Water Wheel March/April 2024: Wetland

Abstract

Wetlands are distinct ecosystems comprising land that is transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and vegetation cover that is typically adapted to flooded or saturated soils. There are numerous beneficial ecosystem services provided by wetlands to humans and animals, which include: protection and improvement of water quality and quantity; supply of food to humans and nutrients to plants; carbon sequestration; storage of flood water in wet periods and maintenance of surface water flow in dry periods; erosion control during heavy rainfall events; maintenance of ecosystems productivity; provision of habitat for threatened and endangered plant and animal species; recreational and educational opportunities, as well as creation of sustainable products and livelihoods, by providing a range of resources for people, including wetland plants harvested for manufacturing crafts and grazing for animals in the winter months. So writes Nadia Araya, Alanna Rebelo, Althea Grundling, Piet-Louis Grundling, Jason le Roux, Nwabisa Masekwana, Lerato Maboa and Kwazi Zuma.

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