“Throughout Southern Africa there is growing water scarcity that impacts on communities and economies. The management of our freshwater resources is not only key to preserving biodiversity, but it is essential to present and future economic development and South Africa’s resilience to climate change,” says Cobus Meiring of the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI).
“Responsible agriculture and land management practices, the upkeep of water infrastructure, the protection of wetlands and invasive alien plant control and eradication, are all factors that impact on the well-being of freshwater systems, and they are all factors that can be managed optimally by both government, private landowners and land managers.
Meiring says although the Southern Cape is blessed with unique river systems which all play extremely significant roles in the preservation of human life in the region, these river systems are not guaranteed a prosperous future as both freshwater and marine species are on the decline, and freshwater habitats are becoming smaller and more degraded with every passing year.
For example, the Breede River and estuary, flowing into the Indian Ocean at a Western Cape hamlet called Witsand in the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), supports untold volumes of terrestrial, marine and freshwater aquatic systems, and a vast agricultural economy and value chain, supporting many thousands of people.
Meiring warns that the health of the Breede River and estuary depends on upstream land management practices that have an impact on freshwater systems and river health. He says the Breede River system and estuary is a lifeline for the Southern Cape and it is the responsibility of all to keep it that way.
“Our future survival in South Africa depends on how we go about managing our environment, and the way we protect our freshwater systems no doubt is paramount if we are to survive a fast-changing climate and the challenges that will impose upon us,” stresses Meiring.
The health of the Breede River and estuary depends on upstream land management practices which have an impact on freshwater systems and river health. Photo: Photo by Cobus Meiring, SCLI
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