Abstract ID: 3.12715 | Accepted as Talk | Talk | TBA | TBA

The alpine terrestrial ecosystems of the Maloti-Drakensberg in southern Africa provide essential ecological services and support local livelihoods, yet they are increasingly threatened by degradation due to factors such as overgrazing and climate change. As part of the baseline assessment for the newly established Mount-Aux-Sources Long Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) platform, this study employs advanced Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) techniques and remote sensing to map and evaluate wetland coverage and degradation in the northern Maloti-Drakensberg. The model achieved high classification accuracies of 96% and 92% for training and validation data, respectively, with Kappa statistics of 0.91 and 0.83, marking a pioneering automated effort in wetland mapping for this region. Terrain attributes such as the Terrain Wetness Index (TWI) and Valley Depth (VD) show significant positive correlations with wetland coverage and erosion gully density, whereas Channel Network Depth and slope are negatively correlated. Gully density analysis identifies terrain attributes as dominant drivers of degradation, challenging traditional assumptions that wetland loss is primarily driven by external pressures such as livestock overgrazing, ice-related activity, and climate change. The sensitivity map generated through this study provides a foundation for Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) efforts and serves as a valuable reference for designing targeted conservation interventions. While this study does not explicitly assess Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), the insights gained offer critical baseline data for future NbS-driven restoration initiatives within the Maloti-Drakensberg highlands. Future research should extend this approach to other highland regions, incorporate additional environmental covariates, and classify wetlands based on hydroperiod and sensitivity to degradation. By leveraging DSM and remote sensing, this study establishes an essential data framework for sustainable resource management and long-term socio-ecological research in alpine environments.