Do Urban Rivers Provide Sanctuaryto Macroinvertebrates? A Case Study of an UrbanStretch of the Apies River in Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

Rivers are the most disturbed freshwater ecosystems, suffering from impoundments, channel modification, and pollution [1].A healthy river plays a crucial ecological and societal role due to its ability to regulate floods, cycle nutrients, provide food, support cultural and recreational values, etc. [2].An increase in anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, mining, wastewater works, industrial activities, and urbanization is threatening the integrity of macroinvertebrate communities of river systems [3,4] by changing river