Riverine wetlands

Abstract

The wetlands of southern Africa are numerous and diverse, which might appear strange in a subcontinent where the general hydrological emphasis is largely upon its aridity and lack of natural lakes. By far the most dominant are those associated with riverine systems, forming either the sponges from which the headwaters of rivers spring, floodplain pans or deltas. There is a variety of endorheic “pans”, which name is descriptive of oval depressions in which water may stand permanently or temporarily. They occur predominantly in the interior of the subcontinent, and Noble & Hemens (1978) have recorded and classified them. This useful account remains the prime source of reference to date.