Ecology and Conservation of Estuarine Ecosystems

Lake St Lucia as a Global Model

Renzo Perissinotto, Derek D. Stretch, Ricky H. Taylor

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9781107019751
• eBook ISBN:
  9781107352490
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Biological Sciences

St Lucia is the world's oldest protected estuary and Africa's largest estuarine system. It is also the centerpiece of South Africa's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and has been a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance since 1986. Knowledge of its biodiversity, geological origins, hydrology, hydrodynamics and the long history of management is unique in the world. However, the impact of global change has culminated in unprecedented challenges for the conservation and management of the St Lucia system, leading to the recent initiation of a project in support of its rehabilitation and long-term sustainability. This timely volume provides a unique source of information on the functioning and management of the estuary for researchers, students and environmental managers. The insights and experiences described build on over 60 years of study and management at the site and will serve as a valuable model for similar estuaries around the world.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 South Africas first World Heritage Site
• 2 Management history
• 3 Geological history
• 4 The marine environment
• 5 Catchment hydrology
• 6: The wetlands
• 7 Estuary and lake hydrodynamics
• 8 Groundwater hydrology
• 9 Physico-chemical environment
• 10 Microalgae
• 11 Macrophytes
• 12 Benthic invertebrates
• 13 Zooplankton
• 14 Penaeid prawns
• 15 Fish and fisheries
• 16 Birds
• 17 Crocodiles
• 18 Hippopotamuses
• 19 Alien and invasive species
• 20 Food webs and ecosystem functioning
• 21 Climate change impacts
• References
• Appendix : Web page database 1900-2010
• Taxonomic index
• Index