minisass · water resource management i.e. - to provide participants with tools and skills...
TRANSCRIPT
miniSASS
January 2020 Issue 12
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Citizen Science in AFRESH2
Dr Mark Graham (GroundTruth) explaining the
miniSASS process at the AFRESH2 Workshop
AFRESH2 delegates practicing how to use the
clarity tube to measure the clarity (turbidity)
of the pool water
Issue 12January 2020
AFRESH2 delegates
The Ubuntu Action group AFRESH 2 (AfricanFreshwater Entomology) Workshop took place atthe GroundTruth offices in Hilton on the 20th -23rd
August 2019. 17 delegates from 6 differentcountries; from Italy to Madagascar and evenMauritius, attended the four day long intensiveworkshop.
The workshop focussed on the ‘scaling andresourcing of citizen based water qualitymonitoring.’
The aim of the Ubuntu Action Group is to ensure acohesive networking platform by encouragingactive participation and the integration of skills inwater resource management i.e. - to provideparticipants with tools and skills necessary toimprove water stewardship.
Delegates represented people of diverse ages,experience and skill sets, but who all possess acommon vision and purpose – the importance ofwater conservation and the upscaling of citizenscience water monitoring tools in Africa andbeyond. Coming together to exchange ideas andlearn more about citizen science in water qualitymonitoring.
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January 2020 Issue 12-
Mpophomeni Enviro Champs show the
AFRESH2 delegates how it’s done
Mpophomeni miniSASS results according
to the website as of November 2019
During the workshop delegates had the chance to see,touch and experience the various tools: includingminiSASS. On a field trip to the MpophomeniCommunity, upstream of Midmar Dam, they got thechance to experience citizen science in action.
The Mpophomeni Enviro Champs demonstrated howminiSASS and other citizen science tools help them tomonitor the water quality of their local stream, theMthinzima, which is a tributary of Midmar Dam.
As part of the workshop, each delegate was asked toconsider how citizen science might be able to assist inwater quality monitoring back in their homecommunities, and how they might be able to use thetools in a project for change. Below are some of thechange projects that were developed:• Using citizen science to help address the issues of
poor sewage system infrastructure and illegal rubbish dumping.
• To increase knowledge and understanding of the river health and biodiversity for rivers in Mauritius.
• To gather data on and document the use of natural springs as sources of freshwater in rural communities.
• To investigate the possibility of constructing Madagascar’s first water storage dam.
Upon completion of the workshop, each delegatereceived a water resource citizen science kit to takewith them for use in their daily jobs and also to assistthem as they pursue their change projects back home.
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it has accumulated a
Citizen Based Water Quality MonitoringIn November a workshop was held to research the ‘Alignment, Scaling and Resourcing of Citizen Based WaterQuality Monitoring (CBWQM) to Realising Water Quality Strategy’. The aim of this workshop was to identify bestpractices that can be used to enhance the capacity, impact and sustainability of existing and new CBWQMinitiatives. Central to this process is an alignment of CBWQM with global, national and local goals, policy andcommitments with regard to water quality.
The fifty delegates who attended the workshop looked into the data from the previous meetings and the surveyscompleted prior to the workshop. The workshop findings contributed to furthering the analysis of the CBWQMprojects, and the identification of the scaling elements and potential for enhancing capacity within CBWQMinitiatives.
The workshop also provided an opportunity to share a more recent study into policy that may be used to supportand profile CBWQM. There appeared to be particular opportunities to engage with national reporting onSustainable Development Goal 6: Clean water & Sanitation for all, in terms of enhancing citizen participation inwater and sanitation management. A United Nations committee, tasked with finding methodologies for measuringSDG 6 target 3.2, is exploring the potential of miniSASS as a global biomonitoring mechanism. The project team isengaging with them in this regard. This development has enormous scaling potential.
Central to this entire project and to the discussion in the workshop was a focus on how we scale and sustainCBWQM initiatives. A key point that emerged was the need to shift the outlook from “governing the people” to“governing WITH the people”. This shift is evident in the increasing emphasis by government, on the notion of the‘social contract’. This concept emphasises the need for partnerships between government, business, labour andcivil society. This shift in perspective opens up opportunities for CBWQM to play a stronger role in the collaborativemanagement of our water resources.
Interestingly, Monitoring and Evaluation methods were only mentioned once explicitly in the workshop, and yetwere implied often in conversations on understanding, communicating, and improving water quality work. It wasalso implied in challenges raised around the reliability of data produced by CBWQM. This suggests that there maybe an opportunity here to make more explicit the value of tools such as miniSASS in monitoring, evaluation, andresearch for learning and improved practice in this field. Upscaling of CBWQM is an ongoing process and miniSASScould play an important role in realising National Water Quality Strategy targets. Watch this space, miniSASS mightbecome part of not only the National toolkit for water quality monitoring but part of the United Nations toolkit toreaching SDG 6 on a global level!
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it has accumulated a
Hillcrest HighThe Molweni River Health Schools Project has been running since 2013,inviting high schools from the highway area to participate in miniSASStesting at various points along the Molweni River, from Hillcrest down toits confluence with the Umgeni River. Testing is done in summer andwinter every year over the years, on the fluctuations in river health overtime.
Most importantly, the project has given a number of students anopportunity to learn about the environment. Many students begin withvery little environmental awareness, and through the project they areexposed to a world below the water they never knew existed, and aretaught about how human activity can impact river health.
In the latest set of testing, two park rangers from the Krantzkloof NatureReserve joined one of the groups, curious about the project. Althoughboth had worked in the reserve for some years, neither of them knewabout aquatic macroinvertebrates or about the variety of habitats withina river. They were fascinated by the different organisms and had a lot ofquestions about them and their different survival techniques. Bothcommented that they would never have guessed that there was so muchlife below the water, or that the ecosystem could be so complicated.
Not only can miniSASS be used to educate students, but that day it alsoshowed how useful it can be to introduce anyone to the concept ofaquatic habitats and to help people of all ages to understand that cleanrivers aren't only important for our needs, but for the diversity of lifethat lives in them. You're never too old to learn something new, andminiSASS enabled those two rangers to learn in an engaging andapproachable way.
Learners from Hillcrest
High doing a miniSASS
on the Molweni River
AmanzimtotiAmanzimtoti Primary conducted an investigation atthe Amanzimtoti River, at the site they had previouslyvisited. Very few macroinvertebrates were found andthe resulting river condition was very poor.
30 learners took part in the investigation,accompanied by parents and 4 staff from the school. Itwas a great opportunity to teach others how toconduct a MiniSASS.
Amanzimtoti Primary learners and
teachers doing miniSASS
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05 November miniSASS upload from
Wittedrift in the Western Cape
02 November miniSASS upload from
outside Wellington in the Western
Cape
Did you Know?• There have been a total of 1398 miniSASS observations recorded so far.
• There are 708 registered user profiles on the miniSASS website.
• That the total length of all rivers in South Africa is 163 533 km.
Contact Us:
www.minisass.org / [email protected]
Like our Facebook Page: Minisass - Mini Stream
Assessment Scoring System
Follow our blog: minisassblog.wordpress.com
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: miniSASS
Follow us on Google+: miniSASS
Meet our partners:
Department of Water and Sanitation
www.dwa.gov.za
…
Department of Science and Technology
www.dst.gov.za
…
Water Research Commission
www.wrc.org.za
…
Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa:
Eco-Schools
www.wessa.org.za
…
GroundTruth Water, Wetlands and Environmental
Engineering
www.groundtruth.co.za…
To order miniSASS field kits, Clarity Tube and
TVHR send an email to: [email protected]
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Development of Citizen Science Water
Resource Monitoring Tools and
Communities of Practice for
South Africa, Africa and the World
Would you like us to feature your miniSASS story? We would like that too! Please send it to [email protected]
This illustrated report contains all the freshwater
citizen science tools and can be found at:
http://www.wrc.org.za/wp-
content/uploads/mdocs/TT%20763%20web.pdf
Or order a copy from:
Upcoming events
2 February 2020 – World Wetlands Day
3 March 2020 – World Wildlife Day
21 March 2020 – International Day of
Forests
22 March 2020 – World Water Day
Development of Citizen ScienceThe editors are grateful to all who shared their
stories. We are sorry that we did not have
space for everyone's contribution!
IN THE NEXT ISSUE:World Wildlife Day and International Day of Forests