Wetland Health and Importance Research Programme
                                                    Wetland Valuation Volume I
                                               8    Wetland ecosystem services and their valuation: 
                                                    a review of current understanding and practice
                                            T
                                            T 440/09       
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                                              Authors:  J Turpie, K Lannas, N coronic  A Lou
                                              eries ditor: H  alan
                                                                                   TT 440/09
                                                                                            
                  WETLAND HEALTH AND IMPORTANCE RESEARCH PROGRAMME 
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                
                  8        WETLAND VALUATION. VOL I 
                           WETLAND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND THEIR 
                           VALUATION: A REVIEW OF CURRENT 
                           UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE  
                                                              
                                                         
                                               Report to the 
                                      Water Research Commission 
                                                      by 
                                          1             2                  1               1 
                   Authors:  J Turpie , K Lannas , N Scovronick  and A Louw                      
                                                                     2 
                                         Series Editor: H Malan
                
                                      1 Anchor Environmental Consultants 
                                             in association with the 
                               Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town 
                                                         
                                          2  
                                           Freshwater Research Unit, 
                                            University of Cape Town 
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                                         
                                          WRC Report No. TT 440/09 
                                                 March 2010 
                
                                                   
                              
         OBTAINABLE FROM 
         Water Research Commission 
         Private Bag X03 
         Gezina, 0031 
            
         The publication of this report emanates from a project entitled Wetland Health and 
         Importance Research Programme (WRC Project no. K5/1584) 
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
                           DISCLAIMER 
         This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved 
         for publication.  Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views 
         and policies of the WRC, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products 
         constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. 
                                
                                
                                
                                
                                
                                
                                
                                
                                
                                
         ISBN 978-1-77005-932-0 
         Set No. 978-1-77005-936-8 
          
         Printed in the Republic of South Africa  
           
         Front Cover: View from bird hide looking upstream, Nylsvley Nature Reserve,  
         Limpopo Province, South Africa 
         Photograph: J Turpie
                    
          
                                                               i
                                PREFACE  
                                      
         This report is one of the outputs of the Wetland Health and Importance (WHI) research 
         programme which was funded by the Water Research Commission.  The WHI represents 
         Phase II of the National Wetlands Research Programme and was formerly known as 
         “Wetland Health and Integrity”.  Phase I, under the leadership of Professor Ellery, resulted in 
         the “WET-Management” series of publications.  Phase II, the WHI programme, was broadly 
         aimed at assessing wetland environmental condition and socio-economic importance.   
          
         The full list of reports from this research programme is given below.  All the reports, except 
         one, are published as WRC reports with H. Malan as series editor.  The findings of the study 
         on the effect of wetland environmental condition, rehabilitation and creation on disease 
         vectors were published as a review article in the journal Water SA (see under 
         “miscellaneous”).  
          
          An Excel database was created to house the biological sampling data from the Western 
         Cape and is recorded on a CD provided at the back of Day and Malan (2010). The data were 
         collected from mainly pans and seep wetlands over the period of 2007 to the end of 2008.  
         Descriptions of each of the wetland sites are provided, as well as water quality data, plant 
         and invertebrate species lists where collected.   
          
          
         An overview of the series 
         Tools and metrics for assessment of wetland environmental condition and socio-economic 
         importance: handbook to the WHI research programme by E. Day and H. Malan.  2010.  
         (This includes “A critique of currently-available SA wetland assessment tools and 
         recommendations for their future development” by H. Malan as an appendix to the 
         document). 
         Assessing wetland environmental condition using biota 
         Aquatic invertebrates as indicators of human impacts in South African wetlands by M. Bird.  
         2010.  
         The assessment of temporary wetlands during dry conditions by J. Day, E. Day, V. Ross-
         Gillespie and A. Ketley.  2010.  
         Development of a tool for assessment of the environmental condition of wetlands using 
         macrophytes by F. Corry.  2010.