St Lucia is the world's oldest protected estuary and Africa's largest estuarine system. It is also the centerpiece of South Africa's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and has been a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance since 1986. Knowledge of its biodiversity, geological origins, hydrology, hydrodynamics and the long history of management is unique in the world. However, the impact of global change has culminated in unprecedented challenges for the conservation and management of the St Lucia system, leading to the recent initiation of a project in support of its rehabilitation and long-term sustainability. This timely volume provides a unique source of information on the functioning and management of the estuary for researchers, students and environmental managers. The insights and experiences described build on over 60 years of study and management at the site and will serve as a valuable model for similar estuaries around the world.
• Integrated approach, combining knowledge of ecosystem structure and functioning with management problems • Multidisciplinary, allowing the reader to gain an understanding of the complexity of this fascinating system • Builds on the valuable experience of over 60 years of study at the world's oldest protected estuary, encapsulating a unique history of research and management that can be applied to similar systems around the world • Explores the ever-increasing threats of climate change and human activities to natural environments, and the possible impacts on the functioning of this and other estuarine systems
Contents
List of contributors; Foreword Alan Whitfield; Preface; 1. South Africa's first World Heritage Site Roger N. Porter; 2. Management history Ricky H. Taylor; 3. Geological history Greg A. Botha, Sylvi Haldorsen and Naomi Porat; 4. The marine environment Allan D. Connell and Sean N. Porter; 5. Catchment hydrology Derek D. Stretch and Andrew Z. Maro; 6. The Wetlands William N. Ellery, Suzanne E. Grenfell, Michael C. Grenfell, Marc S. Humphries and Kirsten B. Barnes; 7. Estuary and lake hydrodynamics Derek D. Stretch, Clint P. Chrystal, Robynne A. Chrystal, Christopher Maine and Justin J. Pringle; 8. Groundwater hydrology Bruce E. Kelbe, Ricky H. Taylor and Sylvi Haldorsen; 9. Physico-chemical environment Renzo Perissinotto, Nicola K. Carrasco and Ricky H. Taylor; 10. Microalgae Renzo Perissinotto, Guy C. Bate and David G. Muir; 11. Macrophytes Janine B. Adams, Sibulele Nondoda and Ricky H. Taylor; 12. Benthic invertebrates Deena Pillay, Sarah J. Bownes and Holly A. Nel; 13. Zooplankton Nicola K. Carrasco, Renzo Perissinotto and Hendrik L. Jerling; 14. Penaeid prawns Anthony T. Forbes and Nicolette T. Forbes; 15. Fish and fisheries Digby Cyrus; 16. Birds Jane Turpie, Ricky H. Taylor, Meyrick Bowker and Caroline Fox; 17. Crocodiles Xander Combrink, Jonathan Warner and Colleen T. Downs; 18. Hippopotamuses Ricky H. Taylor; 19. Alien and invasive species Nelson A. F. Miranda and Janine B. Adams; 20. Food webs and ecosystem functioning Ursula M. Scharler and Fiona C. MacKay; 21. Climate change impacts Andrew A. Mather, Derek D. Stretch and Andrew Z. Maro; References; Appendix: web page database, 1900–2010 Nuette Gordon; Index.
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