Using macroinvertebrates to unravel the monitoring requirements of natural to near-natural river systems

The Golden Gate Highlands National Park (Golden Gate) riverine systems are upstream and often spared from most nearby human activities.The Golden Gate riverine systems could, therefore, be references to ecosystems with similar natural features.The seven-year monitoring data of macroinvertebrates from Golden Gate indicate that the macroinvertebrate communities of such natural ecosystems do require continuous monitoring as they have optimum conditions prevailing at different times.The monitoring site selection should be determined by the river system than the distance between the sites, as distant communities from the same river systems are less dissimilar than communities that are closer but from different systems.Different river systems need different efforts to reach their projected taxa, as Golden Gate River systems reached their asymptotes at different times.