THE National celebration of World Wetlands Day comes to Cape Town. Under the theme Wetlands for the Future, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs Barbara Thomson will host the celebration on Monday.
She will officially declare the False Bay Nature Reserve South Africa’s 22nd Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
The reserve covers 2 300ha and is divided into Rondevlei, Zeekoevlei, Pelican Park, the Strandfontein birding area, Slangetjiesbos and the Zandwolf coastal sections.
It conserves endangered Cape Flats dune strandveld and critically endangered Cape Flats sand fynbos. The reserve is also home to the Cape Flats erica ( Erica verticillata), which is considered extinct in the wild. In recent years this erica has been propagated and reintroduced into the Rondevlei section.
The Cape Flats erica, as well as a host of wetland and local Cape Flats dune strandveld plants, are available to gardeners from the Cape Flats Fynbos Nursery, which is run by the Friends of Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei. See www.capeflatsfynbosnursery.co.za.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed on February 2, 1971, when the environmental value of wetlands was recognised by governments throughout the world. The convention remains a powerful intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international co-operation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Other South African Ramsar sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance include De Hoop Vlei, Verlorenvlei, De Mond Nature Reserve (Heuningnes Estuary), Langebaan National Park and the Wilderness lakes.
Working for Wetlands has teams working on the rehabilitation of a further 150 wetlands across the country each year. World Wetlands Day acknowledges that protecting wetlands will only be successful if we have a wetland-aware population.
So what are the benefits of wetlands?
They form vital links in the chain of water supply in semi-arid South Africa. They act as natural dams that hold water during rainy seasons, and reduce the danger of floods and soil erosion. They release water slowly during drought periods. They purify the water that passes through them, and also provide food, housing materials and traditional medicines for local communities. Wetlands are also extremely rich in biodiversity, and many species of plants, animals, birds and insects cannot survive without wetlands.
Despite the huge strides made, wetlands are still under siege. It is estimated that 50 percent of South Africa’s wetlands have been destroyed through development, water pollution and general human growth.
Landscapers are very aware of the importance of wetlands.
Some landscapers identify low-lying areas and develop them into attractive wetland areas with appropriate plants, which in turn provide an ecosystem for endangered wildlife.
Homeowners can follow this trend by creating small wetland areas in the garden. Children will be fascinated by the wildlife that even a mini wetland attracts.
How to create a garden wetland:
Many gardens have the ideal conditions to create a wetland garden. If you have a naturally occurring wet spot in your garden, or natural depression, you easily can turn it into a wetland. An area with heavy clay soil that drains slowly may also be suitable. Alternatively, you can make your own wetland:
l Lay out the shape of your wetland using a hosepipe. An irregular shape will appear the most natural. Sometimes a long narrow curving wetland will fit nicely into a landscape plan.
l Dig out the soil to a depth of 30-50cm. Slope the sides gently to the deepest area.
l Put 2-3cm of fine sand in the bottom to prevent the liner from being punctured by small stones.
l Line with a durable heavy duty plastic liner.
l Puncture the liner in several places with pencil-sized holes about halfway up the sides to allow slow drainage, so the soil won’t stay completely waterlogged for long periods.
l Fill with a mixture of soil, compost and water-retaining granules.
l Cover the edges of the plastic with soil or rocks to hold the liner in place.
l If it is feasible, attach rubber tubing to the end of a nearby drainpipe to channel rain water from the roof into the pond and wetland.
Wetland plants:
Imitate natural wetlands and have a diverse mix of plants – a tree or two, as well as shrubs and perennials. Choose indigenous plants from the Western Cape area as these are adapted to dry summers.
Plants that thrive with their roots in waterlogged soil include restios, such as 1m Cape thatching reed (Elegia tectorum syn. Chondropetalum tectorum) that forms clumps of dark green architectural foliage, 1.5m tall bell reed ( Cannomois virgata) and 2m Cape reed ( Elegia capensis).
All papyrus species also thrive in water-logged soil.
For colour, plant 2m tall bloodroot ( Wachendorfia thyrsiflora) with pleated green leaves and yellow flowers in spring and early summer, blue Siberian and Japanese irises, spring-flowering white arum ( Zantedeschia aethiopica) and the endangered Crinum campanulatum with large pink bell-shaped blooms.
There are many plants that delight in the moist but not saturated soil on the edge of a wetland.These add colour to the plantings.
Try red hot poker, day lilies, watsonia, bergenia, foxgloves, clivia, streptocarpus and spring-flowering bulbs and annuals.