What type of wetland is Blesbokspruit?

The Blesbokspruit Wetland, 40 km southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa, was listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 1986.

How the Blesbokspruit wetlands water quality is threatened by pollution?

He explains the raw sewage causes eutrophication of the water, which causes excessive reed growth, which inhibits the flow of the stream. Van der Merwe says this causes the stream to spread out and engulf the grassveld ecosystem, leading to an overall loss of viable habitats.

Which plants and animals live in Blesbokspruit wetland?

Among the plants and animals that can be found in the Bleksbokspruit wetland are heron, bulrushes, phragmites reeds, yellow-billed ducks, marsh mongoose and giant bullfrogs.

How big is Blesbokspruit?

The Ramsar site area is over 2,000 hectares and extends all along the Blesbokspruit (a small river and one of the Vaal River’s larger tributaries), from the Grootvaly Wetland Reserve in the north to the Marievale Bird Sanctuary in the south.

What is Blesbokspruit used for?

The Blesbokspruit is an important river in the Gauteng province since it drains a large area before joining the Suikerbosrand River that ultimately flows into the Vaal River. The latter is a major system providing water for a variety of uses (e.g. domestic, agriculture, industry and recreation).

Why is the Blesbokspruit wetland unique?

The Blesbokspruit system is valuable to the eco system of the area because of its ability to purify industrial and domestic discharge into the Blesbokspruit River from local industries, sewage works and mines reducing the amount of pollution entering the Vaal River.

What are the two major factor of water pollution?

Oil Leaks and Spills Just as the saying states, water and oil do not mix, and oil does not dissolve in water. Large oil spills and oil leaks, while often accidental, are a major cause of water pollution. Leaks and spills often are caused by oil drilling operations in the ocean or ships that transport oil.

What is the habitat of Blesbokspruit?

The Blesbokspruit wetlands are fertile with different types of vegetation. There is algae, aquatic, and terrestrial vegetation. The wetlands provide dense reed habitat, the reedbeds exist mainly as large and small single colonies with some mixed species.

Where is Blesbokspruit located?

Gauteng
Located in Ekurhuleni in the east of Gauteng, near the neighbourhood of Springs, the Blesbokspruit is one of the largest wetlands in the highveld region of Southern Africa at 1 858ha.

What is the Blesbokspruit Wetland system?

Introduction aquifer recharge (Haukos a nd Smith, 1994; Keddy et al, 2009). Thus, if biodiversity is to be conserved, then the maintenance of wetlands is essential. One such important high altitude wetland is the Blesbokspruit wetland system (BBS) in South Africa. This we tland, and the a ssociated

What are the Blesbokspruit land use guidelines?

These guidelines were drawn up by the Department of Water and S anitation (DWS) and the various land users forming part of the Blesbokspruit F orum. It is important to note that these ‘ accommodate ’ industry and mining. That is, loc al mines and industries are allowed to impact guidelines are used.

What has changed in the Blesbokspruit Ramsar wetland?

A reduction in mining and industrial effluents in the Blesbokspruit Ramsar Wetland, South Africa: Has the quality of the surface water in the wetland improved? The Blesbokspruit Wetland, 40 km southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa, was listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 1986.

Did the Blesbokspruit have an acid mine drainage problem?

So, while the Blesbokspruit may have had a high mineralisation problem, this was not simply an acid mine drainage problem, but a combination of the effects of mining and industry. © 2015, South African Water Research Commission. All rights reserved. The performance of phragmites communis trin.: