Unravelling the long-term river health status of Kruger National Park Rivers using macroinvertebrate-based monitoring.

ABSTRACT: The burgeoning population growth and landscape developments over the last decades have had a profound effect on natural resources including riverine water quality and quantity. This resulted in increased pollution events, loss of aquatic biodiversity and the introduction of alien invasive species, which cumulatively have transformed freshwater ecosystem structure, processes and functions. Macroinvertebrate-based biomonitoring, like the South African Scoring System version 5 (SASS5), is a fast and effective way to assess water and habitat quality. However, studies reporting long-term biomonitoring are rare in many Global South systems. Also, river health within protected areas is generally regarded better than those outside, with the park potentially offering refugium and ideal conditions f

SUBMITTER: Sithole H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12259783 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature