Cape Lowland Freshwater Wetland is acritically endangered vegetation type of theWestern Cape,South Africa.
This type of riparian vegetation and its accompanying ecosystem is found in theWestern Cape,South Africa, on freshwater floodplains, along the lower stretches of rivers and around seasonalvleis andestuaries. The terrain is typically flat and the soil is rich and silty. It is restricted to a winter rainfall area.
This used to be one of the major ecosystems on theCape Flats of Cape Town. The Cape Flats used to have a great manywetlands,rivers and seasonalvleis, but these have largely been drained and built over for housing. A few remain at places such asRondevlei.
The flora consists of a range of species of tall reed (e.g.Phragmites australis,Typha capensis),Restios,sedges, grasses, floating aquatics and a great many species of shrub. Plant cover is very high.Sedgelands predominate on the floodplains, floating aquatics grow in the open pools, taller shrubs and small trees grow in drier soils (e.g.Erica andRestio sp.) and the taller, bigger reed-beds dominate on the fringes of permanent water. Some of the most noticeable and dominant species areSenecio halimnifolius,Paspalum vaginatum,Pennisetum macrourum,Triglochin bulbosa,Bolboschoenus maritimus andJuncus krausii.
Plant species which are endemic to this vegetation type include:Passerina paludosa,Aponogeton angustifolius,Aponogeton distachyos, andCotula myriophylloides.This ecosystem is not particularly rich inendemics (byCape Floristic Region standards) but is an exceptionally rich and important habitat for theWaterbirds andFrogs of the Cape. It is also the breeding ground of the endangeredWestern Leopard Toad.[1][2]
These ecosystems are threatened by invasive alien plants such asKikuyu grass,Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes),Red River Gum (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) andPort Jackson (Acacia saligna), as well as the draining and diversion of water for agricultural reasons and development. A significant proportion of these wetlands have now been transformed and lost and the ecosystem as a whole is now classed as endangered. All remaining wetlands are protected by national legislation.[3][4]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
