A media release on the BACP

The article deals with preserving estuaries and wetlands. Estuaries are one of the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world. The wetlands surrounding the estuary and in the immediate catchment area of the estuary have a great influence on the management and quality of the estuary. The Botfriends alien clearing program (BACP) will re-establish the wetlands in corridors for both flora and fauna from the estuary to the mountains. This will provide a stable and sustainable environment for the future of the estuary and its environs, for an area that is ecologically and economically important.

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Go to the link THE VILLAGE NEWS 26 FEBRUARY – 3 MARCH 2020 (fliphtml5.com) page 18 and expand it to read

Preserving estuaries and wetlands is one of the main objectives of the Botfriends Alien Clearing Program BACP Business Case), many of the wetlands on both sides of the Bot Estuary are overgrown with alien species. This causes a great loss of biodiversity, reduces water flow and inhibits the functioning of the wetlands. This will in time destroy the estuary itself.

The Bot Estuary is large and therefore has a good buffering capacity for detrimental changes that get made. Unfortunately, some of these changes that are human induced can very large, like the poor application of the management plan with the last artificial breach (discussed elsewhere). The catchment of the estuary is relatively small and much of it has severe alien vegetation influx which is not being controlled. The built up areas which border directly on the estuary, Fisherhaven and Meerensee are a source of pollution which is not been controlled.

The estuary is also a RAMSAR site, but unfortunately, very little money is allocated to re-establishing wetlands or any other environmental problems in the surrounds of the estuary.