The Garden Route Lakes

These Garden Route lakes provide recreation and sustenance to man and beast whilst enhancing the natural beauty of this already scenic landscape.

Situated between George and Knysna in the Western Cape, the Lakes form an important wetland for several species of waterbird during the winter months as conditions deteriorate at the inland wetlands where they breed.

One of only a few warm temperate coastal lake systems in southern Africa, it is fringed by coastal fynbos and evergreen forests and uniquely connects to the marine system. It comprises a lagoon and the flood plain of the Touws River, linked by a natural channel called the Serpentine to the three lakes Elandsvlei, Langvlei and Rondevlei, and the nearby Swartvlei system.

This intergovernmental treaty was adopted on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Nowadays it is written as "Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)", but it has come to be known popularly as the "Ramsar Convention"

In the site article, Why conserve wetlands? Dated 10/08/2009 it is stated,“Wetlands are among the world's most productive environments. They are cradles of biological diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival. They support high concentrations of birds mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species. Wetlands are also important storehouses of plant genetic material. Rice, for example, which is a common wetland plant, is the staple diet of more than half of humanity.”

It is further noted in the same article, “Global freshwater consumption rose sixfold between 1900 and 1995 – more than double the rate of population growth. One third of the world's population today lives in countries already experiencing moderate to high water stress. By 2025, two out of every three people on Earth may well face life in water stressed conditions."

Click here to find out more about wetlands at the Ramsar site

Click here for books about the Garden Route

In this part of the world we well understand this because since the floods in Nov 2007, the pendulum has swung the other way and we experienced unseasonally low rainfall in 2008-2009 until the summer of 2010 when the monthly rainfall figures improved somewhat. However, the towns of the region suffered stringent water restrictions. Posters advertised that we were a water stressed area! Sedgefield's water usage was monitored on a daily basis and the results published on billboards around the town.

At one time water bowsers were carting water to our municipal reservoir. Pipes were then installed from Hoogekraal River to supplement the water in the Karatara River from where we normally drew our water because the river had stopped flowing. In Nov 2009, a desalination plant was installed on Myoli Beach. We were the pilot project and the first town in South Africa to get a desalination plant! Other towns, larger than ours such as Knysna and George were also suffering, with reason to be even more concerned because they had larger populations.

So the Garden Route Lakes form a dynamic wetland system that is being affected by the human demands placed on rivers that feed them and face exploitation like almost all wetlands around the world.

Click here for an excellent .pdf presentation of the importance of Wetlands in South Africa.

Groenvlei

The clear waters are pleasant to swim in but difficult to access except at the few boat jetties and from the lawn near the caravan park as the banks are heavily reeded with fen grass. In centuries past, browsing hippos in particular and thirsty wild life like elephant, buffalo, eland and bushbuck trampled the grasses when coming to drink. Since these animals no longer roam freely in the area, (except for bushbuck) these reeds seem to be gradually encroaching on the lake.

Anglers generally fish from small boats, to catch Black Bass, Mozambique Tilapia and Carp. Regrettably, these species were introduced before the long term consequences of this action could be understood. Sunfish were introduced to feed the Bass and Mosquito fish to eat the mosquito larvae. These imported fish have the potential to destroy the vleis’ ecosystem and have jeopardized the relic estuarine White Bait and Brown Herring that became a freshwater species after surviving the natural closing of the lake to the sea thousands of years ago.

Swartvlei

You can swim, fish, (catch and release is advocated) bird - observe intimate moments of a moorhen with her chicks, or surprise the Black Crake striding amongst the sedge grass. The estuary is a nursery for many sea-going fish and hundreds are seen swimming in the shallows seeking protection amongst the grasses at the water’s edge.

In a tidal phase a mouth broke through the dunes giving the lake access to the sea at Sedgefield. To begin with the river flowed more directly into the sea at the place known as Swartvlei beach but over thousands of years erosion and wind caused the more meandering route into the ocean where it it is today.

4000 years ago, sea level was the same as it is now but during the formation of the estuary about 16000 years ago the level was 120m lower and so now there still exists a range of submerged dunes under the sea along our coastline.

Changing ocean currents and reduced river flow causes a sandbar to form at the mouth in drier months closing it off from the sea. Ill-advised property development on the natural flood plain is threatened in times of flooding. Property owners want the mouth to be breached artificially when closed. This prevents the proper build up of water that allows natural breaching to forcefully scour out the silted up areas.

Farming along the rivers also compound the problems when fertilizers leach into the water creating an imbalance of biological organisms and a subsequent depletion of oxygen. Plants and animals die and residues pile up.

Pesticides and poisons, engine emissions from motorboats, and sewage effluent all threaten the Swartvlei’s habitat and its natural inhabitants – from micro-organisms to sand prawns, snails, sea-horses, crabs, fish, birds and indigenous plants. Greed, ignorance, apathy and negligence are compromising this exquisite environment of the Garden Route Lakes.

Click here to take the Ecological Footprint Quiz to find out how much your lifestyle is costing the planet

Rondevlei and Langvlei

To begin with, you see only the obvious. Later you start to notice the more secretive African Rail with his long red bill and oversized red feet and the sleek Black Crake with red legs and fat yellow beak. Some times several Fish Eagles are present, their haunting cry drawing your attention. On other occasions you may see as many as 5 African Snipe. The waders are always a pleasure and the hours simply fly by.

Take your camera with you whenever you visit one of the Garden Route Lakes you never know what photographic opportunity could present itself!

Eilandvlei - The Island Lake

Eilandvlei is a very popular receation area of the Garden Route Lakes. Many activities take place in its environs. It has a yacht club and a caravan park along it's banks. Swimming competitions and a Float Fundraising competition are held there annually.

Riverside residents insist the Touw’s mouth is artificially breached when they fear heavy rains will cause it to come down in flood overrunning their properties. Again, this action prevents effective scouring and deepening of the riverbed.

In the face of human development and the heavy demands on this Garden Route Lakes wetland system, it is hoped that the newly formed Garden Route National Park will be able to influence future decisions on behalf of our natural habitat. Until recent times, no attempt was made to place a monetary value on the contribution the environment makes to our lives. Now, at the 11th hour we are becoming aware that there are limits to earth’s finite resources. To preserve this vulnerable and important Garden Route lakes eco-system is undeniably to the advantage of all its beneficiaries. To do this, it is necessary to improve existing practises to cope with accelerating water crises and the effects of climate change.

Find out more about the fascinating environmental solutions Biomimicry offers

Links to other sites about Wetlands

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