The scarcity of freshwater is South Africa’s biggest threat because socio-economic development is directly linked to availability and access to this resource, yet all surface water in the country is already fully allocated. This has serious implications for ecosystem services, such as the provision of food and safe, clean drinking water. Effective management of South Africa’s freshwater resources is hampered by incomplete knowledge of the status of these ecosystems and their associated biodiversity.
The Freshwater Field Unit therefore spans the many freshwater taxa which include freshwater fishes, freshwater crustaceans associated with temporary habitats, freshwater crabs, freshwater fish parasites, frogs, and invasive freshwater species.