A comparative study of the Wet-Health tool and the citizen-science land-cover based wetland assessment method

Abstract

Citizen science approach has a role to play in the determination of the wetland condition in South Africa (SA). Public participation in wetland health assessment and monitoring can help them interact with authorities, and also provide participants with an understanding and insight that can allow them to contribute meaningfully to management of wetlands closest to them. The purpose of the study was to perform a comparative analysis of a more commonly used method, Wet-Health, and the newly developed Citizen Science (CS) tool that is used for the rapid assessment of wetland health in SA. The new tool was designed to infer impacts on wetlands and their upslope catchments by using land cover types. The Wet-Health method performs an integrated assessment of impacts on four components namely hydrology, geomorphology, water quality and vegetation. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher selected a sample of six wetlands that were previously assessed using the Wet-Health tool, and employed the newly developed tool to assess the health of those wetlands. A comparative analysis of the two methods was performed in Gauteng and the North-West provinces. There was a fair match between the overall magnitudes of impact scores that translates into the condition of the wetland. The overall magnitude of impact scores for all wetlands assessed fell within a range of between 0.4-3.9, i.e. PES category is from A-C compared to a range of between 0.4-4.2 (PES A-D) obtained by the independent assessor. The findings indicated that the CS tool is able to obtain fairly similar results compared to that of the independent assessor. Four of the six wetlands assessed yielded similar PES category. Differences in the overall impact scores ranges for categories that were similar were found to be negligible, and the exact overall impact score similarity was obtained for one wetland (Kgaswane) using both methods. The study is therefore, promising in elucidating the wetland present state based on land cover impacts. These findings will enable the public at large to be empowered with skills and knowledge that can aid environmental specialists in data gathering and identification of wetland at risks.