Version 1
: Received: 15 November 2023 / Approved: 16 November 2023 / Online: 16 November 2023 (07:47:05 CET)
How to cite:
Musetsho, K.; Chitakira, M. Assessing Wetland Ecosystem Services in a Biosphere Reserve in South Africa Through Citizen Science. Preprints2023, 2023111055. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.1055.v1
Musetsho, K.; Chitakira, M. Assessing Wetland Ecosystem Services in a Biosphere Reserve in South Africa Through Citizen Science. Preprints 2023, 2023111055. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.1055.v1
Musetsho, K.; Chitakira, M. Assessing Wetland Ecosystem Services in a Biosphere Reserve in South Africa Through Citizen Science. Preprints2023, 2023111055. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.1055.v1
APA Style
Musetsho, K., & Chitakira, M. (2023). Assessing Wetland Ecosystem Services in a Biosphere Reserve in South Africa Through Citizen Science. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.1055.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Musetsho, K. and Munyaradzi Chitakira. 2023 "Assessing Wetland Ecosystem Services in a Biosphere Reserve in South Africa Through Citizen Science" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.1055.v1
Abstract
Wetland ecosystems provide valuable services to human beings, but they are also among the most threatened ecosystems in the world (1). Sixteen ecosystem services are identified through the South African Water Research Commission's Wet-Health Tool (2). This study sought to establish which of these ecosystem services are highly ranked/rated by the community members living in the Soutpansberg area in South Africa. This area is a strategic water source/watershed. The area is rich in biodiversity and is also experiencing competing administrative jurisdictions: the local traditional leadership and the municipal council. This study also sought to determine the influence of age, education status, employment status, and family income, among other demographic factors, on how people view the importance of services derived from wetlands. It also sought to establish whether people in urban settings view the ecosys-tem services obtained from wetlands similarly to people in rural settings. A literature review was conducted to understand the wetland ecosystem services and how communities benefit from these services. A close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data for the current study, which was circulated among the villagers around the wetlands, particularly those living close to the wetlands. One hundred and sixteen responses from the study were recorded. Food for livestock was ranked the greatest benefit or service derived from the wetlands rated by 82% of the participants, followed by the provision of cultivated foods at 60%, provision of water for human use at 58%, provision of harvestable resources at 42% and erosion control at 38% completes the top 5 ranked ecosystem services in the area. The study concluded that the participants living in rural areas had greater awareness of wetlands' ecosystem services than their urban counterparts.
Keywords
wetland; ecosystem services; land cover; biodiversity; sustainability; citizen science
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
