A generic environmental management plan for the lacustrine wetlands of the East Rand of Gauteng
- Authors: Collen, Bronwyn
- Date: 2012-02-27
- Subjects: Wetlands , Wetland management , Environmental management
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:2056 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4405
- Description: M.Sc. , It is estimated that on the East Rand of Gauteng there are approximately 159 wetlands, of these the large majority are lacustrine and endoreic wetlands. It is these lacustrine and endoreic wetlands that this study has as its focus, as it is these wetlands that face the greatest threats from humans. The aim of this study is thus to identify the threats and problems that are generic to the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands, and then to develop managerial options to deal with these threats and their associated problems. This dissertation shall focus on the development of a genenc environmental management plan for the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands of the East Rand of Gauteng. This generic environmental management plan shall be presented in the following form: 1. A discussion on the study area 2. An examination of the legislation relevant to the management of wetlands. 3. A discussion of the impacts identified, the significance and the root causes thereof In this case only those aspects that pose the greatest long-term threats to the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands of the East Rand shall be discussed. 4. The investigation of possible mitigatory measures and their implementation. 5. A discussion on the necessity for monitoring and auditing, including the monitoring and auditing of mitigatory and preventative measures. The majority of generic environmental management plans include sections detailing aspects of communication, training and awareness programmes, and possibly also sections addressing the social impacts of managerial actions. This generic management plan shall, however, only concentrate on the management of aspects affecting the natural environment. Studies have revealed that the primary long-term threats to the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands of the East Rand are those posed by the following: 1. Changes to water quality and water flow 2. Pollution 3. Invasive species These three primary long-term threats combine, resulting in the primary problems associated with the wetlands of the East Rand, these resultant problems are: 1. Eutrophication 2. Sedimentation 3. Bacteriological contamination, and 4. Aesthetic problems It is these primary long-term threats and their associated problems that form the focus of this study. Details shall be given regarding both the causes and effects thereof, as well as suggesting managerial options to deal with them. This environmental management plan, being generic in nature could be applied to individual lacustrine and endoreic wetlands within the study area when drawing up specific management plans for these wetlands. Furthermore this plan could also be incorporated into greater catchment management frameworks for the East Rand.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Collen, Bronwyn
- Date: 2012-02-27
- Subjects: Wetlands , Wetland management , Environmental management
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:2056 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4405
- Description: M.Sc. , It is estimated that on the East Rand of Gauteng there are approximately 159 wetlands, of these the large majority are lacustrine and endoreic wetlands. It is these lacustrine and endoreic wetlands that this study has as its focus, as it is these wetlands that face the greatest threats from humans. The aim of this study is thus to identify the threats and problems that are generic to the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands, and then to develop managerial options to deal with these threats and their associated problems. This dissertation shall focus on the development of a genenc environmental management plan for the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands of the East Rand of Gauteng. This generic environmental management plan shall be presented in the following form: 1. A discussion on the study area 2. An examination of the legislation relevant to the management of wetlands. 3. A discussion of the impacts identified, the significance and the root causes thereof In this case only those aspects that pose the greatest long-term threats to the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands of the East Rand shall be discussed. 4. The investigation of possible mitigatory measures and their implementation. 5. A discussion on the necessity for monitoring and auditing, including the monitoring and auditing of mitigatory and preventative measures. The majority of generic environmental management plans include sections detailing aspects of communication, training and awareness programmes, and possibly also sections addressing the social impacts of managerial actions. This generic management plan shall, however, only concentrate on the management of aspects affecting the natural environment. Studies have revealed that the primary long-term threats to the lacustrine and endoreic wetlands of the East Rand are those posed by the following: 1. Changes to water quality and water flow 2. Pollution 3. Invasive species These three primary long-term threats combine, resulting in the primary problems associated with the wetlands of the East Rand, these resultant problems are: 1. Eutrophication 2. Sedimentation 3. Bacteriological contamination, and 4. Aesthetic problems It is these primary long-term threats and their associated problems that form the focus of this study. Details shall be given regarding both the causes and effects thereof, as well as suggesting managerial options to deal with them. This environmental management plan, being generic in nature could be applied to individual lacustrine and endoreic wetlands within the study area when drawing up specific management plans for these wetlands. Furthermore this plan could also be incorporated into greater catchment management frameworks for the East Rand.
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An integrated rehabilitation plan for the Wilgeheuwel Extension 29 Wetland, Gauteng
- Authors: Hendricks, James
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:15:04Z
- Subjects: Wetlands , Wetland management , Wetland restoration , Gauteng (South Africa)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8098 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2026
- Description: M.A. , Wetlands are being lost and degraded in urban areas. Urban wetlands perform a diverse range of valuable functions. The loss of wetlands, therefore, has a negative impact upon urban human populations. One of the major threats to urban wetlands in Gauteng is the development of residential and commercial developments. As prime land for development is at a premium, the urban developer has targeted wetlands, which are canalised, drained or filled before being developed over. A typical example is that of the case study used for this thesis, where a wetland found in Johannesburg, Gauteng, is in the process of being destroyed, with the developers removing wetland vegetation, levelling the site and inhibiting the flow of the Wilgespruit River. Eventually a townhouse complex to be known as Wilgeheuwel Extension 29 is to be developed on the site. An integrated sustainable rehabilitation plan is required to ensure that the Wilgeheuwel Extension 29 wetland is rehabilitated. This plan is to take into consideration all the factors that influence the wetland negatively at present, including impacts upstream and possible future impacts. Therefore, a hierarchical approach is used, where management plans for the Wilgespruit River sub-catchment, the proposed development and the individual wetland are integrated into one plan.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Hendricks, James
- Date: 2009-02-05T07:15:04Z
- Subjects: Wetlands , Wetland management , Wetland restoration , Gauteng (South Africa)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8098 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2026
- Description: M.A. , Wetlands are being lost and degraded in urban areas. Urban wetlands perform a diverse range of valuable functions. The loss of wetlands, therefore, has a negative impact upon urban human populations. One of the major threats to urban wetlands in Gauteng is the development of residential and commercial developments. As prime land for development is at a premium, the urban developer has targeted wetlands, which are canalised, drained or filled before being developed over. A typical example is that of the case study used for this thesis, where a wetland found in Johannesburg, Gauteng, is in the process of being destroyed, with the developers removing wetland vegetation, levelling the site and inhibiting the flow of the Wilgespruit River. Eventually a townhouse complex to be known as Wilgeheuwel Extension 29 is to be developed on the site. An integrated sustainable rehabilitation plan is required to ensure that the Wilgeheuwel Extension 29 wetland is rehabilitated. This plan is to take into consideration all the factors that influence the wetland negatively at present, including impacts upstream and possible future impacts. Therefore, a hierarchical approach is used, where management plans for the Wilgespruit River sub-catchment, the proposed development and the individual wetland are integrated into one plan.
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Delineating wetland waterbodies of wide spatial variation using remote sensing techniques
- Authors: Zwedzi, Lutendo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Bodies of water - Remote sensing , Wetlands - Remote sensing , Wetland management
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/458723 , uj:40757
- Description: Abstract: Waterbodies often make up a key component of wetland systems and therefore should be given due consideration in the management of wetlands. The need to monitor wetland waterbodies is becoming ever-pressing in the face of climate change and population growth that is putting increasing pressure on water resources. Monitoring waterbodies as part of land cover mapping in wetland ecosystems using remote sensing is well documented. Furthermore, much of the emphasis has been on large wetland and waterbodies that are fairly easy to map on publicly available remotely-sensed data such as moderate resolution Landsat imagery. There is a need to expand the utility of remote sensing to monitoring wetland waterbodies that have a great deal of variation in terms of spatial extent. This study therefore investigated the performances of remotely-sensed data in identifying and quantifying the spatial extents of urban wetland waterbodies found in the south of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. The first goal of this study was to assess the seasonal and multi-year dynamics of wetland waterbodies using Landsat imagery. Seasonal assessment (summer, autumn, winter, spring) revealed that summer and spring had the most number of waterbodies in the study area. Analysis of the multi-year data (1995, 2005, 2008, 2016) taken in the same season revealed fairly unchanged waterbody amounts. The second goal of the study focussed on two specific objectives; 1) compare SPOT versus Landsat images, 2) compare Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) versus Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI) to delineate wetland waterbodies. The SPOT imagery identified more waterbodies than the Landsat and was also better in estimating waterbody extents, indicating the importance of spatial resolution as well as the sufficiency of visible and near-infrared spectral bands available in SPOT imagery. The comparison between NDVI and NDWI favoured the latter, which enabled identification of more waterbodies comparable to the reference data. in general, the findings of this study demonstrated the suitability of publicly available remotely-sensed data in monitoring wetland waterbodies with wide spatial variations common in urban environments. It is envisaged that continuous efforts in similar researches and the increasing availability of multisource remote sensing data will improve the monitoring efforts at high temporal resolutions. , M.Sc. (Geography)
- Full Text:
- Authors: Zwedzi, Lutendo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Bodies of water - Remote sensing , Wetlands - Remote sensing , Wetland management
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/458723 , uj:40757
- Description: Abstract: Waterbodies often make up a key component of wetland systems and therefore should be given due consideration in the management of wetlands. The need to monitor wetland waterbodies is becoming ever-pressing in the face of climate change and population growth that is putting increasing pressure on water resources. Monitoring waterbodies as part of land cover mapping in wetland ecosystems using remote sensing is well documented. Furthermore, much of the emphasis has been on large wetland and waterbodies that are fairly easy to map on publicly available remotely-sensed data such as moderate resolution Landsat imagery. There is a need to expand the utility of remote sensing to monitoring wetland waterbodies that have a great deal of variation in terms of spatial extent. This study therefore investigated the performances of remotely-sensed data in identifying and quantifying the spatial extents of urban wetland waterbodies found in the south of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. The first goal of this study was to assess the seasonal and multi-year dynamics of wetland waterbodies using Landsat imagery. Seasonal assessment (summer, autumn, winter, spring) revealed that summer and spring had the most number of waterbodies in the study area. Analysis of the multi-year data (1995, 2005, 2008, 2016) taken in the same season revealed fairly unchanged waterbody amounts. The second goal of the study focussed on two specific objectives; 1) compare SPOT versus Landsat images, 2) compare Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) versus Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI) to delineate wetland waterbodies. The SPOT imagery identified more waterbodies than the Landsat and was also better in estimating waterbody extents, indicating the importance of spatial resolution as well as the sufficiency of visible and near-infrared spectral bands available in SPOT imagery. The comparison between NDVI and NDWI favoured the latter, which enabled identification of more waterbodies comparable to the reference data. in general, the findings of this study demonstrated the suitability of publicly available remotely-sensed data in monitoring wetland waterbodies with wide spatial variations common in urban environments. It is envisaged that continuous efforts in similar researches and the increasing availability of multisource remote sensing data will improve the monitoring efforts at high temporal resolutions. , M.Sc. (Geography)
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