Samenvatting

The canalisation of South Africa's Liesbeek River has resulted in the degradation of its ecosystem. To prevent further deterioration of the Liesbeek River, the Rosebank village green section of the river is being rehabilitated. Because of this pilot project, it is uncertain how the Liesbeek River's Rehabilitation may affect its local water quality and biodiversity. As a result, this thesis researched the impact of project measures and river interventions on water quality standards and the biological freshwater environment during the initial phases of the Liesbeek River Rehabilitation project. Over the period of two months, laboratory and on-site procedures were used to examine the water quality and multiple mini-SASS assessments were performed to determine the macro biodiversity. As a result, a broad theoretical context has been set up, allowing the research findings to be supported by existing literature. The study aimed to establish baseline and early project implementation data on water quality and biodiversity in the Liesbeek River throughout rehabilitation. This database will serve as a significant baseline for the project's future expansion. The study found that the water quality in the rehabilitated section of the Liesbeek River remained within acceptable limits. The mini-SASS assessment results showed that, except for noticeable short-term effects, no firm conclusions could be drawn. However, it was concluded that the rehabilitation will improve the Liesbeek River's natural freshwater ecosystem locally and will likely boost biodiversity and water quality in the long run.