Dr Heidi van Deventer from the CSIR and an Extraordinary Research Associate from the University of Pretoria’s Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology (UP GGM) and Ms Nkosingizwile Bongiwe Ndlovu, an MSc student from UP GGM, provided feedback on the results of a Water Research Commission (WRC) funded project, C2020-2021-00427 titled ‘Quantifying the extent and rate of changes in wetland types of the Maputaland Coastal Plain with remote sensing’ to local communities on 20 and 23 November, at the Mabaso and Tembe Traditional Authorities in Maputaland, KwaZulu-Natal (Figure 1A). The feedback was provided as part of workshops arranged by the South African South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), as part of their WRC project, and collaboration between the WRC-funded projects on Maputaland. Changes in the extent of wetland types, ranging from open water (lacustrine) wetlands to vegetated (palustrine) wetlands across the estuarine-freshwater coastal gradient, were analysed by Mr Philani Apleni (access the isiZulu presentation here), an MSc student in GeoInformatics at UP GGM. These results were further analysed by Dr Van Deventer to assess the degree to which these types have been under restoration or protected, to inform reporting to targets 2 and 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

On 21-22 November 2023, Dr Van Deventer and Ms Ndlovu also participated in a Climate Vulnerability Assessment Workshop hosted by the WILDTRUST in St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal. The focus was on Ecosystem-based adaptation for Marine Protected Areas of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park project. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park stretches across 23% of the Maputaland Coastal Plain, and situated on an aquifer-dependent ecosystem, where pressures inland, may negatively impact coastal and marine areas of the Park.

A poster with the results of the WRC project was displayed at the Climate Vulnerability Assessment Workshop, and results were shared in the open-room and break-away discussion sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday (Figure 1B). Ms Ndlovu also shared some of her results on the analysis of the Rainfall Anomaly Index done as part of her Objective 1 of her MSc degree, on which years were exceptionally wet and others dry, and whether a change in the temporal frequency of these has been observed. The electronic version of the poster and other relevant presentations were shared with the WILDTRUST. Ms Nldovu had a unique opportunity to present new knowledge to several stakeholders, ranging from ecologists from the conservation areas to scientists and community leaders, to share her work only after completing objective 1 (Figure 1C). This experience provided her insight into the importance of her work and inspiration for the next objectives to be analysed. 

The participation of Dr Van Deventer and Ms Ndlovu was made possible through the WRC project that funded the overall trip to provide feedback to the communities. Ms Ndlovu’s MSc is funded by the South African National Space Agency. The WILDTRUST provided meals and one night of accommodation that allowed Dr Van Deventer, Ms Ndlovu, and other participants to take part in the Climate Vulnerability Assessment workshop.

Figure 1: (A) Dr Van Deventer presented results of their Water Research Commission-funded project to (A) the Mabaso and Tembe Traditional Authorities, with Ms Ndlovu translating to isiZulu and facilitating discussions. (B) Dr Van Deventer and Ms Ndlovu participating in break-away group discussions; (C) Ms Nkosingizwile Ndlovu (UP GGM) sharing the results of her MSc objective 1 with the stakeholders.