THE ECOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICAN ESTUARIES

Abstract

St. Lucia Estuary on the Zululand coast, which once had a rich fauna of prawns and fish, has recently deteriorated. An ecological survey has shown that this is due to silting at the mouth and very saline water in the upper lakes. These conditions are traced back to droughts, erosion and man's interference with the filtering action of swamps. The present fauna and flora are described and plans for improving the estuary are discussed.