Southern Africa perspective - Identification and Mapping National Freshwater Ecosystems Priority Areas in South Africa

Transcription

1 Southern Africa perspective - Identification and Mapping National Freshwater Ecosystems Priority Areas in South Africa SA National Wetland Inventory By N Mbona

2 Outline National Wetland Inventory SA Wetland Classification System ID Freshwater Ecosystem priorities Data Inputs Results

3 Objectives of NWI To get: extent, distribution + diversity 1: Identifying the location of wetlands and priority conservation sites 2: Identify functions and values of individual wetlands 3: Establishment of a baseline for measuring future change in wetland area, function and values

4 Wetland Map 3 Artificial = artificial and/or transformed Finer-scale sub-national data KZN CAPE fine-scale plans Kamieskroon Niewoudville Overberg

5 Challenges in Wetland Mapping small size and fragmented distribution in landscape (e.g. 1 2 ha) similar vegetative cover to surrounding non-wetland vegetation Accuracy Assessment: Very wide knowledge gap (location)

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7 SA Wetland Classification System Definition of wetland RAMSAR CONVENTION (ADAPTED): Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed ten metres.

8 Connectivity to open ocean LEVEL 1: SYSTEM Marine / Estuarine / Inland PRIMARY DISCRIMINATORS (to distinguish between wetland types) Physiographic & biogeographic features - Periodicity of connection to ocean [Estuarine] - Landscape setting [Inland] LEVEL 2: REGIONAL SETTING (ECOREGION / BIOREGION / BIOGEOGRAPHIC ZONE) LEVEL 3: SUBSYSTEM / LANDSCAPE UNIT Landform & hydrology/hydrodynamics LEVEL 4: HGM UNIT SECONDARY DISCRIMINATORS - Tidal regime [Marine / Estuarine] - Perenniality [Inland: channels] LEVEL 5: TIDAL / HYDROLOGICAL REGIME FUNCTIONAL UNIT - Inundation & saturation periodicity (& inundation depth-class) [Inland: nonchannels] LEVEL 6: WETLAND CHARACTERISTICS GEOLOGY NATURAL vs. ARTIFICIAL VEGETATION COVER TYPE SUBSTRATUM SALINITY ACIDITY / ALKALINITY Geology Naturalness Vegetation cover, form & status Substratum type Salinity / conductivity ph DESCRIPTORS (to categorise wetland characteristics/features)

9 8 Primary HGM Units for Inland Systems (at Level 4A) occurring in different Landscape Settings: CHANNEL CHANNELLED VALLEY BOTTOM WETLAND UNCHANNELLED VALLEY BOTTOM WETLAND FLOODPLAIN WETLAND HILLSLOPE SEEP VALLEYHEAD SEEP DEPRESSION FLAT

10 LEVEL 1: SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY TO OPEN OCEAN INLAND LEVEL 2: REGIONAL SETTING ECOREGION DWAF Level I Ecoregions LEVEL 3: LANDSCAPE UNIT SLOPE PLAIN LANDSCAPE SETTING VALLEY FLOOR BENCH (HILLTOP / SADDLE / SHELF) Channel (river) Channelled valleybottom wetland Unchannelled valleybottom wetland Floodplain wetland Depression A B C D Mountain headwater stream [not applicable] [not applicable] Mountain stream [not applicable] [not applicable] Transitional river [not applicable] [not applicable] Rejuvenated bedrock fall [not applicable] [not applicable] With channelled outflow [not applicable] Without channelled outflow [not applicable] With channelled inflow Exorheic [not applicable] Endorheic Dammed Without channelled inflow With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow Mountain stream [not applicable] [not applicable] Transitional river [not applicable] [not applicable] Rejuvenated bedrock fall [not applicable] [not applicable] Upper foothill river [not applicable] [not applicable] Lower foothill river [not applicable] [not applicable] Lowland river [not applicable] [not applicable] Rejuvenated foothill river [not applicable] [not applicable] Upland floodplain river [not applicable] [not applicable] Valley-bottom depression [not applicable] [not applicable] Valley-bottom flat [not applicable] [not applicable] Valley-bottom depression [not applicable] [not applicable] Valley-bottom flat [not applicable] [not applicable] Floodplain depression [not applicable] [not applicable] Floodplain flat [not applicable] Exorheic [not applicable] With channelled inflow [not applicable] Endorheic Dammed Without channelled inflow With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow Valleyhead seep [not applicable] [not applicable] [not applicable] Channel (river) Floodplain wetland Unchannelled valleybottom wetland Depression Lowland river [not applicable] [not applicable] Upland floodplain river [not applicable] [not applicable] Floodplain depression [not applicable] [not applicable] Floodplain flat [not applicable] [not applicable] Valley-bottom depression [not applicable] [not applicable] Valley-bottom flat [not applicable] [not applicable] With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow Flat [not applicable] [not applicable] [not applicable] Depression HGM TYPE Channel (river) Hillslope seep Depression LEVEL 4: HYDROGEOMORPHIC (HGM) UNIT LONGITUDINAL ZONATION / LANDFORM [not applicable] [not applicable] [not applicable] DRAINAGE - OUTFLOW DRAINAGE - INFLOW Exorheic Endorheic Exorheic Endorheic With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow With channelled inflow Without channelled inflow Flat [not applicable] [not applicable] [not applicable]

11 NFEPA Aims 1. To identify National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas 2. To develop an institutional basis to enable effective implementation of Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas National component - aligning conservation & water sector policy mechanisms Sub-national component - building capacity to use products at local levels

12 NFEPA Project deliverables 1. National criteria for identifying FEPAs 2. Maps of FEPAs 3. Guidelines linked to maps 4. Implementation manual with legal and institutional mechanisms for implementing FEPAs 5. NFEPA Atlas 6. Project report

13 Criteria Represent river, wetland and estuary ecosystem types Represent threatened fish Represent free-flowing rivers Represent NB migration routes Fish corridors Wetland clusters Maintain water supply areas High water yield areas High groundwater recharge areas Represent estuary species Identify connected systems

14 Input data Sub-quaternaries River types Wetland delineations Wetland types Wetland clusters Fish sanctuaries Free-flowing rivers River condition Groundwater recharge Water yield (MAR) Wetland condition

15 Wetland types

16 Ecosystem Threat Status How threatened are our ecosystems? A measure of the proportion of the total ecosystem type that is still in an AB or C condition Condition: AB = Natural/good C = Moderately modified D = Largely modified EF = Seriously modified Z = Modelled as not intact Ecosystem types: 223 river types 782 wetland types

17 River condition A or B C D E Z

18 Wetland condition Used to rank the relative importance of a wetland CONDITION OF NON-RIVERINE WETLANDS Based on the minimum % natural land cover in and around the wetland: Wetland 50 m area around a wetland 100 m area around wetland 500 m area around wetland CONDITION OF RIVERINE WETLANDS The condition of the river is also considered If river condition is D, E or F wetland condition is D, E or F If river condition is A, B, C or unknown wetland condition is based on minimum % natural landcover in and around the wetland

19 ECOSYSTEM THREAT STATUS: Wetlands 2010

20 Wetland ranks Ramsar Threatened frogs Threatened waterbirds Cranes Expert knowledge Peat wetlands unique and intact Threatened or endemic plants and animals Wetland condition

21 Wetland clusters Clusters of wetlands embedded in a relatively natural landscape matrix through which dispersal between wetlands can occur Clusters are a biodiversity feature IN ADDITION to representing wetland types More than 3 non-riverine wetlands within 1 km of each other where: > 50 % of the wetland systems are natural, the landscape matrix is 25% natural Preferential selection first from ones with 50 % Strive for representation across wetland vegetation groups

22 Map products WMA level 1. FEPA map National level 2. Summary map at WMA level 3. Summary map at sub-wma level 4. Free-flowing rivers (Top 10; others) 5. Fish sanctuary areas 6. Water supply areas

23 Free-flowing rivers STATS (in brackets is number 100 km) Total 66 (24) Per province : Western Cape 9 (1) Eastern Cape 29 (8) KZN 18 (9) Mpumalanga 6 (4) Limpopo 2 (1) Gauteng 0 (0) North West 1 (0) Free State (0) (0) Northern Cape 1 (1) Top 10 in SA Others

24 MAP 1: FEPA map Incorporating a conservation vision into Catchment Management Strategies Biodiversity sector input into scenario planning Planning by national & provincial conservation agencies

25 Biodiversity planning outputs underpinning map products

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27 NFEPA TEAM

28 Co-production of knowledge Collective experience of almost 1000 years!

29 Pre-requisite Wetland inventory Classification system Species data associated with freshwater Multiple stakeholders On the ground implementation managers Conservation planning expertise

30 Lessons Learnt Data collection time consuming Too much Processing time and computer power GIS methods to be trialed Collaborative effort very useful Upstream management of shared basins

31 THANK YOU!