A joint pilot project working together to restore urban river corridors in order to support biodiversity.
Catchment areas : our lands and water bodies (rivers – streams) are linked in a natural system – a catchment – which is literally the area of land that catches water and directs it to a stream, river, lake or ocean. Thus, a catchment is the land where water collects as it travels from Source to Sea. As this water travels through the catchment it interacts with a network of people and nature.
But what does it mean to be part of this intertwined network?
We use the land around urban rivers for agriculture, industry, recreation and living. Plants and animals also use the rivers and would not be able to survive without them. A change upstream impacts all of the human and natural communities downstream. Rivers connect us. They link communities, create opportunities to be outdoors with friends and families, shape a sense of place that tie people together and support and protect local plants and animals.
Urban rivers are fragile – every time we change the flow of water or add in a concrete channel, we lose critical habitat for the many different species that live in and near the river, and the flow of the river speeds up. This creates more risk to floods and erosion. Waste from pets, lawn fertilizers, litter, paint, soap – anything we let touch the ground in the catchment can be washed into the waterways. This pollution not only kills species that live in the water, but also reduces water quality and affects both plant, animals and humans – negatively affecting the biodiversity.
The Source to Sea pilot project, an initiative within the broader management of the entire Zandvlei Catchment, connects Table Mountain National Park, a nationally protected area, to Zandvlei, an important estuary and municipal protected area via two primary river courses along the Diep and Prinskasteel / Keyers Rivers. These corridors meander through high, middle and low income areas, connecting residents, businesses, schools, sports clubs and faith institutions and challenging a wide range of stakeholders to be part of this transformative vision to restore healthy ecosystems, create jobs, build climate resilience and offer substantial recreational and mobility benefits.
For more information and update see the linked pdf