Mpumalanga’s “Endangered” Wetlands get a Helping Hand

The dedet has made a public appeal to the community to protect Mpumalanga’s wetlands. This was done during the Provincial Wetlands Celebration held at Chrissiesmeer on the 02nd February 2011. The aim of this day was to create awareness on the benefits that wetlands provide and to highlight the need for society to appreciate the value and function of wetlands.

Wetlands can be described as areas with poor drainage. The soil in these areas is permanently, seasonally or temporary saturated with water. Wetlands are essential in a water-scarce country like South Africa, yet an estimated 50% of South Africa’s wetlands have been destroyed or converted. There are more than 800 natural occurring freshwater wetlands in South Africa, and only 14% have full protection and 4% are partly protected.

One of these areas, the Chrissies lake area is known for its unusually high density of lakes and pans that are characterised as closed basins, each with their own isolated catchment. This assemblage of pans in the Mpumalanga Lakes District is considered to have the highest concentration of permanently inundated pans in Southern Africa, and need to be preserved and protected.

“Take care of our natural resources and protect Mpumalanga’s wetlands. Keep them in good condition and rehabilitate those that are degraded. This will avoid unnecessary suffering due to drought and floods that can compromise our livelihoods,” the director of Environmental Education, Dr. Almarie de Lange emphasized.

Ways in which the public can protect wetlands are:

• do not dump waste in wetlands;
• adhere to the approved urban development plans that clearly define wetland boundaries and buffer zones as no development areas;
• do not litter or pollute our water ways as this enters and overloads our wetlands;
• organise or participate in clean-ups in your area;
• report the abuse of wetlands to your local nature conservation, agricultural extension officer or Department of Environment Affairs.