Fingers pointed at farmers for muddying up water

Agricultural activities are a significant threat to biodiversity in Southern Africa’s freshwater ecosystems, revealed the 2009 World Water Forum, held recently in Turkey.
A study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN’s) Species Programme warned that many freshwater fish, crabs, dragonflies, molluscs and aquatic plants were at risk of extinction in Southern Africa if the rivers and lakes weren’t protected from developers.
“One of the main threats identified for this region is the loss and degradation of wetland habitats, in particular where wetlands are drained to make way for agriculture,” IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit manager Dr William Darwall told Farmer’s Weekly.
“Other threats include the damming of streams and seeps for irrigation, the watering of livestock, invasive alien plants and animals and the construction of dams to meet potable water, sanitation and hydropower targets.”
Dr Darwall said Southern Africa, including South Africa, had much to lose if effective measures to protect freshwater biodiversity weren’t put in place soon. Poor people in particular would lose out on the important protein provided by fish. Meanwhile, many more expensive water purification plants would be needed to supply potable water and water runoff would increase, increasing flooding and soil erosion and decreasing soil moisture retention, amongst other factors.
Meanwhile, the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) said it had noted the IUCN’s concerns but pointed out it had been proactive in implementing protective measures.
DWAF in action
“In 1994, DWAF initiated the River Health Programme, mainly to serve as an information source on the overall ecological status of river ecosystems in South Africa,” department spokesperson Linda Page said. “The programme was recently extended to cover wetlands and estuarine environments and is now referred to as the Aquatic Ecosystems Biomonitoring Programme (AEBP).”
Some of AEBP’s objectives are to measure, assess and report on the ecological state of the country’s aquatic ecosystems and use the information to generate relevant management guidelines. DWAF explained that so far several “State of the River Reports” had been produce about water systems throughout the country, providing valuable information on which to base conservation programmes. Page added DWAF was also greatly concerned about other threats to freshwater biodiversity, including catchment stress due to over-allocated resources, and high development levels such as in areas with mining or urban development. – Lloyd Phillips
See the full IUCN report at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/the_status_and_distribution_of_freshwater_biodiversity_in_southern_africa.pdf.