Clanwilliam sandfish (Labeo seeberi)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 232533164

Restoring a river to create a threatened fish sanctuary in South Africa

In South Africa, freshwaters are the most threatened ecosystems, and freshwater fishes are the most threatened species group. Impacts of invasive species are the top threat to these fish. Invasive fish prey heavily on native fish and invasive plants impact negatively on river habitat quality (causing excessive erosion and sedimentation) and quantity (reducing river flow). Clearing invasive species in critical habitats is required to conserve the country's unique and threatened freshwater fishes and ecosystems. This project will build on foundational work undertaken to prevent sandfish extinction in the short term (MBZ projects 192520635 and 212526900) by restoring critical river habitat to conserve the sandfish (and 4 other endemic fish species) in the long term. Co-funding will be used to clear invasive fish species from 8.5km of the upper Biedouw River. This MBZ grant will be used to employ a local community team to remove invasive plants from the riparian zone of 5km of this section to improve access to the river channel for alien fish clearing and to improve riverine habitat quality and quantity. Land owners will be engaged to ensure the sustainability of the invasive species removal, and the project will be communicated to scientific and public audiences.