Polychaetes in the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz: what is the big deal?

Polychaetes are marine segmented worms that belong to the class Polychaeta, within the phylum Annelida. They take up the role of biological engineers, decaying organic matter in sediment and transferring nutrients to the water column. Due to their versatility, polychaetes are also used as indicators of pollution and have niches within which they thrive. Polychaetes are important for both ecological and economic reasons. Although they are amongst one of the most abundant and species-rich taxonomic groups, their biodiversity remains largely underexplored. They are prone to misidentification due to their postulated wide distributions, which has led to incorrect distribution records and underestimation of local biodiversity. To a large extend, this has lead to unresolved cosmopolitan species particularly in Southern Africa. More specifically, for countries like Namibia, polychaete taxonomic research is seldom prioritized, and more work is believed to be undocumented. The ports of Luderitz and Walvis Bay are two of Namibia’s important commercial ports, supporting a range of maritime activities. These activities influence the quality of water and sediment, therefore impacting living organisms that depend on these habitats i.e. polychaetes. As we drive towards blue economic growth, the demand for space for port expansion is imminent. There is, therefore a need to assess their status, and take account of the diversity of polychaetes in the ports and contribute to taxonomic research in Southern Africa.