INTEGRATING GEOSPATIAL, HUMAN, AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC APPROACHES FOR PROFILING THE AGROECOSYSTEM NEXUS IN UMSUNDUZI FLOODPLAINS: A GUIDE FOR SUPPORTING THE TRANSFORMATION OF COMMUNITY FARMING PRACTICES

Wetlands are important and productive ecosystems that are renowned for the ecological and socio-economic services they provide. Specifically, wetlands play a critical role in maintaining the regional ecological balance, mitigating floods and droughts, providing habitats for diverse flora and fauna, and supporting human well-being through essential services, such as carbon sequestration and water purification. Wetlands tend to vary in terms of their types, size, and location. They include estuarine, riverine, lacustrine, palustrine and constructed wetlands. However, wetlands are constantly being degraded by human activities, so that some can no longer offer ecosystem services. Considering the importance of these ecosystems and their extensive degradation, numerous research efforts have been exerted towards understanding, identifying and addressing the factors that drive the change and degradation. However, fewer research efforts tend to be directed towards riverine or floodplain wetlands, especially in developing regions such as southern Africa. Most of these research efforts tend to be categorised either into physical quantitative approaches, which focus on the spatial quantification of the extent of wetlands and their land cover types, or qualitative approaches, which focus on the human and socioeconomic aspects that shape the perceptions and activities of community members who live within these environments. The challenge with these distinct approaches is that they are exclusive and not complementary, yet they both seek to address the same environmental problem. In this regard, very few integrative research efforts have been conducted in developing countries, such as South Africa, to understand the phenomenon of floodplain wetland degradation. Therefore, the focus of this Water Research Commission (WRC)-funded project (2023/2023-01462) is to evaluate the integration of geospatial, human and socio-economic approaches for profiling the agroecosystem nexus in the flood plains of the uMsunduzi River, so as to guide efforts supporting the transformation of community activities.