Comprehensive new guide was part-authored by Dullstroom residents, Dr Marlize Muller and Dr Kyle Lloyd.
Best Practice Guidelines for High-Elevation Wetland and Peatland Management in Southern Africa is published by BirdLife South Africa. Its authors are Kyle J. Lloyd, Marlize Muller, Anton Linström, Piet-Louis Grundling, Lulu Pretorius, Renée E. Grundling, Hanneline A. Smit-Robinson. The first-named are both resident in Dullstroom.
Wetlands are sometime seen as a problem to be solved. After all, they are not suitable for crops, and can be a danger to livestock. Insects love them and proliferate—Rome was plagued by malaria until the swamps (or wetlands) nearby were drained. But a more enlightened view sees them as places where biodiversity thrives, and as invaluable storage and filtration plants for water, no small benefit in a dry country such as South Africa.
Often still under appreciated, wetlands (such as Verloren Valei, Middelpunt, Lakenvlei and De Berg) provide a number of services that contribute to the commonweal. This guide is thus a very welcome, practical contribution to how they can be managed to the benefit of all.
