess future work

Gatberg

R4 000 000

R4 400 000

R4 664 000

R13 064 000

Tsitsikamma R1 769 670

R2 700 000

R2 900 000

Hogsback

R2 000 000

R2 500 000

Baviaanskloof R1 000 000 R2 000 000 River wetlands Pond 6 wetland Do an R2 000 000 (NMBM) assessment & rehabilitation plan for area

R2 500 000

Re-assess future work in the area R3 075 000 Re-assess the work in the area R2 650 000 Re-assess the project R2 650 000 R2 810 000 Project will probably completed -Reassess the project R2 650 000 R2 810 000

R4 200 000

R2 650 000

R2 810 000

R5 460 000

Appoint implementer and make provision for budget

R2 810 000

R2 810 000

Cape St Francis

Mkambati (Pondoland)

NMBM depressions

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R1 546 470

Plans available but need to be revised

R2 200 000

Appoint R2 500 000 implementer and make provision for budget allocation Plans Plans Appoint available but available implementer need to be and make revised provision for budget allocation No plans Do an Plans available assessment & available rehabilitation plan for area

Total for 5 years per Project R13 723 006

R10 444 670

R8 696 470 R10 460 000

R7 960 000

Longmore wetlands

No plans available

No plans available

Do an assessment & rehabilitation plan for area

Kubusie River No plans Wetlands available

No plans available

No plans available

allocation Plans available Appoint implementer and make provision for budget allocation Do an Plans assessment & available rehabilitation plan for area R13 675 000 R11 240 000 R76 818 146

Total for year R10 814 146 R14 600 000 R21 014 000 Table 1 Illustrates the possible budget allocations per project for the next 5 years in the Eastern Cape. The yellow areas indicate already allocated budgets and the green is additional budget allocations for new projects (funding still to be sourced). The illustrated budgets from 2014/15 into the future is based on what as regarded as a reasonable budget to meet all the % criteria from DEA 4. Personnel involved The personnel and Implementers needed for the different projects were discussed under each project. 5. Budget See Table 1 6. Time frame The time frame for this plan is for the period 2013/14 to 2017/18 business years.

7. Stakeholders The key stakeholders in the Eastern Cape are all the members of the Wetland Forum which include officials of the Department of Water (including the River Health programme officials), Dept. of Agriculture, DED&EA, Local Municipal officials and Landowners.

8. Communication strategy This will be driven at Programme level. 9. Conclusion The existing 5 wetland rehabilitation projects in the Eastern Cape will continue for at least the next 2-3 years. There is a need to extent the wetland rehabilitation projects to other new unique wetlands systems that desperately need some work. Additional funding will be required before these projects can get off the ground.

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Annexure 2

Working for Wetlands, Wetland Rehabilitation, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE Five Year Plan

15 March 2013

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1. Introduction The Western Cape wetland systems have been shaped as much by the regions political and social history as by nature and technology. (Petts et al. 2005). Wetland systems in the Western Cape are characterized by varied landowner and interest parties. Working for Wetlands makes an essential contribution towards the rehabilitation of wetlands which keep catchments functioning. Working for Wetlands’ approach is to use wetland rehabilitation as a vehicle for poverty alleviation. Catchments play an integrative role in the landscape as upstream use impacts all downstream users. Working for Wetlands makes use of the catchment approach when planning rehabilitation activities. The following synopsis provides a brief history for each of the existing projects, and recommendations for new projects. 2. Project Breakdown 2.1 Peninsula Cape Town and its region face particularly acute pressures on other key environmental resources. There is already severe pressure on water resources and a crisis is emerging around high levels of waste as well as around securing a suitable regional waste disposal site. Cape Town has experienced shortages in terms of energy supply flowing from inadequate generation capacity serving the region in the past. There are also significant pollution impacts on major watercourses, quality of sea water as well as the impact of settlements on the survival and quality of our unique biodiversity is substantial and requires proactive management. These factors are all exacerbated by the uncertain impact of climate change on the region. There is some evidence to suggest that climate change could have a disproportionate impact on the ecology of the Western Cape with the potential to undermine agriculture and the tourism economy as well as exacerbating urban risks associated with fire, flooding and drought (City of Cape Town 2006).  Water use: water use per capita decreased sharply in 2001 when water restrictions were put in place. This was a positive step as Cape Town is a water scarce area, although daily per capita consumption of approximately 200 litres remains high.  Coastal water quality: water quality samples across the city reflected a significant decline between 2003 where 16% of sample points experienced an exceedance of the 80th percentile water quality guideline, and 2004/2005 where 24% of sites exceeded the guideline (City of Cape Town, 2005c).

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The Western Cape Wetlands Forum was used as a platform for stakeholder engagement. As biodiversity issues gain more impetus within the public arena there has also been an increasing awareness of the possibility of using catchment as a means of conserving a relatively moderately impacted riverine ecosystem from its source to the sea. Unlike most of the urban rivers for example, in Cape Town, the Keysers River is canalized only within a relatively short section, and even then, canalization has made use of armour flex and other means of lessening the severe impacts associated with concrete canalization. The river provides many opportunities for rehabilitation, as shown by the number of individual efforts that are taking place throughout the catchment. There also exists a strong will among the different stakeholders to create not only a biodiversity corridor, but one that is also accessible to the public. In recognition of this, WET-LAND Solutions, in association with the Freshwater Consulting Group and Clear Cut Contracts, were appointed by the Table Mountain Fund / WWF to compile an Action Plan for the Prinskasteel / Keysers River system, with a view to making recommendations for rehabilitation and management measures that should be implemented to improve biodiversity and amenity functions. The Project should be re-alligned with the City of CapeTown’s BioNet which includes areas that is the minimum viable area needed to conserve a representatitive sample of CapeTown’s unique biodiversity. Integrated rehabilitation of the Prinskasteel/Keysers River from source to sea was planned with funding from the Table Mountain fund in consultation with local stakeholders including the Sand River Catchment Forum and the City of Cape Town. This river is not very heavily impacted despite being in an urban area allowing good potential for functional restoration. There has been a very strong emphasis on re-vegetation to date. Revegetation interventions allows for multiple wetlands to be rehabilitated annually. This has included propagation of the endangered Erica verticillata. The Project has a Nursery established at Edith Stevens Wetland Park. Temporary employment has been created for 81 people. In the Blouberg area the primary focus of the Project is Invasive alien clearing; while in Noordhoek they have also rehabilitate erosion caused by horse riding paths; in the Prinskasteel Wetlands rehabilitation involves construction of structures to arrest channel incision. In 2008 the Strategic Framework for combatting Invasive Alien Species within the City of CapeTown’s boundary was adopted. This strategy was aligned with CAPE’s IAS strategy. The CoCT have since been allocated funding to manage Alien Invasive Species within the City of CapeTown. These areas overlap with areas planned for by Working for Wetlands. The City’s Programme indicated the establishment of a Nursery at Westlake whilst the Working for Wetlands 24

Project was given three years notice to evacuate the premises at Edith Stevens Wetland Park. The City of CapeTown also address alien invasive fauna and aquatic weeds. Sanparks manages a Working for Water Project within the boundary of the Table Mountain National Park which includes Noordhoek wetland. The Working for Wetlands Project in peninsula needs to be re-evaluated to determine the viability of the Project in the Peninsula in light of existing and new Projects with similar objectives in the Peninsula. A Strategic Planning meeting is planned for in April 2013 where partners involved will be invited to participate in a critical discussion regarding the Peninsula Working for wetlands Project. It is recommended that existing commitments in Rehabilitation Plans and as per 5 year plan be completed by year 2015/2016. Funding should be moved to higher priority catchment areas which supply water to Cape Town such as Riviersonderend, Berg River and Grootwinterhoek. Direct partners involved in the project: Western Cape Department of Agriculture, SANParks, Various Friends Groups in the South Peninsula, SANBI, City of Cape Town, WESSA, Western Cape Wetlands Forum, SanParks, MONDI Wetlands Programme 2.2

Agulhas

On the highly diverse Agulhas plain there are 12 types of wetlands, 44 bird species and several IUCN red-listed endemic amphibians. Some of the initial rehabilitation of wetlands in Agulhas was funded through C.A.P.E’s support of the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI). This project is a now partnership between the members of ABI and Working for Wetlands. Rehabilitation within and adjacent to the Agulhas National Park is assisting with the expansion of the Agulhas National Park through the rehabilitation of erosion, drainage furrows and invasive alien plant infestations as a result of Landuse activities. Rehabilitation planning within the Park focused work on priority wetlands within the Soetendalsvlei sections of the Park, within G50C quaternary catchment, as well as the Ratel River area, within G50A quaternary catchment. Rehabilitation planning outside of the National Park’s boundaries include the upper reaches of a tributary to the priority Nuwejaars River system, within G50C quaternary catchment. Further interventions will be carried out in the Ratel River within the National Park. Interventions have already moved across boundaries in the Ratel Rivier area. Future partenrships should be negotiated with the Nuwejaars Special Management Area (SMA) group of Private Landowners of this Agulhas Plain area.

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New areas include the Heuninges river and De Mond, a RAMSAR wetland of International Importance. Planning should be extended into these areas. Direct partners involved in the project: Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI), CAPE, Nuwejaars SMA, SANParks, Private Land Owners, CapeNature, MONDI Wetlands Programme 2.3

Duiwenhoks/ Goukou

This broad stakeholder project includes partners from SANBI, CapeNature, Working for Water and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture who support this project, creating 24 jobs. The Duiwenhoks and Goukou are palmiet dominated Valley Bottom systems which are important for both biodiversity and the water supply for the nearby towns of Heidelberg and Riversdal respectively. As a result of historically promoted Landuse Practices wetlands were often drains and ditched for cultivation; palmiet was also cleared up to the river banks. Alien plants which further destabilized the river banks and large areas in the Goukou and Duiwenhoks is infested with Alien Invasive Species. This situation led to a degradation of water quality and severe erosion, the largest erosion gully was up to 11m deep and 100m wide. There are two components of restoration in this area namely alien clearing and construction of gabion strucures to restore a headcut at the headwaters of the Klein Kruis Rivier. The Goukou’s middle and lower reaches is infested with Hyacinth. This problem is addressed by Working for Water in partnership with private landowners. Direct partners involved in the project: Cape Nature, Land Care, Hessequa Municipality, Working for Water, MONDI Wetlands Programme, WWF-SA 2.4

WestCoast (formally: Verlorenvlei)

Verlorenvlei is designated a Wetland of International Importance and is host to 75 resident and migratory birds and other important wetland species such as the rare minnow, Barbus burgi. It forms part of the Greater Cederberg Conservation Corridor Initiative and is under severe pressure from agriculture which has resulted in over abstraction of groundwater and degradation of water quality with recent mining threats. The focus of work in this slow moving largely groundwater driven system has been to clear impediments to flow and to remove invasive alien plants. Alien Clearing is undertaken on private land and therefore requires contracts with landowners to ensure long term commitments to follow-up treatment.

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The Project Planning domain has been broadened to include neigbouring catchments. Langvlei and Jakkalsvlei along with selected areas in the Groot Winterhoek Freshwater Corridor have been selected. People from Eendekuil, Elandsbay, Saron, Citrusdal and Porterville have been employed by the Project. New Focus Areas was identified to be included in future planning for the West Coast Project:

Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area This Area has been identified as a high priority area for water yield. Cathments E10C and G10G form part of the Groot Winterhoek Freshwater Corridor. The area consists of a network of seeps and other wetland types which secures steady and high quality water volumes to Voelvlei dam as well as the Olifants River to the North. The area receives an annual rainfall of approximately 1450mm. Increased fire frequency along with erratic flood peaks and a network of roads and footpaths through watercourses create a platform for erosion gullies and head cuts in this important area. These issues should be addressed in order to protect the integrity of the wetlands. Groot Winterhoek offers the opportunity for a greater number of wetlands to be rehabilitated annually and it is anticipated that smaller interventions rather than large structures will be needed to address the problems.

Twee Riviere The Twee River system is a sub-catchment of the Olifants-Doring River. It is the only known area where the critically endangered Twee River redfin (Barbus erubescens) occurs (Impson et al. 2007). The Twee River galaxias is another endemic fish species which is also critically endangered. As a result of intensive fruit production these species are threatened by habitat degradation, water abstraction and pollution. (Marriott 1998, Impson et al. 2007, Marr et al. 2009). A Project Proposal for fish conservation of the endemic Twee Riviere fish species has been made to the Green Trust by CapeNature. As the focus will be on the eradication of alien fish species, not all factors of degradation will be taken into account. The Twee Riviere catchment has many seeps and Valley Bottom wetlands which is part of habitat under threat. It is proposed that these aspects be addressed under the West Coast Working for Wetlands Project to strengthen and compliment Rehabilitation and protection efforts.

Dassenberg Coastal Catchment Partnership (DCCP)

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The DCCP is a partnership between the City of Cape Town, CapeNature, WWF, Table Mountain Fund, Wilderness Foundation, Cape West Coast Biosphere, SANParks and SANBI. CapeNature identified the area as a high priority in their Provincial Protected Area Expansion Strategy. This was echoed in WWF’s Table Mountain Fund Climate Change Corridor process. The area has incredibly high biodiversity value and Riverlands and Pella Conservation areas is the last portions of the poorly protected yet critically endangered Atlantis Sand fynbos. Furthermore the area falls within the Witzands Aquifer protection zone which is critical to City of CapeTown’s water supply to Atlantis. Riverlands and Pella (G21D) has unique wetland types which are not yet fully described and was also not identified by NFEPA – most probably due to its seasonality and impacts. As it is believed that these wetlands are critically endangered types it is recommended the West Coast project expands into this area to address impacts such as sedimentation, erosion, road crossings and Alien Invasive species. This Area is also the head waters for the Diep River which runs through Blouberg and one of the Peninsula Projects’ Alien Clearing sites.

Stakeholders include Cape Nature as implementer, DOA, Landowners, DWA, Cederberg Municipality, Berg River Municipality, Working for Water, Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor, Dassenberg Coastal Corridor partners, West Coast Biosphere Reserve, WWF-SA, MONDI Wetlands Programme 3. Time frame Assessment Based on available information, it is roughly estimated that 5 years’ worth (with the exclusion of Peninsula) of wetland rehabilitation interventions can be prioritized for wetlands within each project area: 2013-2018 4. Project: 4.1

Statement of purpose Environmental benefits

Since the inception of the rehabilitation work in the Western Cape, the Working for Wetlands programme has rehabilitated over 30 000 ha of wetlands through the implementation of concrete, earth and gabion structures. A very important component of the Peninsula Project is its revegetation programme. Erica verticillata is now one of about 80 fynbos wetland species propagated for replanting at Working for Wetlands rehabilitation sites on the Cape peninsula. By contributing to securing the plant’s 28

threatened habitat through rehabilitation, the Programme is giving the species a fighting chance, although it will still be considered extinct in the wild until it produces seedlings and proves to have a viable population. Since 2004, the Peninsula Project team has succeeded in propagating and planting over 400,000 individual plants of various species into recovering wetlands. Protection of critically endangered wetland types such as the wetlands found in the Dassenberg Coastal Catchment Partnership as well as Palmiet Peat wetlands is critical. Habitat protection of endangered fish species in the Groot Winterhoek Freshwater Corridor and Twee Riviere catchment forms part of the benefits. 4.2

Social benefits

As a component of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), Working for Wetlands implements its projects by maximizing employment creation, creating and supporting small businesses, and transferring skills to its beneficiaries, which will increase their chances of employment opportunities after the completion of their local projects. Since 2004, the Programme in the Western Cape has created 188 job opportunities through its projects. In addition to the standard training in first aid health and safety and construction; teams due to exit the programme in the Agulhas Project have been given training in catering and small scale building as they are scarce skills in this region. Workers who went through the catering training will be given a chance to prove their skills by catering for meetings, social days and small events in the park. Business cards will be distributed with the help of management to Dept. Labour offices as well as the municipal offices, as there is a great need for caterers in the area. The direct beneficiaries from the employees tally up to 50, which definitely benefit financially from the project. Local businesses benefits through people in the project spending money obtaining groceries and daily household needs. Water security and high quality of water to the City of Cape Town and users of the Olifants-Doorn, and towns of Hessequa Municipality is important. The protection of wetlands in these catchments ensures that there are healthy wetlands, which in turn, provide good quality water. 4.3

Developing local partnership for integrated catchment management;

Working for Wetlands operates by facilitating high level partnerships between different government departments and NGOs to develop integrated solutions and to access funding. They then also include 29

additional location specific role-players in cooperative governance at a local level. Working for Wetlands is hosted by SANBI but its operations include many other CAPE partners including The Department of Environment and Tourism, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Working for Water, WWF-SA, the Expanded Public Works Programme, and the Department of Agriculture. The MONDI wetlands Programme in cooperation with Working for Wetlands and CapeNature is currently undertaking ground-truthing of the wetlands inventory in the Western Cape. The initial focus is on Critical Biodiversity Areas which also contributes to NFEPA data. This Project will contribute to a high confidence inventory to the Province and a deeper level of understanding wetlands and ultimately ensure guidance on management, rehabilitation and stewardship for strategic conservation of the Western Cape’s wetlands. New areas to the West Coast Project have been identified through this partnered Project. The project compiles supports guidance on mapping, delineation and functioning of wetland systems within the Landscape. The Project also produced a Stewardship Fact sheet on basic guidelines for Wetland Management to landowners. This project currently forms a cornerstone to Working for Wetlands Western Cape in the identification of new areas for rehabilitation. Other partners include Cape Nature, Hessequa Local Authority, Eden to Addo Initiative, SANP, Environmental NGO’s, Academia, like UCT and other tertiary institutions, private landowners (farmers), and local communities. The Dassenberg Coastal Catchment Partnership pose a great opportunity for integrated catchment management whilst promoting cooperation between a range of partners. The Groot Winterhoek Freshwater Corridor is one of the major sources of water supply to the Voelvlei dam and 24 Rivers catchment are. An existing Alien Clearing Project, co funded by WWF and Working for Water is present in the 24 Rivers between Gouda and Saron. This project can be strengthened by interventions planned by the Integrated Catchment Fund, managed by CapeNature, which largely focus on fire management, roads and fottpaths; by extending the approach to include wetland rehabilitation and the effective management of the upper catchment. Landcare is also active in the upper reaches of the Berg River which connects with the 24 Rivers downstream. Private Conservation Initiatives: The Heuningnes Riparian Owners Association (HROA) was established in 1983. The Van Breda (Zoetendals Vallei), Albertyn (Zeekoevlei), Klipin (De Mond Farm) and Findlay (The Heuningnes) and their families established the HROA. The objective of the HROA is to preserve the unspoilt

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nature of the Heuningnes River for future generations. Owners have agreed to protect the natural environment, preserving indigenous fauna and flora and eliminating alien vegetation. Nuwejaars Wetland Special Management Area: (SMA) Initiative. A Section 21Company was registered during August 2003 with the aim to facilitate the Phase 1 Planning Report – Agulhas Plain June 2009 - 30 - implementation, funding and future management of the Initiative. The owners of the properties resolved to initiate the Nuwejaars SMA with the aim to:  Restore the wetlands and associated natural habitats in the area;  Establish an appropriate integrated land-management unit over the area; and  Facilitate the long-term management of the area in accordance with the principals and guidelines for Integrated Environmental Management (IEM). A total of 11 landowners are part of the Nuwejaars SMA Initiative: M. Dalton Coetzeeskraal, J.J. de Kock Elandsdrift & Moddervlei, J.J.B. Gilomee Mierkraal & Vlooikraal, D.C. Human Moddervlei & Waagsekraal, C.E. Neethling Haasvlakte & Zandvlakte F.B. Pratt Moddervlei & Riverside, H.U. Pratt Voëlvlei, Brakpan, Hangnes & Haasvlakte J.J. Snyders Heuningrug, D.G. Swart Wiegdrift, Uitkyk, Sandkraal, Heuningrug & Rooiwal J.J.C. Uys Vissersdrift, M. van Breda Zoetendals Vallei A strong partnership in Riversdale resulted in the structure for H80A-01 (Duiwenhoks East) to be designed during 2008/09 by Land Resource Institute, in collaboration with Provincial Department of Agriculture. Because of the scale and the technical difficulties of the structure, it required the appointment of a suitable team together with an implementing agent with the necessary technical skills and capable of taking on management and overseeing this project. There was also a need for the clearing of alien vegetation at this site, before the actual construction of this intervention could take place. This happened in collaboration with the Working for Water Programme and implementation took place during 2008/09. Implementation of the structure in H80A will is in progress. This means that the complete budget for the Duivenhoks Project will be tied up in this one structure with no other new rehabilitation work taking place in this system for this timeframe. These successes outlined above can only highlight the need for more resources to enable Working for Wetlands WCape to address other issues in the Province. An increase in the provincial budget will enable Working for Wetlands WCape to carry out and complete all the work in the priority areas where projects are currently working. Working for Wetlands will then be able to look outside of the priority wetland list, and find other wetlands of ecological importance that were left out of the priority list because of size (priority wetlands are 100ha and more). There is a number of wetland 31

sites not falling on the priority list, which have been identified as short-term (once off / one year) projects for rehabilitation. A budget increase as per 5 Year Plan and budget review will allow Working for Wetlands WCape to complete the current work within the next few years. Once complete attention can be shifted to new as well as other large wetland systems that is currently not being addressed due to budget constraints. 5. Project approach The Western Cape Wetlands Database recently been updated on the BGIS website is a collation of information on the location, character, data available, condition and management of wetlands in the Western Cape. The need for the database was identified by the Western Cape Wetlands Forum and was funded by the Table Mountain Fund. An outcome of the wetland prioritization process carried out by the Freshwater Consulting group was the identification of 54 wetland types within the City of Cape Town. Some of the major challenges that the Western Cape is faced with are: • Development pressures; • Agricultural practices and the impact on some of the palmiet wetlands; and • Illegal activities in wetlands; • Mining. The above certainly would be detrimental to the ecological state of wetlands in the Western Cape. However, it is important that attention not be focussed only on the priority wetlands because many of the smaller and less well known wetlands may nonetheless supply considerable goods and services. Projects budgets are fixed on R7,221,032.82 for year 2013-14. Requests in the province have way exceeded this value and many worthy projects are shelved due to limited funding. The recommendation is for Wetland Rehabilitation activities in the Western Cape to increase the budget for existing projects where there is still relevant and meaningful work to be done. The rehabilitation planning process has revealed that some projects still have important areas to complete (please refer to attached 5 year plan breakdown). This should take priority to secure the investment made along management systems in place with employment opportunities and commitments to local people. Some of the current project catchments have problems that are too large for Working for Wetlands to implement with current budgets. More funds could enable such interventions to be implemented. When these projects close down and their budget becomes available the next step will be to select other wetlands from the priority list that have been identified as the most threatened. Two examples of Wetland rehabilitation work is reflected below: 6. New Project Suggestions 32

6.1

Bitou

The Bitou River falls within the Cape Floristic Kingdom (a World Heritage Site) and is recognised as a high biodiversity priority in the region. The wetland has been described as “the most valuable ecological resource of the entire catchment, 654ha in entirety and currently under severe threat ....” The Southern Cape branch has strong participation from the stakeholders, who participate in the identification of wetlands, and have developed criteria for the prioritization of wetlands in the Southern Cape region. The criteria used involves: biodiversity; hydrological intactness; socioeconomic characteristics; threats; physical condition; and other strategic aspects (opportunity costs, return on investment). Using the same criteria the Southern Cape has prioritized the top 20 wetlands that require intervention (these wetlands are still relatively pristine or in a fairly good state, are under great threat and have the best opportunity for intervention and return on investment). These are: 1. Duiwenhoks east (upper) 3. Goukou River system 5. Swartvlei Estuary / floodplain system 7. Wilderness Lakes system 9. Noetzie Rivier / estuary (Kruisfontein) 11. Keurbooms River (lower) 13. Bitou River lower / estuary 15. Hoogekraal 17. Gwaing River system 19. Moordkuil River

2. Knysna Estuary / floodplain 4. Upper Knysna catchment (including Gouna) 6. Groenvlei 8. Touw River 10. Salt River system (Crags) 12. Tshokwane wetland (lower Keurbooms) 14. Karatara 16. Kaaimans River system 18. Wolwe / Diep River 20. Grootbrak Estuary / floodplain

Motivation for the rehabilitation of wetlands in these two quaternary catchments includes the following:  “Cape Rivers and Streams” represent one of 200 global priority ecoregions for conservation (sensu Olson & Dinerstein 20021)  “Cape Rivers and Streams” were assigned a conservation status of “…critical or endangered…” (sensu Olson & Dinerstein 2002)  Potentially one of the largest Palmiet (Prionium serratum) dominated wetland systems in southern Cape could be located in the upper Keurbooms River 33

catchment (K60D).  Fish: Cape Galaxia (Galaxias zebratus) – Near Threatened  Fish: Cape Kurper (Sandelia capensis) – Near Threatened  Frog: Knysna Leaf-folding Frog (Afrixalus knysnae) – Endangered  There are two Co-ordinated Waterbird Count (CWAC) sites in the study area, namely the lower Bitou River and Keurbooms estuary.  The following species of special concern may be present within the KeurboomsBitou estuary: Sand Dollar (Echinodiscus bisperforatus) – Protected species False Limpet (Siphonaria compressa) – Critically Endangered (possible) Knysna Seahorse (Hippocampus capensis) - Endangered The Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative (Eden to Addo) has already undertaken work in this area and its catchment, and in partnership with the GRI, has identified this ‘corridor’ as a priority biodiversity area. 6.2 Garden Route Wetland Rehabilitiation Project The Garden Route region in South Africa boasts numerous freshwater and estuarine wetland systems, several of which are of high conservation importance, both nationally and internationally. Knysna Estuary (Map 1 & 2), for example, is ranked first of the approximately 250 estuarine systems in South Africa in terms of conservation importance, whereas two of the estuaries that form part of the Wilderness Lakes System (Map 1 & 3), the Swartvlei Estuary and the Wilderness Estuary, are ranked 6th and 24th respectively (Turpie et al. 2002). The Wilderness Lakes are a proclaimed national park, and most of the system (Rondevlei, Langvlei, Eilandvlei, and the Serpentine) is a Ramsar site (Cowan and Marneweck1996), supporting a diverse (at times >65 species) and large (at times >7 000 individuals) waterbird community (Boshoff and Palmer 1991). Changes in land use and resource utilization place increasing pressure on wetland ecosystems throughout the region leading to environmental degradation, particularly in the larger estuarine systems. It is important to note that the future health and productivity of the estuaries is dependant not only on their direct management but also largely by the quantity and quality of their freshwater inputs (Turpie et al. 2002). Consequently, Knysna Municipality and South African National Parks are proposing a Rehabilitation Project to mitigate some of these effects, as briefly described in this document. Knysna Estuary The Knysna Estuary is located on the Southern Cape Coast of South Africa (34.1oS, 23oE) with a catchment area of 400km2 (Switzer, 2003)(Quaternary catchment K50B in map 1 & 2). The main freshwater input is from the Knysna/Gouna river system. Smaller river systems which enter the 34

estuary are the Salt River, Bongani River and Bigai River, all of which flow, in part, through heavily developed areas of Knysna town. The functioning of the Knysna Estuary, like all estuarine systems, is dependant in part on the quantity and quality of freshwater inputs (Schumann, 2000). Deterioration of Knysna Estuary is indicated through declines in freshwater inputs from the primary river systems, and deterioration in water quality (elevated sediment loads and pollutants), predominantly from the secondary catchments. It is the latter effect that is proposed be addressed in this program through rehabilitation of riverine wetlands in the Salt, Bongani and Bigai River Catchments to effect a reduction in pollutants and sediments entering the Knysna Estuary. Wilderness Lakes system The Wilderness Lakes system is situated on the Southern Cape coast (33o59’S, 22o39’E) within the Wilderness Section of the new Garden Route National Park (Quaternary catchment K30D in map 1 & 3). The system compromises three lakes, Rondevlei, Langvlei and Eilandvlei, interconnected by shallow channels, and the Touw River Estuary, which connects with Eilandvlei via the sinuous Serpentine Channel (Russell, 2003). The urban setting and resultant anthropogenic manipulation of this wetland system has caused a reduction in natural disturbance of emergent plant communities through, for example, water level stabilization, elimination of large herbivores and fire suppression. This in turn has resulted in changes in emergent aquatic plant communities characterized by increase in Phragmites reeds, grasses, and scrub and trees, and decline in the distribution of typical wetland species Juncus kraussii and Schoenoplectus scirpoideus (Russell, 2003). The objective of the proposed program in the Touw system is to reintroduce disturbance of degraded wetland areas through manual cutting of Phragmites reeds and removal of rootstocks in areas where alternative mechanised artificial disturbance regimes cannot be implemented, in order to effect changes in community composition. PROJECT OBJECTIVES  Reverse riparian wetland degradation in larger systems in the Knysna estuary catchment.  Maintenance of the quality and continued functioning of the estuarine wetland systems.  Restore natural plant communities in degraded areas of high priority estuarine wetland systems.  The creation of social benefits including flood attenuation in these flood prone areas, social upliftment through employment, maintenance of a healthy environment, and reduction in economic loss due to damage to services and structures. Through a partnership between the Knysna Municipality and SANParks, the proposed rehabilitation project could prove hugely successful as both partners bring a variety of skills to the project. SANParks is able to facilitate implementation, provide administrative support, expertise on project 35

implementation, project assessment and alien species removal. Knysna Municipality has many existing partnerships together with SANParks and are beneficial to such a project as they are the predominant land owner within the Knysna area of the areas requiring rehabilitation attention, are able to provide administrative support and allow for a variety of communication channels. Future consultations would however be much broader and will include Cape Nature, specific land owners and surrounding communities. 7. Personnel involved Most of the sites on the above list are within a reasonable distance for the current implementer to take over; however, additional project managers may be required especially for new projects. Expansion of the existing project will simply mean employing more contractors and labourers to meet the bigger budgets.

8. Budget I would like to request for R9 million, which will be broken down as reflected in the attached table per year over a 5 year period.

9. Time frame Business years: 2013 to 2018 10. Beneficiaries Provincial and local government structures have a mandate to protect and manage their wetlands better. The increase in financial resources for wetland rehabilitation will enable them to achieve their objectives. Our relationships with non-governmental organisations and the private sector will be established and/or strengthened

At project level, local communities are key beneficiaries in more ways than one. There will be employment opportunities, which will address issues of economic development. Those employed in the programme will receive skills development, enabling them a better chance in the work market after the completion of local projects. Communities that still rely on harvested materials e.g. fibre for building and craftwork, will benefit once the interventions have been in place long enough for the environment to start responding to them. Municipalities will be engaged on a much closer level to encourage information sharing in particular the IDP, where we are able to secure placements for workers on exit if we are aware of what skills municipalities will require timeously.

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11. Communication strategy The Western Cape will use the National Strategy. 12. Conclusion Given the abundance and diversity of wetland systems in the Western Cape, one can comfortably conclude that the Western Cape Province does not have enough resources to adequately address all wetland issues. An increase in the provincial budget will see the Western Cape Working for Wetlands Programme effectively address wetland problems at a larger scale than currently the case.

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Annexure 3 Working for Wetlands, Wetland Rehabilitation NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE Five Year Plan

15 March 2013

13. Introduction The Northern Cape is the largest province occupying 30% of the total South African land area, and by including Moshaweng and two other cross border local municipalities the area increases by less than 1%. Despite the area it contains the smallest population with less than 1 million people; approximately 300 000 households. The cross border municipalities have a large impact in respect of population increase, and place extra demand on water and sanitation supply, for example. Due to the increase in demand and further exasperating the situation is the long dry period, emphasizing the Northern Cape as a Province which needs to manage their water resources in a highly responsible manner. 14. Climate Apart from a small strip of winter-rainfall area along the coast, the Northern Cape is an arid to semiarid region with low summer rainfall. The area experiences cold and frost in winter with extremely high temperatures in summer. Like many areas of low rainfall, the Northern Cape is also an area of high evaporation potential. Variability in rainfall results in periodic episodes of severe and prolonged drought. Due to the lack of surface water in many areas, ground water is an important resource and in some areas is the only source of water for consumption. So the need to protect water resources in the Province is crucial, as it supports not only local communities but also agriculture and industry. 15. Project Breakdown 3.1 Orange River Mouth The mouth of South Africa's largest river is located on the Atlantic coast and forms the border with Namibia. As a result of its trans-border position and the fact that Namibia has also designated its part of the mouth a Ramsar site, processes are underway to declare a jointly-managed trans-boundary Ramsar site.

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In general terms the wetland can be described as a delta type river mouth with a braided channel system during low flow months. The Ramsar site comprises sand banks or channel bars covered with pioneer vegetation, a tidal basin, a narrow floodplain, pans, the river mouth, and a salt-marsh on the south bank of the river mouth. The wetland plays an important role as one of a limited number of wetlands along the arid Atlantic coastline of southern Africa. The river mouth, mudflats, intra fluvial marshlands, islets near the mouth and adjacent pans provide a sizeable area of sheltered shallow water suitable for concentrations of wetland birds, which use these habitats for breeding purposes or as a stopover on migration routes. The bird population can be as high as 20 000 to 26 000 individuals. Of the 57 wetland species recorded, 14 are listed as either rare or endangered in one or both of the South African and Namibian Red Data Books. At times the area supports more than 1 % of the world population of three species endemic to southwestern Africa: the Cape cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis, Damara tern Sterna balaenarum and Hartlaub's gull Larus hartlaubii. On a southern Africa scale the wetland supports more than 1 % of the subcontinental population of blacknecked grebe Podiceps nigricollis, lesser flamingo Phoenicopterus minor, chestnutbanded plover Charadrius pallidus, curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea, swift tern Sterna bergii, and Caspian tern Hydroprogne caspia. In 1995 the site was placed on the Montreux Record of the Ramsar Convention following the collapse of the salt marsh component of the system, which was the result of a combination of impacts, both at and upstream of the wetland. As a result of the decline in ecological character of the wetland, there has been a significant decrease in the number of waterfowl utilizing the system. Working for Wetlands efforts (since 2005) to assist with the rehabilitation work has seen significant improvement of the site and stronger engagement with partners. The original plan for the 2008/9 financial year for Working for Wetlands Rehabilitation Work was to do maintenance work on 180 hectares of alien initial clearing. However, after consultation with WfWater, it was decided that they will take over the alien plant clearing in the area, including the area where work was done in 2007. The rehabilitation work was concluded during the financial year 2008/2009. This allowed for the budget allocated to this deliverable to be re-absorbed into the project and take care of other concerns affecting work already completed, this includes mostly maintenance work and implements to protect what already has been done. Additional work completed: and other interventions identified were as follows: Maintenance of 2368m's of shade screening, Removal of litter in 179hactares of wetland area, and additional 330m's of shade screening to prevent excavated area to fill up with sand again. About 80 people have been employed by this project to date.

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Through the ORM Executive Committee and Technical Committee and the Project Advisory Group partnerships were forged with Provincial Government (Dept Environment and Nature Conservation), District Municipality, Richtersveld Municipality, Northern Cape Provincial Coastal Committee (NCPCC), Alexander Bay community, Alexcor Ltd and Sida Hub Community Property Association (CPA). The Orange River Interim Management Committee (ORMIMC) was formed in 1989 to serve as Advisory body to Authorities. The ORMIMC directs current initiatives at central Government level in order to remove the ORM from the Montreux record, rehabilitate the area, get protections under South African law and the development of a Management Plan. The ORMIMC has been discontinued and memebers will serve on the ORM Nature Reserve Advisory Committee going forward. The Partnerships were also extended to the development and conservation projects in the area. Active management of the RAMSAR site is limited and greatly falls on mining companies: Alexkor and Namdeb. The Spergebiet National Park has recently been proclaimed which includes the Namibian portion of the ORM. 3.2

Kammiesberg

Kamiesberg Local Municipality is custodian of the Kamiesberg centre of endemism – a distinctive and unique bioregion that is located around the high lying region of the uplands – an area just north of the town; Garies, and constituting a key priority for conservation by virtue of the remarkable biodiversity and high levels of endemism (plants and invertebrates are found here that occur nowhere else in the world). Catchments F50E, F50A and F30A have been identified as supporting the priority wetlands of the region. These catchments are critical high water-yield areas and the wetlands fall within two important vegetation types, Kamiesberg Granite Fynbos and Namaqualand Granite Renosterveld. Kamiesberg Granite Fynbos is restricted to the Kamiesberg Uplands, a factor making it a key element of any conservation strategy for the area. This vegetation type supports the highest number of endemic plant species, with at least 29 endemics (or near endemics) wholly restricted to or found primarily in this vegetation type. Namaqualand Granite Renosterveld is almost entirely endemic to the Kamiesberg (all but 30 hectares of its global distribution is found here). The renosterveld also supports a rich diversity of plant species, especially geophytes. Wetlands within Namaqualand Granite Renosterveld have been identified as special habitats in need of particular conservation attention, in view of their high levels of transformation, importance in terms of biodiversity conservation, and as water sources. 40

PROJECT DESCRIPTION Kamiesberg’s first year of implementation was 2009/10 . The project area is focussed on the Kamiesberg Uplands, an area of peaks and granite and gneiss outcrops all located above 1 000 m.a.s.l. The Kamiesberg Uplands is a global biodiversity hotspot and a centre for plant endemism within the Succulent Karoo biome. The Uplands is also an important high water-yield area, with an annual rainfall of 300-400 mm, in contrast to 200 mm or less in the semiarid lower-lying areas. The project area is a combination of privately-owned land and communal land. Project Scope Quaternary Catchments F30A - 202460 HA, F50A - 135115 HA, Quaternary Catchment Area 337575 Ha, Number of wetlands identified during the first assessment – 8, Work has commenced at new wetlands in 2009/2010/ The project will construct gabion structures of 565m3, earth structures of 344m3, re- vegetation of 430m2 and Geocells of 210m2 in the Kamiesberg Uplands. Implemented by SANPARKS. The project planning team identified and planned for 13 wetlands to be rehabilitated in the Kamiesberg uplands for year 2013-2014. Direct partners include, Kamiesberg Municipality, DENC, Conservation South Africa, Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme, ARC and DEAT. 16. Time frame Assessment Based on available information, it is roughly estimated that there is 5 years’ worth of wetland rehabilitation in the prioritized wetlands within each project area between 2013 and 2018. 17. Project: 5.1

Statement of purpose Environmental benefits

Due to the lack of water availability in certain parts of the Northern Cape, surface and groundwater quality is an important issue. Ecosystem integrity is another important issue in that good quality water and adequate water flow are required to sustain the growth of specific riverine ecosystems. Aquatic habitat integrity and water quality are major determinants of the biological communities in a system. If habitat is lost or degraded due to, for example, changes in land use, the biological integrity of the system will be adversely affected. In 1995 the ORM was placed on the Montreux Record of the Ramsar Convention following the collapse of the salt marsh component of the system, which was the result of a combination of impacts, both at and upstream of the wetland. This has resulted in efforts from Working for Wetlands 41

to engage in rehabilitation work to secure the statutory protected status for the site, which enabled the Northern Cape Nature Conservation Service to begin managing and rehabilitating the wetland. Rehabilitation work was crucial as a result of the decline in ecological character of the wetland; there was a significant decrease in the number of waterfowl utilizing the system. Since the inception of the rehabilitation work in the Northern Cape, the Working for Wetlands programme has provided rehabilitation work mainly in the ORM area since around 2005, during 2009/2010 financial year the Programme has strategically broadened its wings in the Province to include Projects in Kamiesberg. Wetland rehabilitation work mainly includes concrete, earth and gabion structures, and alien clearing. 5.2

Social benefits

As a component of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), Working for Wetlands implements its projects by maximizing employment creation, creating and supporting small businesses, and transferring skills to its beneficiaries, which will better their chances of getting employment after the completion of their local projects. Since 2005, the Programme in the Northern Cape has created in excess of 80 job opportunities through its projects, the potential to create more employment is great as more wetlands in the Province requires rehabilitation efforts. 5.3

Developing local partnership for integrated catchment management;

Working for Wetlands operates by facilitating high level partnerships between different government departments and NGOs to develop integrated solutions and to access funding. Additional location specific role-players in cooperative governance at a local level are also identified. Working for Wetlands is hosted by SANBI but its operations include many other Provincial Government (Dept Environment and Nature Conservation), District Municipality, Richtersveld Municipality, Northern Cape Provincial Coastal Committee (NCPCC), Alexander Bay community, Alexcor Ltd and Sida Hub Community Property Association (CPA). Partnerships were also extended to the development and conservation projects in the area: Kamiesberg Municipality, Conservation South Africa, Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme, ARC and DENC. Conservation South Africa in cooperation with the Argricultural Research Council is doing active monitoring on wetlands in Kamiesberg. Three wetlands, identified for Rehabilitation, were monitored before rehabilitation took place and are now monitored annually to monitor improvements. CSA also makes use of local Environmental Monitors who will be doing structural monitoring for the Working for Wetlands Project. An Environmental Expo was held on the 10th and the 11th July 2009 which was the first of its kind to take place in the Northern Cape Province. It’s envisaged as a pioneering event, focused on raising public awareness around products and projects that deal with environmental issues, within the

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Namakwa district. The event also showcased opportunities for sustainable development that capitalized on the regions unique natural environment. Partnerships: DENC Northern Cape, the Botanical Society of South Africa, Conservation South Africa and the newly formed Namakwa District Biodiversity Forum. The aim of the event is to raise awareness of the importance of preserving this biodiversity hotspot, as well as providing examples of, and highlighting the different manners in which conservation in the area may function as a profitable land use with regard to social wellbeing and economic development. The event was attended by the MEC and many delegates which provided a good platform for raising the profile especially for wetland rehabilitation in the Province. These successes outlined above can only highlight the need for more resources to enable the Programme to cover as much of the province as possible. An increase in the provincial budget will enable Northern Cape Working for Wetlands to carry out and complete all the work in the priority areas where we are currently working. There are a number of wetland sites not falling on the priority list, which have been identified as short-term (once off / one year) projects for rehabilitation. As part of the budget increase a Provincial Coordinator should be appointed for the Northern Cape. The Northern Cape offers opportunity to the Programme on a National level to increase the number of wetlands to be rehabilitated annually to a great extent. This can only be pursued by a Provincial Coordinator that does not have shared responsibilities with another Province. 18. Project approach Groundwater is the main source of water for about 60% of both rural and urban residents throughout southern Africa (UNEP, 2002). Groundwater resources are particularly important in the Northern Cape, which has a high evaporation potential, low and variable rainfall. Groundwater quality is one of the main factors affecting the development of available groundwater resources. Management and protection of groundwater quality is of concern as the resource is vulnerable to salinization (through seepage of seawater or irrigation water), seepage from agricultural runoff, industrial and domestic discharges and consequently high nitrate and phosphate levels. The Northern Cape also faces other greater challenges in managing the lower Orange River. Namibia and South Africa share a 600km stretch of the Orange River. This shared resource requires an integrated approach towards water resource management so that future water requirements may be sustained. The Dept. Environment and Nature Conservation (DENC) (formerly the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, Environment and Conservation (DALEC) appointed CSIR to compile the 2004 Northern Cape State of the Environment (SoE) Report. The project process was divided into three phases, namely: 43

• • •

Phase 1: Issues identification; Phase 2: Selection of Key Environmental Indicators; and Phase 3: Compilation of the 2004 SoE Report.

During this process, both specialists and stakeholders were given the opportunity to contribute to the project. Phase 1 entailed the selection of key environmental issues, described as topics of strategic concern that will influence the environmental sustainability of the Province. The broad key environmental issues identified in Phase 1 were then used as the basis for the development of a set of key environmental indicators in Phase 2. Phase 3 of the project involved the compilation of the SoER, where each of the themes was investigated through a separate specialist study. Specialists were involved in compiling the draft studies, which were then subjected to a review. During this phase the specialists made use of the environmental indicators in their theme to generate an understanding of the complex interactions occurring in the Northern Cape environment. . However, it is important that attention not be focussed only on the priority wetlands because many of the smaller and less well known wetlands may nonetheless supply considerable goods and services. ORM has been shelved as the South African Government Agency was in the process of claiming the shared section with Namibia a Conservation Area, this process has now been completed with the Spergebiet being proclaimed and the land claim on the South African side has been handed to the Richtersveld community. Currently requests in the province have way exceeded the actual value and the WfWet Programme is faced with having to shelve many worthy projects due to the limited amount of funds. In addition ORMICC has requested additional work in the ORM area as an ongoing partnership with the shared resource with Namibia. The recommendation is for rehabilitation work in the Northern Cape to increase the number of Projects with relevant budgets to implement over a period of time. A Provincial Coordinator dedicated to the Northern Cape is needed in order to facilitate the process and become more familiar with wetlands in the Northern Cape. The rehabilitation planning process has revealed that some projects still have sufficient deliverables for the next couple of years (please refer to attached 5 year plan breakdown) and these should take priority to secure the investment made and as well as management systems being in place. Two examples of Wetland rehabilitation work is reflected below: 19. New Project Suggestions 7.1 Niewoudtville Working for Wetlands: Nieuwoudtville is a new project being initiated for 2015/16 implementation. The project area is focussed on the Nieuwoudtville Plateau. Hantam Local Municipality, and the Nieuwoudtville Plateau in particular, is a distinctive and unique bioregion and a key priority area for conservation by virtue of the remarkable biodiversity and high 44

levels of endemism (plants and invertebrates are found here that occur nowhere else in the world). The recently-completed Namaqualand Biodiversity Sector Plan highlights the incredible importance of this area in terms of biodiversity. The area is regarded worldwide as a centre of bulb endemism, and is home to a huge diversity of plants and vegetation types. It is also a hotspot for invertebrates, and the area surrounding Nieuwoudtville is known to have a great variety of insects – notably certain endemic monkey beetles that are key pollinators for many of the regions unique plant life. The area surrounding the town of Nieuwoudtville is also a centre of endemism for bees, and the only place in the world where plant and bee endemism overlap. Catchments E32E, E40C and E24K have been identified as supporting the priority wetlands of the region. These catchments are critical high wateryield areas and also important support systems for rivers and aquatic species of the area. Project Details Quaternary Catchment Area E32E – 103320, E40D – 56137, E24K – 67230 Number of wetlands identified during assessment - 11 Start of a new Project: Work to commence at new wetlands in 2015/2016 (based on available funds) The project area is a combination of privately-owned land and communal land. Partnership DENC, CSA, Working for Water (Northern Cape), Various Private Land Owners 7.2

New Tourism Infrastructural facility for a craft centre based in Kharkams, Succulent Karoo Hot Spot, Namaqualand, Northern Cape

Kharkams falls within the Kamiesberg Municipality, a centre for biodiversity which contains two of the nine conservation priorities of the Succulent Karoo Biodiversity Hotspots. Fundamentally, Kharkams houses one of the major wetlands in the area and is crucial to create an incentive to the communities in exchange for the conscious protection of the Kharkams wetlands. Partnership DENC, CSA, Working for Water (Northern Cape), Various Private Land Owners 20. Personnel involved The Northern Cape is one of the largest Provinces in the country, the likely hood of recruiting new implementers would need to be investigated. A Northern Cape Provincial Coordinator needs to be appointed before any new projects can open. 21. Budget I would like to request for R9 million, which will be broken down as reflected in the attached table per year over a 5 year period. 22. Time frame Business Year: 2013 - 2018

45

23. Beneficiaries Provincial and local government structures have a mandate to protect and manage their wetlands better. The increase in financial resources for wetland rehabilitation will enable them to achieve their objectives. Relationships with non-governmental organisations and the private sector will be established and/or strengthened at project level; local communities are key beneficiaries in more than one way. There will be employment opportunities, which will address issues of economic development. Those employed in the Programme will receive skills development, enabling them a better chance in the work market after the completion of local projects. Communities that still rely on harvested materials e.g. fibre for building and craftwork, will benefit once the interventions have been in place long enough for the environment to start responding to them. Municipalities will be engaged on a much closer level to encourage information sharing in particular the IDP, where we are able to secure placements for workers on exit if we are aware of what skills municipalities will require timeously. The IDP approach is already underway with the Garies municipality for the Kammiesberg Project. 24. Communication strategy The Northern Cape will make use of the National Communication Strategy for Working for wetlands. 25. Conclusion One of the greatest challenges for the Northern Cape is the trans-boundary management of the lower portion of the Orange River. A coordinated response in partnership with Namibia is the only solution to managing the demands of development. This partnership is described in the following:  Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) The objectives of this convention are “to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognising the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value”. South Africa’s entry into force was on 21 December 1975 (Ramsar, 1971). Namibia has also ratified this convention. Any wetlands recognised as internationally important should be included in plans to promote their conservation and wise use as well as consult with other parties should a wetland extend over the territories of more than one contracting party (Ashton and Neal, 2003).  United Nations Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UNCSW) The United Nations Convention on the UNCSW (1997) provides for the protection, conservation and management of shared water courses which are used for non-navigational purposes. The convention is signed and ratified by South Africa and signed by Namibia (Ashton and Neal, 2003). The requirements of this convention include the following: • Equitable use of international watercourses; • The avoidance of significant harm to other watercourse States;

46

• The sharing of intentions with other watercourse States of any actions which may adversely affect water resources; • The protection and preservation of the ecosystems of international watercourses; and • The protection of watercourses and their facilities by international law (Ashton and Neal, 2002). The lower Orange River (due to the shared border with Namibia) is a shared watercourse and must be effectively managed to ensure sustainable, equitable usage of the resource.  Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems in the SADC Region South Africa and Namibia have both signed the Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems (SADC, 2001). This protocol contains similar provisions to the UNCSW described above but aims to heighten awareness of the importance of water resources in the southern African region (Ashton and Neal, 2003).  Permanent Water Commission on the Orange (Gariep) River Several bilateral agreements are entered into between South Africa and its neighbours. One of these agreements, the Permanent Water Commission (PWC) on the Orange (Gariep) River, has been entered into between South Africa and Namibia. This agreement is an important, strategic accord or contract which formalizes and assists in the joint management and utilisation of shared watercourses (Ashton and Neal, 2003). The boundary issue between South Africa and Namibia is a major concern when having to deal with development proposals (e.g. proposals for mining in the river bed on the boundary) which have to be referred to the Permanent Water Commission (PWC) established between South Africa and Namibia which only meets once every 6 months. The in-stream flow requirements (IFR) for the Orange River mouth have been documented as part of the Orange River Re-planning Study. Given the abundance and diversity of wetland systems in the Northern Cape, one can safely conclude that there are insufficient resources to adequately address all wetland issues. An increase in the provincial budget will see the Working for Wetlands Programme effectively addressing wetland problems at a much bigger scale than is currently the case. The second greatest challenge is the size of the Northern Cape and the fact wetlands have not been well documented in the Province. An important note to take is that no new projects should be implemented without the appointment of a Working for Wetlands Provincial Coordinator dedicated to the Northern Cape. There is a great need for collaboration and exploration of wetlands in the rest of the Northern Cape. As the Province is the largest in the country as well as very unique it demands time and energy which cannot be shared with another Province.

47

Annexure 4 Working for Wetlands Free State Wetland Rehabilitation Five Year Plan March 20, 2014 26. Introduction Working for Wetlands programme has 4 wetland rehabilitation projects in the Free State, namely Seekoievlei: Memel, Upper Wilge: Harrismith, Maluti a Phofung: Qwaqwa and Golden Gate: Clarens. All this projects are based in the Eastern part of the Free State Province and have been in operation on average for over 8 years. These catchments were highly prioritised for rehab due to their nature: High rainfall area, Dispersive soils, relatively steeper topography, high run off and as a result highly prone to erosion. Other parts of the Free State have similar problems except that, their areas are relatively gentle sloped but wetlands are also degraded in their own way and require rehabilitation as well and these areas include, Bloemfontein, Vredefort, Sasolburg and Parys and Petrus Styen.

27. Statement of purpose There are great achievements from the above mentioned projects in terms of rehabilitation deliverables and objectives. The projects are operated within the norms and standards of the EPWP. The creation and utilisation of the local SMMEs are also the characters of these projects. There has been a great improvement of the wetland ecosystem’s integrity. In order to roll out these projects to other parts of the province (West, Central and North) more resources are needed to achieve all the objectives. The resources (Funds) required are outlined in the table below. In the next five years I would like to see wetland rehabilitation projects in all areas covered in this planning.

28. Project approach Depending on the circumstances, the approach which the project will take can differ from case to case. I have three categories 1 to 3 as outlined below. The funds for new projects that I am requesting would help to achieve the bigger plans for the province in that more wetland are degraded and require the rehabilitation which come at a cost. •Category 1 – Interventions planned within an identified wetland. •Category 2 – Wetlands within a sub-Catchment area assessed to determine where plans for rehabilitation work are required.

48

•Category 3 – Quaternary Catchment or management area assessed as a whole before wetlands are identified where plans for rehabilitation are required. •The current 4 project areas in the Free State are categorised as follows: • Maluti-A-Phofung (Category 2) • Wilge (Category 2) • Seekoeivlei (Category 1) • Golden Gate (Category 1) The planning for Maluti-a-Phofung wetlands is shown in the map below and this includes areas where we have already completed rehabilitation however maintenance inventory shall be regularly be conducted. Wetlands around Sterkfontein Dam are incorporated into this five year plan.

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The following Maps Show the Quaternary Catchments which are already surveyed from the air and have great potential in rehabilitation, however more emphasis shall still be placed in the Eastern Free State for the reasons given in the introduction. Free State North

Bloemfontein A rehabilitation Plan for about R2mil is in place and this plan is incorporated within this five year plan

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Eastern Free State

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

R 8.5m Projects Continue

R 9.3m Projects Continue

R10.2m Projects Continue

R11.3m Projects Continue

R12.4m Projects Continue

New Project Begin R2m

Project continue R2,2m

Project continue R2,4m

Project continue R2,6m

R9,2m

New Project Begin R2m

Project Continue R2.2m

Project continue R2.4m

R6.6m

New Project Begin R2m R 17.9m

Project Continue R2.2m

4.2m

R19.6m

R71.7m

Western Free State ( Thaba nchu & Bothsabelo: Bloemfontein) Northern Free State (Parys, Vredefort and Sasolburg) Central Free State (Petrus Steyn) Total for year

R 8.5m

R 11.3m

R 14.4m

Tot for 5 years per Province R51.7m

29. Personnel involved In the Eastern Free State, the personnel involved shall remain until 2013/2014 when the contracts expire. From 2014/2015 the contracts shall be re-advertised, and depending on the outcomes of the bidding there may be new implementers and Project Managers. The workers and contractors shall be sourced from the immediate local townships or farms. 30. Budget The annual budgets are projected as indicated in the above table marked in Blue for each Financial Year (with an annual increase of about 10%). The projections on the new projects are based on the aerial survey observations; however ground verifications are still going to be conducted. 31. Time frame This would be for the 2013-14 to 2017-18 business years. 32. Stakeholders The stakeholders shall include all organisations in the FS Wetlands Forum but not limited to the following: Page 51 of 94

Department of Water affairs Department of Agriculture Department of Environment (National and Provincial) University of Free State District and Local Municipalities Bloem Water Implementers Land Owners 33. Beneficiaries The key people that would benefit from the proposed work are the poorest of the poor from the local communities. All Workers shall be temporarily employed and will directly benefit form the project whereas those who depend on them shall benefit indirectly. EPWP standards shall be applied in all the projects 34. Communication strategy This will be driven at Programme level. 35. Conclusion The direction which this plan is taking is highly informed by the research and surveys already done. Proposed new wetland projects enjoy the support from the FS Wetlands Forum. The success of this plan shall definitely depend on the availability of funds projected and requested, which I hope shall be secured.

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Annexure 5

Working for Wetlands Wetland Rehabilitation Five Year Plan – Gauteng

15 March 2013 36. Introduction Gauteng province is surrounded by three major catchments namely, Olifants, Vaal and Crocodilewest and Marico, refer to figure 1 below. Gauteng province is the main polluter of Vaal and Crocodile west and Marico water management areas. Mining and urbanisation are the main activities that are polluting these systems.

WATER MANAGEMENT AREAS ZIMBABWE MOZAMBIQUE BOTSWANA 1. Limpopo Provincial Boundaries

2. Luvuvhu and Letaba

4. Olifants 3. Crocodile (West) and Marico

Water Management Area Boundaries

Pretoria 5. Inkomati

Johannesburg

10. Lower Vaal NAMIBIA

9. Middle Vaal

8. Upper Vaal

6. Usutu to Mhlatuze

7. Thukela Bloemfontein 14. Lower Orange

17. Olifants/ Doorn

Cape Town

12. Mzimvubu to Keiskamma 15. Fish to Tsitsikamma

19. Berg

East London

16. Gouritz 18. Breede

Port Elizabeth

Figure 1. Water Management Areas (WMAs) of South Africa

53

Durban 11. Mvoti to Umzimkulu

13. Upper Orange

WfWet has sporadically worked in all these major catchments. Table one below shows the wetlands that have been rehabilitated since 2001. Improved wetland functioning has been observed over the years. Table 1: Gauteng priority wetlands Wetland name Catchment Klip River – City of Joburg – Upper Vaal Gauteng South Soshanguve – Soutpan Spruit Crocodile West and - Tshwane Marico Colbyn Crocodile West and Marico Rietvlei – Tshwane south – Crocodile West and Tshwane – Gauteng North Marico Kaalspruit - Tshwane Crocodile West and Marico Blesbokspruit Upper Vaal Siluma - Natalspruit Upper Vaal Ezemvelo nature reserve – Upper Olifants and Upper Gauteng East Vaal Esselen Park Crocodile West and Marico Ekurhuleni – Gauteng East Crocodile West and Marico; Upper Olifants

Starting date 2004

End date On going

2002

On going

2001 2001

On going

2002

2008/9

2004 2002 2010/11

2007/8 2006/7 On going

2008/9

2008/9

2008/9

2009/10

2. Statement of purpose The programme has managed to bring together three Gauteng metros and the provincial departments, GARD in particular in the wetland rehabilitation process. The involvement of the three metros is evident in the type of support they give to the programme. For instance Tshwane has funded Rietvlei wetland with R800, 000.00 in the past; Ekurhuleni is funding rehabilitation planning for their wetlands; while City of Joburg through City Parks, their conservation and recreation department are also doing rehabilitation on their own. Ekurhuleni has indicated that they would like WfWet to lead wetlands rehabilitation process in their areas. Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) is currently funding Tswaing and Magaliesberg wetland rehabilitation projects, being implemented in partnership with WfWet. The programme has now earmarked all local municipalities that are in the prioritised catchments.

In this province the programme would like to focus more on the areas outside the city centre. This means that the city centres would be surrounded with well-functioning wetlands that would prolong the lifespan, quality and quantity the sources of water for the province, such as Vaal dam. These Page 54 of 94

efforts would also reduce the cost of water purification. Other benefits that would be derived from our work are as follows: -

Better livelihoods Improved ecosystem functions Improved human health Vibrant biodiversity Improved food security Improved skills development; and job opportunities

3. Project approach Integrated water resource management strategy would be used to prioritise the wetland rehabilitation in Gauteng. IWRM recommends the approach that focuses at a catchment unit. Catchment approach makes more sense as to align the rehabilitation activities with the DWEA’s IWRM strategy for a specific catchment. Table 2 Budgets 2013/2014 to 2017/2018 Wetland name

Catchments and major rivers 1. Gauteng South Upper Vaal – Klipriver, Suikerbosrant

Budget Period requirement (R) 5 years 2,5m

2. Gauteng North Crocodile west and Marico – Hennops, Jukskei, Crocodile, Soutpan, and Kaalspruit rivers

3,6 m (Reitvlei, Klipkop and Ezemvelo) Tswaing 0.7m Magalies1.6m Total 5.9mil

Total

Comments*

To achieve catchment objectives, which are About improved water quality and R13.75m quantity; safe guard biodiversity, improve ecosystem functioning and social livelihoods. 5 years To achieve catchment objectives, which are About R32.4 m improved water quality and quantity; safe guard biodiversity, improve ecosystem functioning and social livelihoods. R46.2mil over 5 years

* Municipalities, government departments (DWEA, GDARD, and DAFF), forums, communities and private landowners’ priorities gathered through provincial workshops and from provincial policies such as conservation plans, water resources management. Page 55 of 94

4. Personnel involved Same contractors, implementers and labourers will remain the same. Labourers might change from place to place. 5. Budget I would like to recommend for R6, 363,360 million, which will be broken down as per table 2 above in section 3. 6. Time frame This would be for 2013/14 to 2017/2018 financial years.

7. Stakeholders Government departments (DWEA, DAFF, GDARD and DME), Johannesburg Metro, District & Local Municipalities, Catchment Management Forums, Randwater Foundation , Mondi Wetland Project, Environmental NGOs, Academia (Wits University and other tertiary institutions), private landowners (farmers), and local communities. 8. Beneficiaries Stakeholders mentioned in section 7 and the country at large. 9. Communication strategy This will be driven at Programme level. 10. Conclusion The current budget for the province is sufficient to address the prioritised wetlands considering the capabilities of our human resources. The complexities in the province also played a major role in deciding on the budget. Gauteng is urbanised province with lots of challenges that require careful consideration. It is therefore concluded that the current budget would suffice for the coming 5 years with an annual increase of 10%.

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Annexure 6 WORKING FOR WETLANDS KWA-ZULU NATAL 5-YEAR PLAN (2013 – 2017) COMPILED IN MARCH 2013 1. KZN MIDLANDS This project is moving from Hlatikulu (V20C) and Ntabamhlophe (V60D) where it’s been operational since 2004 to a new catchment, Umngeni. The Umngeni catchment is one of the most important catchments in KZN as it supports the Umngeni River, which supplies water for the Greater Pietermaritzburg and Greater Durban Metros. The catchment is under strain from numerous land-use activities and thus its ability to provide water sustainably and cost-effectively is diminishing. There are numerous actions (e.g. removal of alien invasive plants, dryland erosion control, etc) planned and implemented by various role players in the catchment to try and restore the catchment’s ability to deliver water services (quality and quantity). Wetland rehabilitation is seen as a major contributor to improving the catchment’s ecological infrastructure, which will in turn increase its ability to deliver not only water but many other wetland services that are currently not delivered due to a poor state of wetlands. Key role players for this project are: Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (E-KZNW), Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), Mondi Wetland Programme (MWP), Working for Water (WfW), Invasive Alien Species Programme (IASP), Landcare Programme, Duzi Umngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT), Umgungundlovu District Municipality (UMDM), Upper Umngeni Catchment Management Forum (UCMF), University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and landowners. PROJECT

KZN Midlands

SITE

DETAILS

2013

Ivanhoe Farm New project: implementation staring in R1 944 000 2013/14. Only a small portion of the catchment has been planned for. It is anticipated that it can take up to 12 years to rehabilitate the entire catchment. YEARLY TOTALS R1 944 000

2014

2015

2016

2017

R2 060 640

R2 184 278

R2 315 334

R2 454 254

5-YEAR TOTAL R10 958 506

R2 060 640

R2 184 278

R2 315 334

R2 454 254

R10 958 506

2. KZN NORTH This project is finishing off work in Bloodriver Vlei (V32G) and is continuing implementation in Padda Vlei (V60D). Padda Vlei was identified by George Begg (1987) as one of the 24 priority wetland sites for KZN. Functions highlighted as particularly important in this wetland include (i) water storage; (ii) streamflow regulation; and (iii) flood attenuation. Little is known about the conservation value of this system although Begg reported use of the wetland by both the blue and crowned cranes. Padda Vlei is a large (788Ha) valley bottom wetland and is located in a shallow valley floor in the upper reaches of the Wasbank River system within the quaternary catchment V60D. The KwaMahlaba River flows out of this wetland area and joins the Wasbank River near Glencoe. From here, it flows south past Wasbank before joining the Sundays and later the Tugela River. There is currently no land use in the wetland except cattle grazing, which is encouraged if controlled. The key stakeholders are: Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (District Conservation Office), Department of Agriculture & Environmental Affairs (DAEA),KZN Department of Water Affairs (DWA), Glencoe Local Municipality, landowners PROJECT SITE

DETAILS

2013

Padda Vlei Implementation started in 2011 and there R1 945 712 KZN Farm are future plans to extend planning into a North neighboring Farm. It is anticipated that there is enough work for 5 more years. YEARLY TOTALS R1 945 712 3. MAPUTALAND

2014

2015

2016

2017

R2 062 454

R2 186 201

R2 317 373

R2 456 415

5-YEAR TOTAL R10 968 155

R2 062 454

R2 186 201

R2 317 373

R2 456 415

R10 968 155

This project has focused solely on the Mkhuze Floodplain since its inception in 2004. Work initially took place on the Mnqobokazi community (W32B) and focused on Tshanetshe Pan and surrounding areas. It then moved into the Mkhuze Game Reserve (W31L) from 2010. The Mkhuze Floodplain is another one of George Begg’s priority wetlands for KZN. The floodplain is a major source of freshwater for Lake St Lucia and it also plays a big role in sediment trapping. Since most part of the floodplain lies on communal land, it provides locals with access to water (for various uses), raw materials for craft and housing, medicinal plants, fertile land for subsistence farming and sources of food from fishing from pans that lie adjacent the Mkhuze River.

58

The key role players for this project are: iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (IWPA), Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (E-KZNW), Mnqobokazi Tribal Authority, Umkhanyakude District Municipality, Big Five False Bay Local Municipality, St Lucia Catchment Management Forum, Department of Water Affairs (KZN-DWA), Department of Agriculture & Environmental Affairs (DAEA) PROJECT

SITE

Maputaland

Kleinspan

DETAILS

2013

Work is ongoing since 2012. There is R1 944 000 enough to keep the project there for another 3 years. iSimangaliso New project that is starting in 2013. Work R2 000 000 Wetland will continue for another 4 more years. Park Budget from Kleinspan will be moved here once Kleinspan work has been completed. YEARLY TOTALS R3 944 000 4. UPPER MZINTLAVA

2014

2015

2016

2017

R2 060 640

R2 184 278

R2 315 334

R2 454 254

5-YEAR TOTAL R10 958 506

R2 120 000

R2 247 200

R2 382 032

R2 524 953

R11 274 185

R4 180 640

R4 431 478

R4 697 366

R4 979 207

R22 232 691

Much of the Upper Mzintlava project has concentrated in the T32C catchment since the inception of the project in 2004, including Penny Park which has seen quite a degree of rehabilitation success. However, rehabilitation work is coming to an end in this catchment and focus has moved into the neighbouring catchment of T32B. Current and future wetland rehabilitation works associated with this project are located northeast of Kokstad on the Mzintlava River and its tributaries. The wetlands are of high importance for the conservation of biodiversity both regionally and nationally. For example, three of nine sites in which the Critically Endangered Whitewinged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) is known to occur in South Africa are in the Franklin-Kokstad area. Thus, the primary motivation for the rehabilitation of wetlands in these quaternary catchments is the maintenance and enhancement of habitat for important wetland biota (e.g. Grey Crowned and Wattled Crane). An additional benefit will be a potential improvement in water quality and low flows downstream of interventions. The latter is an important consideration as Kokstad is reputed to obtain some its water from the Mzintlava River downstream of the interventions. The key role players for this project are: Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), Penny Park Conservancy, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (particularly the Biodiversity

59

Stewardship Programme and Mt Currie Park Management), Kokstad Local Municipality, Landowners and the Farmers Association. PROJECT

SITE

Upper Mzintlava

Willowdale Farm

DETAILS

2013

This is continuation of work started in R3 080 017 2011/12, which could not be completed due to budget constraints. Hebron Farm This is new work but what’s in the R690 668 rehab plan is enough for one year unless the landowner avails more areas for rehab. Ivanhoe Farm This is new work and it is anticipated R1 497 033 that implementation will require 3 years to complete the farm. Franklin Vlei This is a different wetland where future work is envisaged. It is one of the priority wetlands for KZN and is critical for biodiversity maintenance. Damming and abstraction from the wetland has been on the increase in recent years, particularly in the main body of the wetland where 4 dams are now located. Cedarville This project has been earmarked for Flats rehabilitation for a number of years. Initial landowner engagement was done in 2011 but most farmers needed

2014

2015

2016

2017

5-YEAR TOTAL R3 080 017

R690 668

R2 500 000

R2 000 000

R5 997 033

R1 000 000

R1 250 000

R1 500 000

R2 083 781

R2 668 807

R4 773 935

R3 750 000

R6 650 371

R16 176 894

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more time to process the information. The wetland is important for stream flow regulation, erosion control and biodiversity maintenance. YEARLY TOTALS R5 267 718

R5 583 781

R5 918 807

R6 273 935

R6 650 371

R29 694 612

PROVINCIAL YEARLY TOTALS R13 101 430 R13 887 515 R14 720 764 R15 604 008 R16 540 274 R73 853 964

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Annexure 7 Working for Wetlands Limpopo Wetland Rehabilitation Five Year Plans March 20, 2014

1. Introduction

Wetlands in the Limpopo province support the livelihoods of many poor people through agriculture for both food production and income. Wetlands are used to mitigate the problem of low crop yields associated with low rainfall and droughts. However, wetlands are complex and ecologically sensitive environments, which fulfil other important environmental functions, such as flood control or groundwater recharge and discharge. Consequently, the wetland environment through cultivation has potential impacts not just within the wetland but also in downstream areas. In a context of escalating unemployment and unreliable rainfall, it appears difficult to prevent further development of wetlands for agriculture. However it is also important to ensure that this development does not compromise environmental security. Sustainable management of wetlands cannot be achieved without active participation of all stakeholders, including local communities and environmental groups. Working for Wetlands has been seen in this province as playing a key role in integrating communities through the sustainable use of the wetland and transferring knowledge of wetland benefits and functions. Over the past 10 years Working for Wetlands had worked in three sites in the province which are Waterberg, Mutale and Kruger National Park. With the increased of wetland destruction, a call from Limpopo wetland forum had been lodged, requesting the programme to work in three more new sites which are Mapungubwe, Lupepe Nwanedi and Skhukhune Wetlands. These new projects together with the existing ones will expand this programme for the next 5 years, that is from 2015/2019 The work that is currently happening in Limpopo is as follows: 1. Waterberg Wetlands The Waterberg Project is situated in the Waterberg District of Limpopo Province. The Waterberg Wetlands Project is unusual in that it comprises of five quaternary catchments, all centred on the 62

Waterberg mountain range in Limpopo Province. The project was initiated in 1999 under the umbrella of Working for Water, and being sponsored by DWAF, DOA, and DEAT. The project started in the upper catchments of the Mokolo River, which were, by then, considered as one of the 3 significant wetland sites in the Limpopo province, then Northern Province. Rennies Wetlands project, now Mondi wetlands province, was the steering of the assessments team, led by David Lindley. Actual work on the ground started in 2000. Currently work has been done in the Mokolo, Laphalala, and Nyl Catchments. Nyl River is one of the five catchments mentioned above, and it feeds the Nylsvlei Nature Reserve, which is a RAMSAR site. Nylsvlei is considered as the largest flood plain in the whole country and inhabits a huge number of rare bird species. Waterberg wetlands project has done a lot of work in the upper catchments of this flood plain. More than R4 000 000.00 expenditure was used each in a call to rehabilitate and restore the degraded system. The Mokolo River catchments feed Mokolo wetlands. These wetlands play a major role in managing the water that ultimately feeds the Mokolo Dam, the main supplier of water to the Ellisrus (Lepalale town), Iscor Grootgeluk coal mine, Eskom Matimba Power Station and the downstream farmers along the way. More than R4 000 000.00 worth of work has been done on this system. R 300 000.00 worth of work was also done in the upper catchments of Laphalala River. These catchments are very important for the water supply of the Mokorong public land, which is very arid. There is high unemployment rate around the area and the project serves as a poverty alleviation programme. Waterberg Wetlands Project presently employed 70 people, five transport SMME’s, and five contractors SMME’s were created and used. In 2006-2007 work was also done in Mokopane in Mokgalakwena river catchments. This work was done in order to protect “Lake Lekalakala” which being sedimented due to illegal sand mining happening in the catchment a)Thaba Metsi This river is also known as Gemsbokfontein (Jim se Loop), the Thaba Metsi wetland is situated within quaternary catchment A42E near the town of Vaalwater in Limpopo province, and forms part of the Waterberg wetland rehabilitation project. Wetland rehabilitation commenced in 2006/07 and the bottom section of the wetland was assessed and, along with carry-over interventions, completed the rehabilitation of the site. The land use in the catchment is commercial agriculture and tourism The catchment is characterised by a Mean Annual Precipitation of 604.3mm and a Potential Evapotranspiration of 2288.3mm. The MAP to PET ratio is 0.26, indicating a semi-arid regime with irregular, high intensity rainfall events. The ratio is considered to be high in terms of the wetland's sensitivity to hydrological impacts. There is a degree of invasion by terrestrial plant species where the hydrology has been impacted.

Page 63 of 94

The wetlands in this part of the Waterberg tend to be long, narrow and confined and in most cases have been impacted by the construction of earthen dams across them. This wetland comprises a long, narrow originally channelled valley bottom system that has become canalised in some areas, usually in response to some degree of anthropogenic disturbance. The wetland habitat within the region has also suffered through the construction of earthen dams, with stretches of undisturbed wetland rare. In this context the wetland habitat at Thaba Metsi becomes very important. This is also because more than 2000000 had been spent in the this area, so those structures need maintenance and support to strengthen its continuous supply demand of water to its community b) Upper Nyl The wetland in this region is considered to be a channelled valley bottom system, becoming a proper floodplain further downstream. It is approximately 3983ha. The majority of the wetland's catchment is characterised by urban development, commercial beef and intensive irrigated crop production. The wetland itself has undergone substantial anthropogenic disturbance through the construction of furrows and berms. The increased run off from the increase in hardened surfaces in the catchment has caused channel incision, leading to less frequent overbank flooding and the consequent desiccation of the surrounding wetland. The Modimolle sewage works is situated on the Klein Nyl, directly upstream of the wetland, and is discharging elevated rates of raw sewage into the river, leading to very poor water quality within the Nyl. Wetland functioning and integrity analyses show that the rehabilitation of the wetland is likely to provide improvements in wetland functioning and integrity. c) Lekalakkala A61F&G Rehabilitation on this system began in 2006/2007 with the construction of several concrete weirs to stabilize the incised channel. Two earthen dams have also been constructed across the wetland in the past, probably to provide water for livestock and irrigation. The northern-most, and largest, of the dams burst its wall in the floods of 2000, and work has begun on removing the remnant wall in an effort to promote more diffuse water flow and rewetting of the area. A major consequence of the dam bursting is the introduction of a major head-cut to the system. Approximately 2.5m deep and 11m wide, this feature has the potential to impact on a significant portion of the remaining wetland habitat. d) Roodepoort Farm A61H-05 Roodepoort Farm wetland is located in quaternary catchment A61H near the town of Naboomspruit (Mookgophong) in Limpopo province, and forms part of the Waterberg wetland rehabilitation project. The focus of work in the Waterberg has moved from Lekalakala (A61F) as rehabilitation there has approached completion, and the new quaternary catchment was nominated by the Limpopo Page 64 of 94

Wetlands Forum because it contains the Sterkrivier and its tributaries, an important drainage system supplying the Doorndraai dam with water. An aerial survey was undertaken of the catchment in August 2007 and several problems were identified for further ground-truthing. Most of these were associated with earthen dam walls and other impoundments within the wetland habitat. The wetlands in the catchment are considered to be important from a water quality and stream flow regulation perspective because the system is upstream from a major water source (Doorndraai dam). d) Welgevonden It had been mapped and verified in August 2010. It is a quaternary catchment of A42D-001. The catchment size is 144 ha. It is a tributary of Grootfontein that flows to Sterkstroom and also a tributary to Mokolo River. It is located in a game farm; the land use in the area is game farming 2.

Kruger National Park,

The KNP wetland rehabilitation project is located within one quaternary catchment, B90H, near Shingwedzi in the northern part of the Park. The project focuses on the continued removal of the Biesiesvlei earthen dam wall, in keeping with the Park Authorities’ decision to remove artificial water points within the northern part of the KNP. Another wetland site with good potential for rehabilitation was identified in the B83C quaternary catchment near the Mopani Rest Camp. The cost of the one carry-over intervention from the 2009/2010 planning, the removal of the Biesiesvlei dam wall, will once again exceed the Working for Wetlands budget allocated to the KNP. a) Shawu – B83C-05 A case can be made for a modification to the current policy within the Park regarding wetland rehabilitation. Up until now the main thrust of rehabilitation efforts has centred on the removal of artificial watering points, such as dams, and restoring the natural hydrological regime to unchannelled valley bottom systems. The thought behind this was that, because the KNP is such a vast tract of land that has essentially remained free of human development, any erosion encountered within the wetlands must be natural. However several instances have been encountered where game viewing roads across wetlands have introduced eroding channels through the confinement of flow through culverts. In these instances intervention would seem justified. A further argument is that, even if the erosion is natural, it would be ecologically desirable to maintain the wetland in the landscape to maximise local biodiversity. The problem site on the Shawu system has been identified as an opportunity to diversify the skills of the working teams, as well as fulfil a vital logistical function for SANParks staff, and as such could be included for consideration during the 2014/2015 planning season. 3.

Mutale

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It is situated 50km north of Thohoyandou. The area had many quaternary catchments, which are A91H, A92B, A92A, A80H, and A91G. Work had been done on this catchment new quaternary catchment had been identified which need to take this project on till 2019. The Mutale wetland rehabilitation project is a continuation from the 2006/2007 financial year. Work commenced in 2007 in quaternary catchment A92B, where Nyahalwe, Mahunguwi, Sambandou were rehabilitated A maintenance inventory was performed by the engineer of any existing interventions only in wetlands which are being assessed for the current rehabilitation planning. The primary aim of this exercise was to ensure that these existing interventions were taken into account in the planning. GPS locations, photographs and intervention descriptions were recorded for all inventoried interventions. The maintenance requirements of interventions were detailed so that quantities of materials required for the maintenance could be estimated. The catchment identified is Lupepe Nwanedi A80H. The area is situated in South East of Thohoyandou. The wetland is characterised with Subsistence farming and communal grazing. This wetland serves as the major source of water for both domestic and farming activities. The wetland had twelve wetland sites, of which four of them are degraded and need immediate attention a) Lambwe system This is a quaternary catchment A91H, approximately 50km north of Thohoyandou in Limpopo province, and a very valuable community resource, for a range of uses. This system has been identified as valuable “wise-use” work potential and is being investigated in this regard. More planning is envisaged this coming year. b) Lake Fundudzi Lake Fundudzi is considered to be the only natural inland lake of Southern Africa. No recent tectonic lake forming processes took place in this part of the world. Lake Fundudzi is situated in the upper catchment of the Mutale River, a major tributary of the Levuvuhu River, at 22’ 51' S and 30’19' E with a full water altitude of 865 m above mean sea level. When full, the lake is more than 3km long and three quarters of a km wide with a full supply area of 144 ha and a maximum depth of 27 m. The lake was last full in 1978 and filled completely again in March 1996 as result of the abundant rain that season year. This completely tells the story of the water stress this lake is facing to date. Its variable water level is dependent on the inflow of three rivers from a catchment of 6000 ha, the Mutale or Mavhidzelele, Godoni and Muiladi Rivers. And Working for water had the pleasure of working in that sub catchment to prevent sediments deposition to the lake There is lack of monitoring activities in the catchment which threatens this lake on its existence. Working for Wetland had however worked in seven of the sub tributaries that supply this lake with Page 66 of 94

water. The purpose to working in those areas was to try and reduce the amount of sediment deposition coming from the catchment. The work in this area started in 2006 and is still progressing. The intervention which are still critical to be implemented are Gabions Earth structures and clearing of the invasive species in the area. The work remaining in this catchment will take us to 2019 The benefit from this lake is the harvest of medicinal plants, protein supply in a form of fish from the lake, tourism and religious practices for the community.

New Projects 1. Mapungubwe Mapungubwe Project is situated approximately 75km west of Musina in Limpopo province, and at the junction of the borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe. Rehabilitation efforts will be focused on the wetland habitat associated with the Limpopo and the Kolope Rivers, and their drainage networks within prioritised quaternary catchment A63E. This quaternary catchment comprises of two sub- quaternary system which is A63E-01, Leeupan and Maulotshwa A63E-02. The historic land use practices consist of commercial crop farming, conservation, game farming and commercial beef production. The major impact is the construction of a complex of earthen berms that have had the effect of impounding water, preventing its drainage into the Limpopo. This has also contributed to the excessively wet conditions within the focal area. 2.

Lupepe Nwanedi

This is one wetland that has need for rehabilitation and has not been worked upon as there have not been funds allocated to it for rehabilitation (Because of the insufficient budget). This area consists of 12 wetlands, of which 4 are very critical. That wetland will require 2.5 million in a year for 5 years. There are lot of activities going on into wetland including small group that are doing subsistence farming grazing, deforesting and maize meal production. There is whole lot of drain that has been excavated that have the potential of forming dongas if they are not been taking care of. Serious intervention is needed before the wetland get lost and stop providing most of their vital function of food production through fishing and providing grazing for live-stock. Good quality water for consumption as most villages are depending on those wetlands. 3. Skhukhune Project Motlapese The GaMampa wetland is located in the Mohlapetsi river catchment in the B71C quaternary catchment within 24° 05' E and 24° 20' S. The Mohlapetsi River, a tributary of the Olifants River, originates in the Wolkberg mountains. At the confluence with the Olifants River the catchment is 490 km2 and the catchment area to the wetland is approximately 263 km2. The wetland covers Page 67 of 94

approximately 1km2 of the catchment. The catchment is predominantly rural, with a low population density. It is a channelled valley bottom wetland. The wetland can be divided into four main poorly drained areas of about 25 ha each. Portion 1 is on the western side of the river channel, and Portion 2 and Portion 3 on the eastern side of the channel. All of these areas contain extensive organic peat soils maintained by permanent saturation and are surrounded by seasonally to temporarily saturated areas with predominantly mineral soils. Portion 4 has is less inundated than the areas upstream and has less organic soils. More than 7 active springs were identified in the area in August 2005 in the middle of the dry season. The springs indicate the presence of regional groundwater contributing to inflows to the Ga-Mampa wetland. Local people say that over bank flow during flooding of the river only occurs rarely. The last known occurrence was during floods in 2000. Subsurface transfers from the wetland to the river occur but the magnitude of this transfer is unclear. The uplands of the Mohlapetsi catchment above consist of dolomite, well known for its high groundwater storage capacity and the wetland and its local catchment are underlain by banded ironstone and chert, which are likely to have an intermediate capacity for groundwater storage The wetland provides important ecosystem services, including natural resources such as grass for livestock grazing and reeds for making crafts), provision of water, and carbon storage. Important investigative work is needed in this area to plan for the water security restoration in this area. b) Masandeni Wetland This is a newly identified wetland which is situated south of Polokwane (150km away from Polokwane). The interventions for this system has not been quantified as yet but has been identified by stakeholders as important work for various reasons. This wetland is supplying the whole of Sekhukhune with water. It is now threatened by commercial farming as this area is very dry. This area received very low rainfall and is very dry This area requires Intervention that will ensure the water retention and restoration of this system is achieved. Majority of the community members here are unemployed and depend on this system for their survival. It is also important because it is supply the Tompi Seleka Dam which supplies water to the neighbouring community. Time frame Assessment The work mentioned above will take the programme approximately 5 year to complete, that is from 2015/2019 4.

Project: Statement of purpose Page 68 of 94

4.1. Environmental Benefits More than 215 000 hectares had been rehabilitated in three sites that were currently working. There is a tremendous improvement in the ground cover, in most system which simple means that there is reduced soil erosion. Vegetation regrowth has also improved; there is more food for cattle and more habitats for organism that are depended on the wetlands for their habitat. Increase ground water discharges, and more consistent water supply has ensued. 4.2. Social Benefits Through the EPWP guidelines and specification the programme had the mandate to employ the poor of the poorest. There is economic improvement in all the areas that this project is working in. There is also improved livelihood. Projects offer one of the most limited skills such as Health and safety, First aid, basic fire awareness. Such skills provide the beneficiary with necessary courage to compete with other people for better jobs in their respective communities Regardless of the life skill Vocational and task related training are also provided, this help them to perform their duties successfully 4.3 Developing local partnership for integrated catchment management Government departments (DWEA, DAFF, Lepelle Northern Water Board, District & Local Municipalities, LEDET, Mondi Wetland Project, Environmental NGOs, Academia (Univen, University and other tertiary institutions), private landowners (farmers), and local communities and Tribal Authorities. Projects Waterberg

2014/2015 2015/2016 3,443,692 3,197,099

2016/2017 3,814,158

2017/2018 399,661

2018-2019 4,024,779

Mutale

2,675,840

2,809,632

2,612,465

3,156,903

3,346,318

Kruger

1,100,000

1,336,800

800,000

848,000

1,600,000

Mapungubwe

Not yet started

2,500,000

2,650,000

280,900

449,440

Skhukhune

Not yet started Not yet started 7,219,532

4,200,000

4,452,000

4,719,120

5,002,267

2,500,000

2,650,000

280,900

16,828,623

12,054,584

14,703,704

Lupepe Nwanedi Total for year

14,043,531

Tot for 5 years per Province A continuous work from 2006 to 2013, New site together with maintenance work will take the programme for 5 years A continuous work from 2006 to 2013, New site together with maintenance work will take the programme for 5 years A continuous work from 2006 to 2013, New site together with maintenance work will take the programme for 5 years. More work and more quaternary catchment identified in 2009. Rehabilitation plan had been done by LRI in 2009. There is more work to cover for 5 years. New sites There is more work to cover for 5 years. New sites

64,849,974 Page 69 of 94

Fig 1.1 2. Budget. There is a potential average spend of 7.2 million on the first year and average R14.4 m in each of remaining 4 years see table figure 1.1 above, if budget is available. 3. Time frame This would be for the 2013-2017 business years. Please see table figure 1.1 time frames of different projects 4. Beneficiaries .Waterberg Mutale:

Kruger:

Lupepe Nwanedi Gwangwatini, Tshixwaza, Matavhela , Guyuni, Gogogo, Tshamulungwi. Mavhode, Tshitandani

Skukune

Mokopane, Sambandou Makuleke Wolks berg, Mookopong, Tshitavha Lambani Mothlapese, Eesterus, Mahunguwi Mhinga Masandeni Valwater, Tshandama Tsakani Mafefe Modimolle Maheni Namakgale Ga Welgevonden Guyuni Matiane Masemole ThabaMetsi Makuya Welgevonden Vhurivhuri Figure 1.2 5. Project approach Working for Wetlands makes use of the wetland specialist EAPs and Engineers who went out and identifies threats and activities which leads to wetland degradation. Those activities then assist in coming out with an intervention to try to rehabilitate such problem. Project is also looking at trying to restore or protect the very little pristine wetlands that we have. This is being achieved by using the community monitors who normally went out in the wetlands, identifies potential problem, alert the working for wetland team and try to work toward the activities which threatens the existence of that particular wetland. This team is also responsible for creating awareness in the community.

5.2 challenges • Illegal Sand mining • Improper agricultural practices • Development on the catchment level • Uncontrolled veld fires

Regardless of these challenges working for wetlands had seen it necessary not to focus only to those issues only but to go further to other wetland that can actually bring value to the community. They try to look and work in any wetland regardless of the size as wetland can perform vast of function irrespective of it size. Page 70 of 94

6. Communication strategy Programme led approach. 7. Conclusion There is much potential for the work in Limpopo. Note that the agricultural nature of the Limpopo province makes water a critical resource. The identified new areas will allow this water to be available for the different human and natural needs. It is hoped that the budget of the province can be grown in line with these plans.

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Annexure 8 Working for Wetlands Mpumalanga Wetland Rehabilitation -Five Year Plan 15 March 2013 8. Introduction The first project in Mpumalanga was the Save the Sand project; this was followed by the Hondekraal (phase 1 completed), Steenkampsberg, Wakkerstroom and Amanzi. During a budget increase in 2004 Upper Vaal and Upper Usutu were identified and implemented with a budget of R500 000.00 each. During 2004/5 Deat allocated an additional R8000 000.00 to Working for Wetlands as Action plan funding. Projects were identified nationally and were subjected to a scoring system by the management team. Three projects in Mpumalanga were successful, Draaikraal, Verloren Valei and Skukuza Boardwalk. Mpumalanga was also the first province where offsite mitigation formed part of a water licence of a mine and subsequently Isibonelo project were started and completed in 2006. Isibonelo won the Nedbank Green mining award for 2006. Two additional off site projects are still in the pipeline. All maintenance for the Isibonelo phase 1 has been completed and Anglo is currently negotiating with DWA to determine the extent of the phase 2 work. . 9. Statement of purpose All projects in the province were identified and selected using local knowledge as well as overlaying the Mpumalanga Conservation plan and ensuring that our projects fall within these aquatic priority areas of the province. There is still gaps in the province where we do not have a presence especially in the Highveld area as well as the old Kwandebele homelands .We have worked closely in the past with MTPA as well as DWA in selecting priority areas and possible projects and as such has identified Delmas and Barberton as areas where we could expand if the funding allow us. Wherever possible the aim in Mpumalanga will be to align our efforts and projects with other initiatives that is already in place or in a planning phase. We are thus fortunate to already have one protected Environment in the Wakkerstroom /Luneburg area as well as another proposed one in the Chrissiesmeer lakes district. In the Lowveld we do have the Kruger to Blyde canyon initiative by SanParks and we will strive to form part of that as well. The province is also under increasing pressure from the Mining Industry on the Highveld for coal and on the lower laying areas for Platinum and other minerals. Where possible a close relation is forged with consultants and comments are submitted to them to try and protect wetland areas. Workings for Wetlands are seen as an entry point in province when wetlands are concerned. Page 72

10. Project approach 3.1. Steelpoort Project The Steelpoort project will continue to focus in the B41F catchment with the exception for the 2013 to 2015 period when the project will complete work initiated in 2001 in the B32A catchment. All work will fall within the Loskop Dam Nature Reserve. Once this work is completed the focus will once again move back to the B41F catchment. Both these catchments falls within the Olifants catchment, this catchment is classified as a stressed catchment in terms of water security. The B32A catchment feeds into the Loskop dam which is under tremendous pressure to coup with pollution from the Highveld areas ,this pollution originates from Urban ,Mining as well as from Agriculture activities. The purpose of structures in B32A will mainly be to support and protect wetland areas upstream of them. It is unlikely that any restoration work will happen in this catchment. Work in B41F will include stabilization as well as restoration work.

Project 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Steelpoort B32A/B41F B32A B32A/B41F Table 1 Catchments earmarked for the Steelpoort project

2016-17 B41F

2017-18 B41F

Catchments.shp Aquatic biodiversity subcatchments.shp 1 - Protected 2 - Irreplaceable 3 - Highly Significant 4 - Important & Necessary 5 - Ecosystem Maintenance

B41F

N W

E S

8

0

8

16

24 Kilometers

Figure 1: The Aquatic Biodiversity significance of B41F. (Source MTPA, 2006) As we can see in figure 1, the majority of B41F falls within the irreplaceable category. This is also evident in the terrestrial assessment where the majority fall within the highly significant category. About 50% of the catchment falls within the areas earmarked for expansion and stewardship by the MTPA. Page 73

3.2. Highveld project The Highveld project will be utilized during 2013-2015 to complete Working for Wetlands responsibility in a CoalTech/CSIR partnership initiative. The purpose of the project will be to determine the extent in which a wetland can assist in mitigating acid mine drainage from a coal mining area. The Zaalklapspruit wetland in the B20G catchment has been selected for this purpose. The CSIR will conduct the water monitoring studies, base line date has been collected prior to rehabilitation and the monitoring will also be extend post rehabilitation to determine the value added by rehabilitating the wetland. On completion of the CoalTech Project, Highveld will shift its focus to the Chrissiesmeer area. In this area we will focus on the proposed Ramsar /Protected Environment initiative by the MTPA. The area is known as the Mpumalanga Lakes District (MLD) and Working for Wetlands will form part of the Integrated Biodiversity Conservation Framework for the MLD. The proposed protected environment encloses several quaternary catchments and is also the headwaters of three primary catchments namely the Komati, Usutu and the Vaal rivers. We will start off by working in the W55A catchment. W55B has been completed in earlier years as the upper Usutu project site. Project 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Highveld B20G B20G W55A Table 2 Catchments planned for the Highveld project

2016-17 W55A

Catchments.shp Ramsar area.shp Aquatic biodiversity subcatchments.shp 1 - Protected 2 - Irreplaceable 3 - Highly Significant 4 - Important & Necessary 5 - Ecosystem Maintenance

W55A

N W

E S

8

0

8

16

24 Kilometers

Figure 2: The Aquatic Biodiversity significance of W55A. (Source MTPA, 2006) Page 74

2017-18 W55A

As we can see in figure 2, W55A is classified as Irreplaceable in the Mpumalanga Conservation plan. Working for wetlands will partner with the MTPA and Working for Water in this area.

3.3. Wakkerstroom Project In this project we have again combined our efforts with the MTPA and Working for Water in the KwaMandlangampisi Protected Environment. We were approached by the MTPA to get involved on the farms which form part of the KPE and to act as an incentive to farmers implementing farming methods conducive to the maintenance and improvement of biodiversity. We have started on the farm Goedgevonden and are completing all planned work on this farm during 2013/14. The farm Paardeplaats is also part of our plans for this financial year. Table 3 Catchments planned for the Wakkerstroom project Project 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Wakkerstroom W42C W42C W42C

2016-17 W42C

Catchments.shp Aquatic biodiversity subcatchments.shp 1 - Protected 2 - Irreplaceable 3 - Highly Significant 4 - Important & Necessary 5 - Ecosystem Maintenance

W42C

N W

E S

5

0

5

10

15 Kilometers

Figure 3: The Aquatic Biodiversity significance of W42C. (Source MTPA, 2006)

Page 75

2017-18 W42C

Figure 3 illustrates that all the properties are either irreplaceable or highly significant, under the Terrestrial Biodiversity significance 78% is classified as Irreplaceable and 16.6% as highly significant. The next farms will be identified for planning with the assistance of the MTPA and other roles players in the area. NGO’s such as EWT, Wessa and Birdlife SA plays a major role and will be consulted. 3.4. Nkomati Project Historically the Nkomati project started off as the Steenkampsberg Project focusing in B41A. As the Steelpoort Project were already working in the B41 catchment a decision was made to move the Steenkampsberg project over to the next catchment X21F where it is now working as the Nkomati project. As in all other catchment the wetlands here are also under constant pressure from either farming or potential Industrial, mining impacts.

The plan is to complete X21F by focussing mainly on stabilizing structures and then to move over to the X21G catchment as illustrated in Table 4. In X21F more attention can also be given to restoration work as well as stabilization.

Table 4 Catchments planned for the Nkomati project Project 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Nkomati X21F X21F X21F/X21G

2016-17 X21G

2017-18 X21G

As figure 4 illustrates X21F is mainly Ecosystem maintenance whereas in X21G more areas of the irreplaceable category is found.

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Catchments.shp Aquatic biodiversity subcatchments.shp 1 - Protected 2 - Irreplaceable 3 - Highly Significant 4 - Important & Necessary 5 - Ecosystem Maintenance

X21G

X21F N W

E S

7

0

7

14

21 Kilometers

Figure 4 : The Aquatic Biodiversity significance of X21F & X21G. (Source MTPA, 2006) 3.5. Lowveld Project The Lowveld project is also currently operating in two sites namely the Sterkspruit site (B42A) and the Save the Sand site (X32A) ,all of the potential work in X32A has already been identified and included in a rehabilitation plan. For this project I would propose that we complete all the work B42A and then to combine the sites again and to focus then in the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Reserve area. This will mean that all work will then once again focus in one catchment, the X32C catchment. We will be guided in our plans here by the MTPA as well as SanParks who both are our partners in the initiate. A wise use component will be implemented from 2013/14 in this project and would focus in the Bushbuck ridge Nature reserve. Figure 5 shows the extent of the Biosphere. Table 5 Catchments planned for the Lowveld project Project 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Nkomati B42A/ X32A B42A/X32C X32C

Page 77

2016-17 X32C

2017-18 X32C/X32B

K2C Biosphere Reserve Area

Core: 923 000 ha Buffer: 485 000 ha Transition: 1,2 mil. ha National & Provincial Protected areas Managed resource areas Mocambique & Private Protected Areas Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Reserve

From: K2C BR

Figure 5: The extend of the K2C Biosphere Reserve area (Source SanParks, 2013)

Catchments.shp Aquatic biodiversity subcatchments.shp 1 - Protected 2 - Irreplaceable 3 - Highly Significant 4 - Important & Necessary 5 - Ecosystem Maintenance

B42A

N W

E S

9

0

9

18

27 Kilometers

Figure 6: The Aquatic Biodiversity significance of B42A. (Source MTPA, 2006)

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Catchments.shp Aquatic biodiversity subcatchments.shp 1 - Protected 2 - Irreplaceable 3 - Highly Significant 4 - Important & Necessary 5 - Ecosystem Maintenance

X32B

X32C X32A

N W

E S

8

0

8

16

24 Kilometers

Figure 7: The Aquatic Biodiversity significance of X32A & X32C. (Source MTPA, 2006) Figure 6 & 7 illustrates the Aquatic significance of B42A and X32a &C. 11. Personnel involved The proposed changes will have no effect on the current personnel employed by the implementers 12. Budget project name

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

Steelpoort project Nkomati Project Lowveld Project Highveld Project Wakkerstroom Project

R1,940,000

Tot for 5 years per Province

R2,056,400

R2,179,784

R2,310,571

R2,449,205

R10,935,960

R1,940,000 R1,940,000 R1,650,000

R2,056,400 R2,056,400 R1,749,000

R2,179,784 R2,179,784 R1,853,940

R2,310,571 R2,310,571 R1,965,176

R2,449,205 R2,449,205 R2,083,087

R10,935,960 R10,935,960 R9,301,203

R1,650,000

R1,749,000

R1,853,940

R1,965,176

R2,083,087

R9,301,203

R9,120,000

R9,667,200

R10,247,232

R10,862,066

R11,513,790

R51,410,288

I have worked on the assumption of a 6% increase per annum. In the event of extra funding coming available I would propose utilizing this funding first in the current projects before starting new

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projects in the province. Ideally a project should have a budget of R2 500 000.00 which will make the target set in management fees and person days more readily achievable. 13. Time frame This would be for the 2013-18 business years. 14. Stakeholders MTPA has been involved from the start in all the projects and has initiated Sterkspruit, Witbank, Mariepskop (with DWA) and Delmas (DALA land care) and community ,Barberton by DALA and community. SAnparks will be a partner in the K2C Biosphere Reserve. NGO’s such as EWT,Wessa and Birdlife SA also plays a crucial role in al of our projects. . 15. Beneficiaries Teams will have to be employed and a possible benchmark could be 12 direct beneficiaries for every million employed under the EPWP standards. 16. Communication strategy To be led by Programme level communication. 17. Off site Mitigation Isibonelo is currently undergoing its planning for phase 2 for their off-site mitigation project. The proposed budget is R2, 000,000.00. A consultant is contracted to complete the planning. Exxaro, Mooifontein mine off site is also still on the cards with no clear time lines available at present. The Anglo / Exxaro partnership at Mafubi has also received an instruction to implement off site mitigation measures via Working for Wetlands in pans. A time line is also not available at present. 18. Conclusion All the projects have been approved by the Mpumalanga wetland forum and will be supported as such. The capacity exists in the province to insure successful implementation.

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Annexure 9

Working for Wetlands, Wetland Rehabilitation, NORTH WEST PROVINCE Five 15 Year Plan2013 March 1. Introduction The NW Province has a great diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. There are a total of 11 949 wetland features mapped comprising 5 345 wetlands (125 451 ha) and 6 604 pans (50 306 ha). This diversity is threatened mainly agriculture, mining and urbanization and are viewed as the direct drivers of biodiversity loss in the province, the poor institutional environment and lack of capacity and political will to implement environmental policies and legislation is viewed by stakeholders as the largest threat to biodiversity. About 40% of the province’s ecosystems are under severe pressure. Eleven of the 61 vegetation types and fourteen of the 18 river types in the province have been classified as threatened in terms of their ecosystem status (North West Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Rural Development, 2009). These are high production landscapes characterized by already high levels of transformation. Working for Wetlands Programme makes an essential contribution towards the rehabilitation of wetlands to enhance catchments functioning. Its approach is to use wetland rehabilitation as a vehicle for poverty alleviation. Catchments play an integrative role in the landscape as upstream use impacts all downstream users. The following synopsis provides a brief history for each of the present projects, and recommendations for new projects as well.

2. Project Breakdown 2.1

Rustenburg

Rustenburg and its region face particularly acute pressures on other key environmental resources. There is already severe pressure on water resources and a crisis is emerging around high levels of waste, agriculture and

mining in the region. There are also significant pollution impacts on major watercourses, quality of water as well as the impact of settlements on the survival and quality of our unique biodiversity is substantial and requires proactive management. These factors are all exacerbated by the uncertain impact of climate change on the region. There is some evidence to suggest that climate change could have a disproportionate impact on the ecology of the Province with the potential to undermine agriculture and the tourism economy as well as exacerbating urban risks associated with fire, flooding and drought. In Rustenburg wetlands of high importance exist for biodiversity and water provision. The region is dominated by mixed bushveld, sourish mixed bushveld and turf thornveld. Sourish mixed bushveld is the most common vegetation type and covers the largest part of the wetland area. Eight threatened mammal species and five IUCN red list reptile species are found in the area, and the South African python has a high chance of occurring here. The province supports three threatened fish species and nine threatened butterfly species, three of which are associated with wetlands, two with bushveld and four with grasslands. About a third of South Africa’s bird species (328 of about 900) occur in the Rustenburg-Pilanesberg area, including many that are threatened. A number of wetland plants and reeds grow in the wetland, some of which are harvested by medicinal herbalists. The area is also important for tourism and recreation.

The wetlands are used by local communities for grazing livestock. Overgrazing has affected hydrology, resulting in loss of vegetation cover Cattle tracks and road crossings created erosion features, and wetland hydrology is affected by housing developments and associated roads. The Inflow from storm water drains caused incision and canalisation which has resulted in a lowering of the water table, and desiccation of wetlands. Two wetlands targeted for rehabilitation intervention, one at Boitekong and Kanana falls under the governance of the Rustenburg Local Municipality, and the other under the governance of the Bafokeng Tribal Authority. The Bojanala District Municipality is also a partner in the project. The 27 ha wetland on the Hex river is affected by overgrazing, the 153 ha channeled valley bottom wetland was modified by overgrazing that reduced vegetation density and changed vegetation composition. The North West Wetlands Forum is used as a platform for stakeholder engagement. As biodiversity issues gain more impetus within the public arena there has also been an increasing awareness of the possibility of using catchment as a means of conserving a relatively moderately impacted riverine ecosystem from its source to the sea. The river provides many opportunities for rehabilitation, as shown by the number of individual efforts that

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are taking place throughout the catchment. There also exists a strong will among the different stakeholders to create not only a biodiversity corridor, but one that is also accessible to the public. Direct partners involved in the project: DEDECT, DAFF, DWA, SANBI, NWPB, Bojanala District Municipality, Royal Bafokeng Administration. 2.2

Potchefstroom

The Potchefstroom Project implements wetland rehabilitation near the town of Boons in the North West Province. The wetlands are important for the livelihoods of nearby rural communities who depend on it mainly for grazing and cultivation. The wetlands in this area are linked to a network of streams and form a tributary of the Mooi River. Its 132,840 ha catchment falls within the grassland biome, Rand Highveld grassland vegetation type. Soils are on average moderate to deep, sandy loam textured with undulating slopes. The wetland has a gentle slope which enhances its ability to trap sediment and reduce the impacts of floods. It is also important for stream flow regulation, nutrient and toxicant assimilation and carbon-storage. Because of its erodable soils and high annual rainfall, the system is very susceptible to erosion. Overgrazing, canalisation and geomorphological processes within the catchment have resulted in a significant change in vegetation type. The wetland itself has been modified by canalisation and channel incision, as well as road crossings that cause erosion and reduce vegetation cover. Overgrazing and cultivation in the wetland has also resulted in reduced vegetation cover, which impacts on the wetland’s ability to control the impacts of floods. Invasive alien poplar trees have encroached into the wetland system, especially in sections where its hydrology has been modified. Rehabilitation target erosion features, raise the water table and allow for re-flooding of desiccated sections of the wetlands. Stakeholders has partnered with Working for Wetlands to ensure that the wetland is able to maintain its health and continue to provide ecosystem services. Direct partners involved in the project: DEDECT, Mathope Tribal Council, Private Land Owners, Rustenburg Local Municipality, Bojanala Platinum District Municipality. 2.4

Marico

Wetlands in the upper reaches of the Groot Marico River in the North West Province are of high importance for water supply and purification, significant for biodiversity conservation, flood attenuation and stream-flow Page 83 of 94

regulation.The 59,893 ha quaternary catchment is used mainly for beef production on natural veld. There is also a small amount of cultivation but only a limited amount of excess nutrients, agricultural chemicals and toxicants enters the system. The wetlands were modified by drainage channels associated with dams and cultivated fields. Sections of the wetlands were desiccated, which allowed for encroachment by invasive alien poplars and syringa’s. These plants affect wetland hydrology and also impact on flora and fauna. Two wetlands were identified for rehabilitation intervention at the headwaters of the Groot Marico River near Swartruggens. Structures were designed to arrest erosion and raise the water table. Education and awareness are considered highly important to develop an understanding amongst landowners and users of the wetland about the importance of wetlands, wetland functionality and good wetland management practices.

Two wetlands identified for rehabilitation, the first is the 45 ha wetland that has become desiccated as a result of an incised channel. Biodiversity is threatened by infestation of invasive alien poplars and syringas. Rehabilitation will initially focus on removing these trees and re-establishing indigenous wetland vegetation. The second wetland is 71 ha wetland that experiences similar challenges and will be rehabilitated in a similar manner. Direct partners involved in the project: DEDECT, Private Land Owners, Rustenburg Local Municipality, Bojanala Platinum District Municipality.

2.4

Molopo

The Molopo wetland in the North West Province is an internationally unique high altitude peatland that began forming after the last ice age, 11,000 years ago. The wetland is home to at least one endemic fish species, and provides livelihoods benefits to the nearby community in the form of water, fish and wetland plants. It is characterised by sedges and reeds and lies in a dolomite-driven system on the Highveld. It plays a significant role in improving water quality, not least because of its deep peat deposits. Peat is an organic-rich soil that forms in wetlands under saturated, anaerobic conditions. It is the first stage in the formation of coal, and an important store of carbon. Carbon in the semi-decomposed organic matter that makes up the soil acts as a highly effective filter. Peat enhances the ability of wetlands to remove toxicants, improve water quality and store water.

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Increasing demand for water for agriculture and urban development has placed enormous pressures on the dolomitic systems of the Highveld. Water diversion and abstraction reduces water availability downstream, in many cases resulting in degradation of wetlands and loss of wetland habitat. This threatens the many endemic and endangered species dependent on wetland ecosystems. The Molopo wetland is also threatened by sand mining, which contributes to severe soil erosion in the wetland and its catchment. Agriculture in its catchment results in high nutrient and toxicant loads entering the system, and the flow patterns of water entering the wetland have been altered by dams and cultivated fields. Dams also reduce the sediment load in the water flowing into the wetland, which results in erosion of the wetland.

The wetland was modified by drainage channels and canalisation, which has resulted in desiccation of a large section. In turn, this has resulted in encroachment of terrestrial and invasive alien plant species, which further dries out the wetland and exacerbates erosion. Overgrazing is a significant impact. A number of concrete structures were designed to halt erosion and improve the wetland’s ability to provide habitat for biodiversity and improve water quality. Once in a healthy condition, it is expected that the wetland and its resources could be used for tourism, crafts and crops. Grazing will need to be monitored and managed more effectively. Direct partners involved in the project: Barolong Boo Ratshidi Tribal Council, Mafikeng Local Municipality, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality and DEDECT.

2.5 Borakalalo The Borakalo wetlands within the Borakalalo National Park are of high conservation value, but are severely degraded. Wetlands within the park are being rehabilitated to improve their functionality. In addition to being important for recreation and tourism, in this dry region the Borakalalo wetlands are an important source of water for people, birdlife and wildlife such as giraffe and rhino. Because of its position in the catchment, its slope, its extent and its geohydromorphic composition, it is particularly important for flood attenuation and water storage. It maintains the base flow to the Moretele River, wetlands downstream, and the Klipvoor Dam which is also within the park. Other ecosystem services provided include sediment trapping, phosphate assimilation and carbon storage. The park is also used by nearby communities for grazing livestock. The wetland has been impacted in a number of ways, in part because of unsuitable farming practices in the past. The wetland was previously used for livestock farming and drained to make grazing more accessible. In

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conjunction with overgrazing, this resulted in the dispersive soils in the area becoming susceptible to heavy erosion. The hydrology and integrity of the wetland system is also severely compromised by road crossings and a bridge that caused incision, or a deepening of the river channel, and erosion. Wetland rehabilitation is considered important in the park because of the nature and extent of the impacts on the wetlands, rehabilitation intervention will not be able to reinstate wetlands to natural or near-natural conditions. The interventions undertaken are therefore intended to reduce some of the impacts and improve the ecological functioning of the system. Two wetlands exist within the park, one is a 100 ha wetland on the Soutpanspruit river, and secondly is the 381 ha wetland on the Moretele river. Areas adjacent to the park consist of wetlands in Kgomo-kgomo and Makaunyane. 2.6 Mareetsane The Mareetsane wetland near Mafikeng in the North West province provides important ecosystem services for people, livestock and wildlife, including water supply and livelihoods support. The wetland is on the Mareetsane river, which flows into the Molopo River. Rapidly incising channels have formed in the wetland. Overgrazing and unsuitable land management practices have resulted in poor vegetation cover, and large erosion gullies transport sediment into the Mareetsane River, reducing its water quality. The wetland also has dense infestations of invasive alien plants such as poplar and syringa. In addition to increased water use, these plants impede the growth of indigenous vegetation, and affect flora and fauna in the system because their leaves are not easily decomposed by wetland microorganisms.

Rehabilitation intervention is initially focused on removing invasive alien plants to reduce stresses on the water supply. On-going engagement with Mareetsane community is considered important and the project includes a strong awareness campaign aimed at landowners and users of the wetland. Erosion features are being addressed and degradation offsite will be rehabilitated in future.

2.7 Taung This unique 5 ha Limestone waterfall or “Tufa” type of wetland located within arid surroundings is supplied by the extensive dolomitic groundwater systems characteristic of the North West Province. Land use in this wetland is mainly nature conservation and rural settlement whereas the land use in the catchment is agriculture

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and conservation. The rehabilitation intervention involves fencing off of what has become a key tourist destination geared towards protecting this unique limestone waterfall from trampling by livestock and vandalism by people.

2.8 Kuruman The Kuruman wetland is a distinct feature in the arid Kalahari in the Northern Cape. It provides a number of significant ecosystem services to adjacent peri-urban communities, including water provision for people, livestock and wildlife, as well as habitat for wetland-dependent species. The wetland receives water from the extensive dolomite-driven groundwater system in the area. The wetland is 100 m wide on average and about 60 km long. Rehabilitation interventions undertaken in the area is about 20 km downstream of the Kuruman eye, within a peri-urban area. Land use is mainly communal grazing and subsistence agriculture.

The Kuruman wetland is characterised by lush grasses, reeds and trees such as camel-thorn, wild sage and umbrella thorn, and it supports about 115 species of birds including ducks, ibises and herons. It provides important livelihoods benefits in the form of grazing and reeds. The system is also significant for improving water quality, flood attenuation, sediment trapping, and erosion control and phosphate assimilation.

The wetland’s main source of water is the large dolomitic eye in the town of Kuruman which yields about 20 million litres of water per day. Water is channelled to the Moffat Mission on the outskirts of Kuruman and then released into the Kuruman River. A number of dolomitic eyes along the wetland supplement flow. These dolomitic eyes are similar to those feeding the Molopo and Mooi rivers in the North West Province, which produce alkaline water with a pH Range of 7-8.5. Kuruman and the villages of Maruping and Bathlarose downstream along the Kuruman River have high levels of poverty, with livelihoods based mainly on cattle and goat farming. In this water-poor region, with an annual average rainfall of 420mm, crop farming is minimal and limited mainly to the edge of wetlands or even within wetlands where there is easier access to water. Boreholes dug in the wetlands are also an important source of water for domestic consumption. Degradation of the wetland created significant stresses for the surrounding communities. A series of channels and furrows drain the wetland with one particularly large channel, about 2 m deep, dug to divert water into a Page 87 of 94

cultivated field. This channel poses a danger to people and livestock, and already an elderly woman drowned during a high flow period. Smaller channels are formed through over-trampling by cattle, and because of poor vegetation cover as a result of over-grazing. Road embankments crossing the wetland cause further erosion complications. Heavy littering is also a concern, as is the many species of invasive alien plants along the edge of the wetland, including syringa and eucalyptus. These impacts reduce the wetland’s ability to continue to provide ecosystem services. In partnership with several provincial and national authorities including the North West departments of DEDECT, DEA, DWA and DAFF, Working for Wetlands began investigating the potential for rehabilitation in the wetland in 2006. Following a resolution by the Bathlarose Tribal Authority and with the overwhelming support of the community for rehabilitation, a decision was made to implement rehabilitation intervention aimed at improving the wetland’s ability to provide ecosystem services. 3. Time frame Assessment Based on the above, it is roughly estimated that there is 5 years’ worth of wetland rehabilitation work available in the prioritized wetlands within each project area during 2015-2019.

4.

Project:

Statement of purpose

4.1

Environmental benefits

Since the inception of the rehabilitation work in the North West, the Working for Wetlands programme has rehabilitated over 80 000 ha of wetlands through the implementation of concrete, earth and gabion structures. 4.2 Social benefits As a component of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), the Working for Wetlands implements its projects by maximizing employment creation, creating and supporting small businesses, and transferring skills to its beneficiaries, which will better their chances of getting employment after the completion of their local projects. Since 2001, the Programme in the North West has created hundreds of job opportunities through its projects. In addition to the standard training in first aid, health and safety and construction, enterprise development for contractors has begun, piloted in NW and Gauteng.

4.3

Developing local partnership for integrated catchment management;

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Working for Wetlands operates by facilitating high level partnerships between different government departments and other partners to develop integrated solutions and to access funding. They then also include additional location specific role-players in cooperative governance at a local level. Working for Wetlands is hosted by SANBI with its partners including the Department of Environmental Affairs, the Department of Water Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Working for Water, and the Expanded Public Works Programme.

5. Project approach The integrated process yields to a number of wetland areas that can be considered for field investigation in order to define any rehabilitation potential which is line with the objectives of the Working for Wetland Program; The objectives are to protect, manage, conserve, rehabilitate wetlands to improve eco-services provided by the systems, and enhance wetland health and regional biodiversity while mostly providing jobs to local communities. To date this has been a reactive process of erecting structures to control erosion and addressing issues of long term sustainability of rehabilitation projects. Upon visiting the identified areas, assessments are done in all the areas; hierarchy ranking of priority areas are based on the observed hydrological, geomorphological and vegetation changes and as well as potential for rehabilitating these areas in the context of Expanded Public Works Program. The ranking of the identified areas depends on actual field investigation to identify nature of problems and potential for rehabilitation within defined objectives.

Some of the major challenges that the North West is faced with are: •

Development pressures;

•

Agricultural practices; and

•

Illegal activities in wetlands;

•

Mining affecting the groundwater.

The above certainly would be detrimental to the ecological state of wetlands in the province.

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However, it is important that attention not be focussed only on the priority wetlands because many of the smaller and less well known wetlands may nonetheless supply considerable goods and services. Currently we have projects to the value of 6,000,000 million rand, and requests in the province have way exceeded the actual value and we are faced with having to shelve many worthy projects due to the limited amount of funds. It is therefore recommended to expand the budget for current projects where there is still relevant and meaningful work to be done. The rehabilitation planning process has revealed that some projects still have enough work for the next couple of years (please refer to attached 5 year plan breakdown) and these should take priority because we need to secure our investment and also because some of these projects already have management systems in place. Some of the current project catchments have problems that are too big for Working for Wetlands to implement with the current budget. Getting more funds could easily enable such big works to be implemented. When these projects close down and their budget becomes available the next step will then be to select other wetlands from the priority list that have been identified as the most threatened. 6. New Project Suggestions 6.1

Harts River (Berbespan Ramsar Site)

This area is designated as a Wetland of International Importance, a Ramsar site declared in 1975 and is a host to 177 resident and migratory birds and other important wetland species. This area is also declared as important bird area (IBA). The area is threatened by agricultural activities, waste water treatment works, roads development and invasive alien plant species. There are three waste water treatment works upstream of Barberspan (Sannieshof, Ottosdal and Lichtenburg). Some or all of these waterworks are not functioning to full capacity and the sewage discharge causes a real threat to the water quality of the Barberspan (Birdlife South Africa, 2012). Regular water quality tests are done and the situation is closely monitored. Cyanobacteria and algal blooms occur at summer months, which can cause threat to birds. Changes of water quality, which affect the pH, salinity and turbidity of water, cause seasonal decreases of the numbers of water birds using the lake. However, up to now, no large scale fish deaths have occurred because of a drop in water quality (Birdlife South Africa, 2012). Sedimentation of Barberspan is continuing and will become a bigger problem in time. Sediments are deposited in the pan through the Hartsriver. As the system is not “natural” and does not allow for the through flow of water to Leeupan it is basically a sediment trap. Heavy metals might also be trapped in these sediments but this is not known as yet. Establishing reed beds in the inlet to Barberspan might provide a solution to the problem.

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However this area is on private land and the co-operation of this land owner is crucial to implement this. The other possibility is to establish reed beds higher up on the river – long before the sediments reach the Barberspan (Birdlife South Africa, 2012). The Prickly Pear is also becoming a bigger threat and is difficult to control (chemical control needed). Reeds are also becoming a threat especially the exotic Phragmites australis. There is a reed management plan to control this invasive. Reeds are not sprayed but cut down. Potential relevant partners include Birdlife South Africa, Local Private Landowners, NW Agri Farmers Association, NW Parks Board, DAFF, Harts River Catchment Management Forum, SANBI Working for Wetlands, Working for Water, Local and District Municipalities. Personnel involved Most of the sites on the above list are within a reasonable distance for the current implementer to take over; however, additional project managers may be required especially for new projects. Expansion of the existing project will simply mean employing more contractors and labourers to meet the bigger budgets. 7. Budget A R64.7 million, budget is requested for North West & Northern Cape, the breakdown per year is reflected in the attached table for a period of 5 years. 8. Time frame This would be for the 2014-19 business years. 9. Beneficiaries Provincial and local government structures have a mandate to protect and manage their wetlands better. The increase in financial resources for wetland rehabilitation will enable them to achieve their objectives. Our relationships with non-governmental organisations and the private sector will be established and/or strengthened At project level, local communities are key beneficiaries in more ways than one. There will be employment opportunities, which will address issues of economic development. Those employed in the programme will receive skills development, enabling them a better chance in the work market after the completion of local projects. Communities that still rely on harvested materials e.g. fibre for building and craftwork, will benefit once the interventions have been in place long enough for the environment to start responding to them. Municipalities will be engaged on a much closer level to encourage information sharing in particular the IDP, Page 91 of 94

where we are able to secure placements for workers on exit if we are aware of what skills municipalities will require timeously. 10. Communication strategy Programme level driven.

11. Conclusion Given the abundance and diversity of wetland systems in the North West, it is concluded that the province does not have enough resources to adequately address all wetland issues. An increase in the provincial budget will see us effectively addressing wetland problems at a much bigger scale than is currently the case.

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Annexure 10

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Annexure 11

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