KNYSNA NEWS - Ava Aucamp, a Grade 11 learner at Knysna High School, was recently tasked with conducting a research project at school, and decided to focus on sediment pollution in the Knysna Estuary.

Ava reached out to KPH to publish her research piece to promote awareness of the matter in and around town. 

From here on the stage is yours, Ava:

"It is perhaps a common misconception that taking geography as a school subject is not that hard. I'm sure the Grade 11 geography students at Knysna High School would disagree, especially after receiving our rather large research task. We were required to research a geographic issue in the Knysna area.

"To me, coming up with an idea was probably the hardest part. After many hours of looking into the various issues our town faces, a specific problem stood out to me: sediment pollution in the Knysna Estuary.

Now what is sediment pollution?

"When pieces of sediment such as silt, fine gravel or eroded soil are washed into a water body such as the Knysna Estuary, it can have a detrimental impact on the aquatic biodiversity of the area, thus it is a form of pollution.

"The negative impact includes effects such as: reduced water clarity, which prevents aquatic vegetation such as seagrass from photosynthesising; aquatic animals struggling to find food sources; the gills of fish being blocked and the carrying of other pollutants.

"Sediment pollution is especially an issue in our Knysna Estuary, since it is ranked first in South Africa in terms of conservation importance. It also supports South Africa's biggest seagrass population.

"Sediment pollution has a detrimental impact on the vast swathes of seagrass in the Knysna Estuary. This is a serious issue.

But what can we do to address it?

"First of all, we need to know what causes it. Sediment pollution can be a natural occurrence, but human activity and storm water runoff are examples of this.

So what can we do about it?

"My suggestion is that we keep ourselves informed on the importance of our estuary and the threats that it faces. Since the Knysna Estuary is partially responsible for making our town as beautiful as it is, we need to ensure it is protected. It is also one of the reasons why our town is a tourist attraction. This makes the estuary economically important as well."

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