TOWARDS A WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AND POPULAR TOURIST REGION

This paper describes the development and implementation of an Integrat ed Water Management Strategy for the catchment of the Wilderness Lakes in the Southern Cape, South Africa. The area is a popular tourist des tination due to its environmental variety and scenic beauty. The main land uses in the catchment are: agriculture, forestry, tourism, reside ntial settlement and the natural environment These land uses compete f or a share of the available water resources and have different water q uality demands, while at the same time each has an impact on the water quality and quantity and also on other land uses. The water managemen t strategy developed for Wilderness aimed at the responsible managemen t and fair distribution of the available water resources (both quantit y and quality) and on the sustainable use of these resources, taking f ull cognisance of the wishes and opinions of all interest groups in th e area The natural environment played a very important role in the dev elopment of the strategy and it was found that a more natural manageme nt of the estuary mouth would assist in maintaining the natural charac teristics of the Wilderness system. The paper also addresses the struc tures and management body proposed to implement the Water Management S trategy.