Review of fish community, stressors and conservation in the Rondegat River (South Africa)

Abstract

Anthropogenic change is a major threat to dwindling freshwater biodiversity. We present and synthesise available information regarding the fish community, ecology, threats and conservation options within The Cape Fold Ecoregion (CFE) of South Africa. The CFE is a particularly vulnerable region, with many range-restricted species and highly fragmented native fish ranges. The Rondegat River in the Olifants-Doring River System of the Western Cape province is of notable conservation value, as it hosts populations of important endemic CFE species despite being at risk from non-native invasive species, climate change, and agriculture intensification. This river is unique, being the site of the first alien fish eradication programme of its kind in South Africa. The recovering Rondegat River imperilled cyprinid assemblage is used to frame the manner in which future environmental change may continue to disturb the ecology of the system. Conservation options and priorities are discussed in the context of a southern hemisphere Mediterranean-climate freshwater system