iLembe District Municipality Wetland Case Study

Despite a keen willingness to protect and manage wetlands within iLembe District Municipality (IDM), lack of capacity, human resources and funding as well as a lack of coordination of efforts has meant that historically IDM have been severely restricted in their ability to effectively manage wetlands within the district. As a result, in addition to historical degradation resulting from urban development and agriculture, wetlands within IDM are increasingly threated by the encroachment of invasive alien vegetation which results in a loss of the ecosystem services (such as clean water, food and grazing land) so valued by rural communities living in the district.