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Wetlands

We offer a wide range of wetland-related skills ranging from desktop mapping and catchment-based wetland studies through to detailed wetland delineation and site-based PES and functional assessments. We also have excellent experience in wetland rehabilitation planning and can assist in designing efficient wetland offsets in line with best-practice.  Given our active involvement in developing best-practice guidelines, we are able to apply best available science in the work we undertake.

Services Offered:

  • Delineation of wetlands and riparian areas.
  • Assessment of Present Ecological State (PES) of wetlands.
  • Assessing goods and services provided by wetland systems.
  • Evaluating impacts to wetlands from proposed developments.
  • Identifying mitigation measures to limit impacts.
  • Setting Resource Quality Objectives (RQOs).
  • Defining buffer zones for wetland and biodiversity protection.
  • Developing detailed rehabilitation plans for wetlands.
  • Design of wetland offsets and wetland mitigation banking (Biodiversity Offsets)
  • Developing management plans & assessing management effectiveness.

Selected Project Involvement:

  • Wetland mapping & prioritization at a Municipal Scale – Amathole & Mbombela Municipalities
  • Development of wetland management guidelines for South African Municipalities – ICLEI Africa
  • Development of a strategic wetland management framework, eThekwini North – eThekwini Municipality
  • Developing guidelines for wetland rehabilitation in the mining landscape – SANBI / WRC
  • Development of Wetland Offset Guidelines for South Africa – SANBI
  • Development buffer zone guidelines for developments associated with wetlands, rivers and estuaries – WRC
  • Leading the development of WET-Health – A technique for rapidly assessing wetland health. –  WRC
  • Development of management plans for 9 Ramsar sites – Department of Environmental Affairs
  • Development of wetland rehabilitation plans for offset sites linked with the Fairbreeze Mine – Tronox KZN Sands
  • Setting Resource Quality Objectives (RQOs) for wetlands in the Olifants catchment – DWA / INR
  • An assessment of the 24 priority wetlands in KZN – Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
  • Rehabilitation planning to address water quality impacts on the Zaalklap Wetland – SANBI
  • Rehabilitation Planning for the Working for Wetlands Programme – SANBI

Research Publications:

  • Macfarlane, D.M., Bredin, I.P., Adams, J.B., Zungu, M.M., Bate, G.C. and Dickens, C.W.S., 2014. Preliminary guideline for the determination of buffer zones for rivers, wetlands and estuaries. Final Consolidated Report. WRC Report No TT 610/14, Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
  • DWA and SANBI, 2013. Wetland Offsets: A best-practice guideline for South Africa. Pretoria. 100 pages. Technical Editors: D. Macfarlane, S. Holness, A von Hase, S. Brownlie and J. Manuel.
  • Kotze, DC; Ellery, WN; Macfarlane, DM and Jewitt, G.P.W. 2012. A rapid assessment method for coupling anthropogenic stressors and wetland ecological condition. Ecological Indicators 13 (2012) 284–293.
  • Macfarlane, D.M., Walters, D. and Cowden, C., 2011. A wetland health assessment of KZNs priority wetlands. Report prepared for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
  • Kotze, DC; Ellery, WN; Macfarlane, DM and Botes, W. 2010. A rapid assessment method for coupling anthropogenic stressors and wetland ecological condition. Journal of Ecological Indicators – awaiting publication.
  • SANBI, 2009. Further Development of a Proposed National Wetland Classification System for South Africa. Primary Project Report. Prepared by the Freshwater Consulting Group (FCG) for the SANBI.
  • Macfarlane DM, Kotze DC, Ellery WN, Walters D, Koopman V, Goodman P and Goge M. 2008. WET-Health: A technique for rapidly assessing wetland health. WRC Report No. TT 340/08. Water Research Commission, Pretoria.

Recent Presentations:

  • 2013: National Wetlands Indaba: A method for determining appropriate buffer zones for wetlands, rivers and estuaries
  • 2008: National Wetlands Indaba: Quantifying goods and services from different wetland types in the upper Orange-Senqu basin.
  • 2008: Wetland and aquatic ecosystems: their functions and values, Oxford, UK. Assessing wetland benefits – a qualitative approach to identify key wetland benefits