Working for Wetlands uses wetland rehabilitation to create jobs, develop skills and promote the wise use of wetlands. It achieves this by creating partnerships between landowners, communities, civil society and the private sector.

The project offers technical expertise to landowners and collaborates with local partners to set rehabilitation objectives for wetlands. In addition to the vocational skills it provides to project workers, Working for Wetlands also provides training in literacy, primary health, personal finance and promotes HIV/Aids awareness.

Working for Wetlands has 40 projects across all nine provinces, targeting 91 wetland areas. The programme forms part of government’s Expanded Public Works Programme.

Verlorenvlei project

Verlorenvlei is one of the largest wetlands on the west coast of South Africa. It has 75 resident and migratory bird species, as well as a rare fish species. The vlei, about 25km north of Lamberts Bay, is at the centre of the Sandveld – a key part of the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor.

Although three rivers flow into the vlei, it is mainly fed by groundwater, which makes it a very slow-moving system. Threats include excessive groundwater abstraction for agricultural use, reduced water quality, and alien vegetation, which hinders water flow. The estuary mouth was closed for years due to the reduced water flow and sediment build-up.

In October 2006, CapeNature partnered with Working for Wetlands to rehabilitate Verlorenvlei by clearing alien vegetation, removing impediments to water flow and reducing sediment. We built a bird hide in 2007 to allow the public access to the area and to enhance tourism.

To date, we have cleared invasive alien plants from 140 hectares of land, and temporarily employed 32 people, of which 19 were women.

Goukou Duivenhoks project

The Goukou Duivenhoks project started in 2007 to rehabilitate the Goukou and Duivenhoks wetlands.

Both river systems have the valuable palmiet plant and peat, which contribute to flood attenuation and water storage. Palmiet, known as the superglue of rivers and wetlands in South Africa, has an intricate web of mesh in its roots that traps sediment and slows down water flow. Peat is rich in organic matter and carbon, which purifies and stores water – 1m³ of peat can store up to 900 liters of water. Degraded peat wetlands can have a negative effect on climate change as the carbon-rich peat is laid bare to the atmosphere.

Working for Wetlands has built basket-like structures (gabions) in the Goukou and the Duivenhoks to rehabilitate heavily eroded areas and trap sediment. The project has also eradicated 140 hectares of black wattle – an invasive alien plant. This will prevent further loss of peat and palmiet and protect the integrity of the wetlands.