A proposed National Wetland Classification System finalised

(This article was taken from the July 2010 edition of "Gumboot", the newsletter of Working for Wetlands).

After several years of development and testing, a South African Wetland Classification System (SAWCS) has been completed. The need for such a system prompted the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), through its National Wetland Inventory project, to initiate a collaborative process to develop a classification by which wetland habitat types with shared natural attributes can be grouped together. The classification system will enhance the value of the spatial data gathered through mapping by the inventory. It will also provide wetland specialists, academics, government and other role players with a common language when distinguishing different types of wetlands for management and conservation purposes.

The classification was applied to the wetlands included in the inventory’s National Wetland Map after extensive field testing throughout the country. This work was done through the National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas (NFEPA) project, of which SANBI is part. Automation of the classification system was a central part of this work and was led by another project partner, the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research). Because of the large number of wetlands mapped, manual application of the classification to the mapped wetlands would have been a huge task, and automation of the higher levels of the system was therefore considered vital. This required the development of an intermediate tool, a landform setting classification, which has never been done before in South Africa. The landforms map classifies the landscape into slopes, benches and valley floors; see Level 3 of the Inland System below.

The resulting map, containing all wetlands mapped to date by the inventory plus their classification, was launched at the Biodiversity Planning Forum and is freely available on SANBI’s Biodiversity Advisor website. Namhla Mbona, the National Wetlands Inventory Manager, is satisfied that the classification passed its first big test with flying colours. “By incorporating landform and hydrology, which are the fundamental features determining the existence and functioning of wetlands, the classification has greatly enhanced the National Wetland Map. Now there will be improved understanding and knowledge of the wetlands and their functions so that they can be better maintained.”

Work on the classification will continue, through ongoing testing and refinement of the system. A field guide for the system, which will consist of two volumes, is also being developed. The first volume, focusing on inland wetlands, will be published by SANBI in 2011, followed by a second volume covering estuarine and marine wetland types. Two scientific papers will also be published, one on the classification itself and another on the automation of the system.

Links:
The Classification system report, the Field testing report and the Biodiversity Advisor (for the national wetlands layer) are available on:
http://bgis.sanbi.org/nwi/map.asp
For more information contact Namhla Mbona on N.Mbona@sanbi.org.za

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