South African National Wetland Inventory

Each dataset is listed according to the provinces in which it was
undertaken, or if the coverage is national. Also each dataset is
categorised according to which of the five main wetland types
recognized by the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) it
includes:

- Marine: wetlands associated with inshore open ocean areas and the
coastline, including reefs and shoreline wetlands.

-Estuarine: tidal wetlands, usually semi-enclosed by land but with a
connection to the sea, including deltas, tidal marshes and mangroves

-Riverine: rivers and streams

-Lacustrine: typically extensive areas of deep water such as lakes and
dams Palustrine: includes marshes, vleis, swamps, peatlands, swamp
forests, most pans, springs and bogs

Coverage according to geographic regions Datasets are listed in terms
of their coverage according to the drainage regions and river systems
defined by the Water Research Commission: Limpopo-Olifants, Vaal,
Orange-Namaqualand, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Eastern Escarpment.

The project's goals are to identify where wetlands are, and which are
the priority sites for conservation; to identify the functions and
values of each wetland site, including ecological, social and cultural
values; to establish a baseline for measuring future change in wetland
area, function and values; to assist in establishing monitoring
programmes; to provide a tool for planning and management at all
levels; and to permit comparisons and information sharing at all
levels (local, national and international).

During the first stage of the inventory, South Africa's wetlands will
be mapped and classified. Mapping consists of identifying and
delineating wetlands from remotely-sensed images. In order to
accomplish this, a wetland classification system, by which the various
wetland habitat types are ordered into groups with certain shared
natural attributes, has been developed. This was accomplished by
modifying for South African use the classification system successfully
used by the United States National Wetland Inventory for almost twenty
years, known as the Cowardin system. The use of such a system will aid
decision-making for conservation and management, facilitate mapping,
and provide a means to standardise and define terms used to describe
various wetland types.

Aerial photographs are currently considered to be the most accurate
form of remotely sensed data for identifying and delineating
wetlands. As a general rule, all wetlands conforming to the definition
adopted for the inventory and that can be accurately identified and
mapped from aerial photos will be included in the inventory. At a
1:50000 scale, the minimum mapping unit is 0.25 hectares.

The extent of wetland information generated by the mapping exercise
will be limited to delineated boundaries, location and classification
for each wetland. Supplementary attribute information necessary to
determine the functions, values and condition of each site will be
supplied by using existing inventory information and field surveys. A
database coupled to a Geographical Information System will be used to
store and manipulate the data generated by the inventory. The database
will be maintained by the DEAT, and most of its contents will be
available to anyone requiring inventory information.

The most useful products of the inventory will be wetland maps
covering the entire country at a scale of 1:50000, which will show
where wetlands are located, their boundaries and
classification. Wetland attribute information contained within the
database will be made available in digital format, possibly by means
of the Internet. A variety of reports will be generated by
synthesizing the inventory data. These reports will range from site
and attribute-specific outputs to national wetland status and trends
reports. These reports will be especially valuable in assessing the
effectiveness of wetland conservation policies and programmes.

Several products have been developed which will ensure a firm
foundation for the inventory:

- Proceedings of the National Workshop of the national workshop, which
describes the inventory process in detail and lays out the way forward
for the inventory;

- A catalogue of existing inventory information in South Africa. This
inventory of inventories was produced with the aim of assisting those
in urgent need of inventory information to find available data. It
will also provide a reference guide to sources of spatial and
attribute information that will assist wetland mapping and population
of the inventory database;

- A discussion document describing in detail the proposed wetland
classification system for South Africa.

Information was obtained from
"http://www.ngo.grida.no/soesa/nsoer/resource/wetland/inventory.htm".