LAST GASPP FOR our Fresh Water Fishes

With the support of the Table Mountain Fund and World Wildlife Fund, the conservancy has launched the Grootvadersbosch Aquatic Species Project (GASPP) which is a new project to protect our rivers and the aquatic species that depend on them. The Grootvadersbosch Conservancy is home to several important indigenous freshwater fish species, including the critically endangered Tradouw redfin, which is considered one of the top five freshwater fishes in the fynbos region that requires immediate conservation action. Over the next three years, we will be working with partners to restore our rivers and sustain the water resources on which we all depend. 

Over the next three years, GASPP will work with our partners (Bionerds, FRC, Cape Nature and Landcare), to ensure the survival of these species and the protection of the aquatic systems as a whole. The project has two key objectives:

1. Ensure long-term monitoring of key data (flow, fish sampling, water quality, SASS) of the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy Rivers
2. Increase stakeholder awareness on the importance of freshwater ecosystems to sustain water for environmental, agricultural and municipal use.

We are excited to work with partners to better understand the species within our rivers. Many of the isolated streams in our mountains have not been adequately studied and we are excited at the prospect that perhaps there are new species yet to be described. We can’t wait to plunge in.