Working for Wetlands

South Africa, May 2012 - Wetland ecosystems play a vital role in sustaining healthy lives. They purify water and regulate water flow, acting as sponges that store water and release it slowly, filtering pollutants and easing the impact of droughts and floods in the process. Peat-lands, for instance, store about 10% of all the world’s freshwater resources.

 Although they make up only a tiny fraction of South Africa (about 10%), wetlands provide an exceptionally high-value ecological infrastructure.

Wetlands also contribute to the mitigation of and/or adaptation of climate change caused by the emission of greenhouse gases due to power generation, deforestation, transport, agriculture and industry, to name just a few factors. Through the years, wetlands have also been used for subsistence and commercial farming, grazing, biomass collection, medicinal uses and water collection.

Despite vital linkages between wetlands and people, wetlands have been severely affected by human activity. Studies in several areas have suggested that between 35% and 60% of South Africa’s wetlands have already been lost or severely degraded. This condition is exacerbated when it is taken into account that by 2025, South Africa will be one of fourteen African countries classified as water scarce (less than 1000 cubic metresper person per year).

Wetlands have been identified as key to the South African landscape and, along with other natural resource protection initiatives, restoration and rehabilitation of wetlands became very significant in the past 10 years.

That is how the Working for Wetlands (WfWet) Programme was born a decade ago to respond to the wetland loss crisis. The Programme champions the rehabilitation, protection and sustainable use of South Africa’s wetlands. Its philosophy is underpinned by interlinked pillars – rehabilitation; communication, education, participation and awareness; applied research and building capacity.

The WfWet Programme is housed within the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) which is a government parastatal and is responsible for developing government environmental policy through research, amongst other functions. 

Within SANBI, WfWet is based at its head-office in Pretoria.  The Programme has 15 employees, the majority from previously disadvantaged communities.

As government funding is not enough to sustain such a project, additional funding is always required to ensure the success of the project.

One aspect in particular that requires additional funding is the need to train the existing staff. In order to sustain success and due to a need for experience and expertise, it is proposed to implement a structured mentoring programme for the Provincial Co-ordinators of this project. Tips South Africa has been approached to assist in obtaining funding for such a mentorship programme.

 

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