Blesbokspruit

Designations
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Blesbokspruit
Designated	2 October 1986
Reference no.	343

Blesbokspruit is a river that originates north of Daveyton, Gauteng, South Africa. It runs south and later west, past the towns of Springs, Nigel and Heidelberg, before it joins the Suikerbosrand River, a tributary of the Vaal River. The Marievale Bird Sanctuary is situated in its upper reaches, established when the roads and pipelines reached the nearby mines in 1930. That area of 1848 ha was declared a Ramsar site wetland in 1986, to combat deleterious effects of industrial pollution in the area.The Blekbokspruit wetland is close to springs,on the east rand in Gauteng. like all wetlands the Bleksbokspruit wetland plays an imortant role in the environment:

• it slows down the flow of the floodwaters, reducing flood damage
• it stores water during periods of heavy rainfall and slowly releases this water back into the stream. as a result, the stream continues to flow during dry periods
• it filters and cleans the water.
• it provides a habitat for many organisms. they can find food, shelter and a place to breed in the wetlands. fish,crabs,birds,small mammals and many other organisms live in this wetland.
• farmers in the area use the water for their crops.

some of the plants and animals that live in the Bleksbokspruit wetland are herom,bulrushes,phargmites reeds,yellow-billed duck,water mongoose and giat bullfrog

See also

• List of rivers of South Africa
• Not List of rivers of South Africa