REVIEW OF LOCAL INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT FOR ZONE 3 COMMUNITY WETLAND IN SEBOKENG, GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA BY JABULANI SEBENZANI SIYAYA Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the subject ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT At the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: MRS LC BAPELA YEAR: 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ________________________________________________________________ I Acknowledgements _________________________________________________________ II List of abbreviations ________________________________________________________ III List of Figures _____________________________________________________________ VI List of Tables ___________________________________________________________ VIII List of appendices __________________________________________________________ IX Abstract __________________________________________________________________ X CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION _____________________________________________ 1 1.1. Background information ............................................................................................. 1 1.2. The study area ............................................................................................................. 4 1.2.1 Location of the study area ........................................................................................... 4 1.2.2 Catchment.................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.3 Topography ................................................................................................................. 7 1.2.4 Climatic conditions ..................................................................................................... 7 1.3. Problem statement ....................................................................................................... 8 1.4. Aims and objectives of the study area ......................................................................... 9 1.5. Research questions ...................................................................................................... 9 1.6. Assumptions ................................................................................................................ 9 1.7. Delineations and limitations ...................................................................................... 10 1.8. Overview of chapters ................................................................................................ 10 CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW _____________________________________ 12 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 12 2.2. A wetland .................................................................................................................. 12 2.2.1 What is a wetland ...................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Wetland assessment................................................................................................... 13 2.2.3 Wetlands importance and their international recognition ......................................... 14 2.2.4 The conditions of wetlands in urban South Africa .................................................... 15 2.2.5 Legal framework governing wetlands ....................................................................... 16 2.2.5.1 The National Environmental Management Act, 1998 .............................................. 17 2.2.5.2 Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 .................................................. 17 2.2.5.3 National Water Act, 1998.......................................................................................... 18 2.2.5.4 Status on the implementation of environmental policies .......................................... 18 2.2.6 Climate change and wetlands .................................................................................... 18 2.2.7 Programmes aimed at addressing wetland degradation ............................................ 19 2.2.8 Community structure in wetland management ......................................................... 20 2.3 Sustainable development ........................................................................................... 22 2.3.1 Governance of wetlands ............................................................................................ 23 2.4 Decision making process ........................................................................................... 24 2.4.1 Participation of local community in the management of wetlands ........................... 25 2.4.2 Participation in Community Based Natural Resource Management programmes .... 26 2.4.3 Involvement of community in decision making processes ....................................... 27 2.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER 3 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY _______________________________ 28 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 28 3.2 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 28 3.3 Overview of the two types of data sets ..................................................................... 29 3.4 Wetland assessment methodology ............................................................................ 29 3.4.1 Wetland Health and Integrity Index .......................................................................... 29 3.4.2 Wetland classification ............................................................................................... 32 3.4.3 Wetland delineation and historical imagery analysis ................................................ 35 3.4.4 Sensitivity mapping ................................................................................................... 36 c 3.4.5 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 36 3.5 Management of the wetland ...................................................................................... 36 3.5.1 Sample selection ........................................................................................................ 37 3.5.2 Observations to confirm the questionnaire................................................................ 38 3.5.3 Archival material ....................................................................................................... 39 3.5.4 Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 40 3.6 Data display ............................................................................................................... 40 3.7 Limitations of the methodology ................................................................................ 41 3.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 41 CHAPTER 4 - RESULTS __________________________________________________ 42 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 42 4.2 Data presentation ....................................................................................................... 42 4.3 Wetland health assessment. ....................................................................................... 42 4.3.1 Wetland classification ............................................................................................... 42 4.3.2 Wetland delineation................................................................................................... 43 4.3.3 Hydrology.................................................................................................................. 45 4.3.4 Geomorphology ......................................................................................................... 46 4.3.5 Wetland vegetative characteristics ............................................................................ 46 4.3.6 Vegetation alteration ................................................................................................. 46 4.3.7 Water quality ............................................................................................................. 47 4.3.8 Other impacts on the wetland .................................................................................... 47 4.3.9 Determing the recommended PES Category using the Wetland-IHI ........................ 48 4.3.10 Wetland sensitivity .................................................................................................... 50 4.4 Management of the wetland ...................................................................................... 51 4.4.1 Questionnaire response analysis................................................................................ 51 4.4.2 Educational background ............................................................................................ 52 4.4.3 The socio-economic description of the study population.......................................... 53 d 4.4.4 Wetland value ............................................................................................................ 54 4.4.5 Community perception of the wetland .....................................................................