An atlas of freshwater conservation priorities to support sustainable development of water resources

Mapping conservation priorities to support the sustainable development of SA’s water resources

A new atlas that contains mapped river, wetland and estuary priorities for South Africa was launched by the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, on 14 November 2011. During the launch that was held at SANBI, Pretoria, the Water Research Commission CEO, Dhesigen Naidoo, requested all the dignitaries present to show their commitment by appending their signatures in a copy of the atlas that will be kept at the WRC. The signatures bind all of the institutions that were involved in the project to keep an eye on the freshwater resources of South Africa.

The atlas is the result of a project that started three years ago to answer the question: How many and which rivers and wetlands do we have to maintain in a natural condition to sustain economic and social development, while still conserving our freshwater biodiversity? The project partners included the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Water Research Commission (WRC), the World Wide Fund for Nature - South Africa (WWF), the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) and South African National Parks (SANParks).

A copy of the Atlas TT 500 /11 can be obtained from the WRC Publications office , e-mail orders@wrc.org.za

See the press release for more details.

contact : hlengiwec@wrc.org.za