Globale biodiversiteitsraamwerk vir varswatervleilande van Suid-Afrika : voorlopige berekening van die vordering om die restourasiemikpunt van doelwit 2 te bereik

Abstract

AFRIKAANS : Die Nasionale Biodiversiteitsanalise van 2018 het bevind dat vleilande (riviermondings en varswatervleilande) die mees bedreigde van al die ekostelsels in Suid-Afrika is. Teen 2030 moet Suid-Afrika aan die Verenigde Nasies se Globale Biodiversiteitsraamwerk (GBR) rapporteer of Doelwit 2 bereik is, naamlik om 30% van gedegradeerde stelsels in die proses van herstel te hê. Hierdie studie het beoog om die voorlopige omvang as persentasie van varswatervleilande wat aan ekologiese ingrypings onderworpe was in verhouding tot die totale omvang van gedegradeerde varswatervleilande in Suid-Afrika te bereken. Ons het ook die persentasieomvang in verhouding tot eienaarskap van die gedegradeerde varswatervleilande en dié wat onder ekologiese restourasie is, bepaal. Die Werk vir Vleilandeprogram en die Werk vir Waterprogram se beskikbare data is ingesamel en met die Nasionale Vleilandkaart weergawe 6, gekombineer om die persentasies te bereken. Die meerderheid van Suid-Afrika se varswatervleilande (51%) is gemodelleer om degradasie te bepaal, met >2.0 miljoen hektaar van die 4 miljoen hektaar Suid-Afrikaanse vleilande wat impakte toon ten opsigte van veranderinge aan die hidrologiese siklus, waterkwaliteitsimpakte, fragmentasie en verlies van habitatte, voorkoms van indringerspesies en klimaatverandering, of ‘n kombinasie van hierdie impakte. Die 30% van Doelwit 2 beteken dus dat amper 613 136 ha van varswatervleilande teen 2030 onder ekologiese herstel moet wees. Ekologiese herstelprogramme het tot dusver slegs ongeveer 203 283 ha (10%) van Doelwit 2 bereik. Die meerderheid (82,8%) van vleilande is op privaat grond geleë, waarvan meer as die helfte gedegradeer is. Baie van die impakte op vleilande, asook die restourasieinisiatiewe wat deur die privaat sektor of individue uitgevoer word, word nie in hierdie berekening weerspieël nie. Monitering en kwantifisering van alle varswaterhabitatte is dus noodsaaklik om Doelwit 2 van die GBR teen 2030 te bereik.

ENGLISH : The National Biodiversity Assessment of 2018 listed wetlands (estuaries and freshwater ecosystems) as the most threatened ecosystem of South Africa. By 2030, South Africa must report to the United Nations’ Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to which degree we have reached Target 2 that aims to have 30% of the extent of degraded ecosystems under restoration. This study aimed to calculate the preliminary extent as a percentage of wetlands that have been under ecological restoration interventions, relative to the total extent of degraded freshwater wetlands of South Africa. We also assessed the percentage of extent relative to ownership of the degraded wetlands and those that are under ecological restoration. Data released by the Working for Wetlands and Working for Water programmes were combined with the National Wetland Map version 6 as well as information on land ownership and protection level status of the country. The majority of the freshwater wetlands (51%) were modelled as degraded, with > 2 million ha of the 4 million ha of wetlands showed impacts resulting from various pressures, including changes to the hydrological cycle, water quality, fragmentation and degradation of habitats, climate change, or a combination of these pressures. The 30% GBF Target 2 requires that almost 613 136 ha of freshwater wetlands should be under restoration by 2030. The government’s two restoration programmes have reached only 203 283 ha (10%) of the desired target. The majority (82,8%) of freshwater wetlands is located on private land, of which the majority is degraded. Many of the impacts and none of the restoration interventions undertaken by the private sector or individuals are reflected. Monitoring and quantification of all freshwater habitats are therefore needed to attain the 30% extent target of the GBF.