STATE-OF-RIVERS REPORT: MONITORING AND MANAGING THE ECOLOGICAL STATE OF RIVERS IN THE CROCODILE (WEST) MARICO WATER MANAGEMENT AREA Water Management Area Management Water Crocodile (West) Marico Crocodile (West) RIVER HEALTH PROGRAMME MARCH 2005 CONTACT DETAILS PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS River Health Champion Department: Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) Introduction . 2 North-West Province Department: Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) The Relationship between People and the Natural Environment . 2 Tharina Boshoff Water Research Commission (WRC) The River Health Programme . 3 Department of Agriculture, Conservation, CSIR, Environmentek State-of-Rivers Reporting . 4 Environment & Tourism North West Province Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Existing State-of-Rivers Reports and Products . 5 Agricentre, Dr. James Moroka Drive Environment & Tourism (NW-DACET) 2735 Mmabatho Ecological Status assessment . 6 Tel: 018 389 5111 / 5048 Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment Ecostatus Indices . 7 Fax: 018 389 5006 and Tourism (DEDET) Ecological Importance and Sensitivity . 8 [email protected] Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and River Health Categories . 9 Environment (GDACE) Overview of the Crocodile (West) Marico Water Management Area . 10 River Health Champion North West University (PUK Campus) (NWU) Physical Characteristics . 11 Limpopo Province University of Venda (Univen) Land-use . 12 Mick Angliss South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI) Social and Economic Characteristics . 13 Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Anglo Platinum Other Water Resources of the WMA . 13 Environment and Tourism Reporting Format . 14 Corner of Dorp and South Street Summary . 16 0700 Polokwane Summary Diagram . 18 Tel: 015 295 9300 / 203 SPONSOR Monitoring and Management . 20 Fax: 015 295 5819 Institutional Arrangements . 20 [email protected] NORAD Monitoring Programmes . 21 Management Actions . 21 River Health Champion Study Area . 22 Gauteng Piet Muller Apies / Pienaars Sub-Management Area . 24 Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation Apies . 24 and Environment Upper Pienaars . 25 14th Floor Lower Pienaars . 26 Glen Cairn Building, Plat . 27 73 Market Street Upper Crocodile Sub-Management Area . 28 2000 Johannesburg Crocodile Highveld . 28 Tel: 011 355 1900 Crocodile Western Bankenveld . 30 Fax: 011 337 2292 Skeerpoort . 32 [email protected] Magalies . 34 Rosespruit / Kareespruit . 35 RHP, National Office, DWAF Bonani Madikizela Upper Sterkstroom . 36 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry: Lower Sterkstroom . 37 Resource Quality Services Elands Sub-Management Area . 38 Private Bag X313 Upper Elands . 38 0001 Pretoria Lower Elands . 39 Tel: 012 808 9546 Selons / Koster . 40 Fax: 012 808 2702 of Contents Table SUGGESTED CITATION Upper Hex . 41 [email protected] Lower Hex . 42 River Health Programme (2005). State-of-Rivers Report: Lower Crocodile Sub-Management Area . 44 Monitoring and Managing the Ecological State of Rivers in the Sundays . 44 Crocodile (West) Marico Water Management Area. Middle Crocodile . 46 Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Lower Crocodile . 47 Pretoria Marico Sub-Management Area . 48 Groot Marico . 48 Klein Marico . 49 STATE-OF-RIVERS REPORT NUMBER 9 Middle Marico . 50 Lower Marico . 51 ISBN NO: 0-620-34054-1 Upper Molopo Sub-Management Area . 52 Contributors & References . 53 MARCH 2005 1 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THE THE RIVER HEALTH PROGRAMME NATURAL ENVIRONMENT We live in an era where most aspects of the developed their own self-sustaining balance. The River Health Programme (RHP) was initiated in 1994 structure and functioning of Earth's ecosystems Modification of a particular function over in response to the need to monitor, assess and report on cannot be understood without accounting for another may cause an imbalance that, in the the ecological state of river ecosystems based on their the strong influence of humanity. Social and case where it persists, may eventually lead biological condition in relation to all the human-induced ecological systems are co-evolving at both to degradation of the aquatic environment disturbances affecting them. The Department of Water local and planetary levels. Despite tremendous and ecology. There is a great diversity of Affairs and Forestry, as the legal custodians of water improvements in technological, economic ways that rivers have been modified resources in South Africa, has played the leading role in and material well-being - at least in some depending on the needs of their adjacent initiating and designing the RHP. parts of the world - people in all parts of the communities. In the extreme, some urban world rely on the capacity of the biosphere streams have gradually been turned into During the initial few years, the emphasis was on research to support and sustain social and economic canals for transporting waste. Some have and development of the basic monitoring protocols. From development. Freshwater is the bloodstream been covered, turned into sewers and 1996, the programme became operational when a number of the biosphere's capacity. ‘forgotten’. With the recent increase in envi- of provincial implementation teams started applying the ronmental awareness, even urban streams RHP design. Today, the RHP is a co-operative venture with Two broad paradigms influence the are being revisited and their aesthetic and participants from many government and non-government management of natural resources, namely environmental values appreciated. organisations, including provincial government departments, a development paradigm whose goal is to Rehabilitation of rivers, whereby the state of local authorities, universities, conservation agencies and put water to work for people and another the river is improved in terms of physical private sector organisations. All of these organisations have that advocates water for the benefit of all, characteristics, chemical quality, ecological a stake in collecting data and making information available including ecosystems and the physical diversity and aesthetic appearance, is on the state of the rivers in their areas of responsibility. environment. Under the first paradigm, social receiving increasing attention. Through collaborating and combining their resources, a well-being is considered to follow directly joint implementation team can achieve more than would be from economic development. Ecosystems It is acknowledged that, due to both social possible for any of the organisations on their own. are essentially harvested to support an and ecological complexity, a pathway to economic sector for the production of social sustainability cannot be charted in advance value. but must rather be navigated through processes of learning and adaptation. A coordinated effort to bring the development Therefore, sustainable development should paradigm together with environmental not be seen as a destiny but as a journey concerns was initiated in the 1980's with the based on an ethos that shapes the behaviour introduction of the concept of 'sustainable of individuals, institutions and nations. There development'. Sustainable development in is a risk that the material success of humans Introduction respect of water resources seeks to ensure can lead to them being mentally disconnected that future generations can meet their own from nature - a belief system of human water needs while promoting socio-economic progress as independent of nature. However, development and improved quality of life for a critical element of this journey of sustainable all in the current generation. This can only development is to be aware of the ways in be achieved through utilising water resources which ecosystems respond to disturbances, to within the ability of these ecosystems to learn from the feedbacks that the environment satisfy society's needs now and in the future. provides, and to adapt our actions in ways that would improve the harmony between the Rivers in both rural and urban settings are healthy functioning of ecosystems and complex, multifunctional ecosystems that have society's developmental aspirations. 2 3 STATE-OF-RIVERS REPORTING EXISTING STATE-OF-RIVERS REPORTS AND PRODUCTS The overall goal of communicating natural SoR reporting is aligned with the Pressure- 1. State-of-Rivers 2. State-of-Rivers 3. State-of-Rivers 4. State-of-Rivers resource information should be to change the State-Response (PSR) framework that was Report: Crocodile, Report: Letaba & Poster: Modder River Report: uMngeni behaviour of the recipients of the information. developed by the Organisation for Economic Sabie-Sand & Olifants Luvuvhu River December 2001 River and In the case of the RHP, the program must: Co-operation and Development (OECD). River Systems Systems Neighbouring Rivers According to this framework, social and March 2001 December 2001 and Streams (1) Provide information to inform ecologically economic activities exert pressure on an August 2002 sound management of rivers in South ecosystem, and as a consequence, the state Africa; and of that ecosystem changes. These states can (2) Inform and educate the people of South result in responses.