The water management area has a wide range of vegetation types ranging from coastal forest, and drier Ngongoni Veld leading to Natal Mist-belt grassland in the midlands. Inland of this, leading up to the Drakensberg, are the Sourveld grassland areas. The whole water management area and KZN province is deeply dissected by valleys where the vegetation is drier, called Valley Bushveld.

Each of these veld types is a powerful indicator of the value of the land for agricultural exploitation. The coastal forest areas have for many years been devoted to sugar production, to the extent that this is now a threatened habitat. The Mist-belt is sought after for forestry plantations, although this has also extended to the Southern Tall Grassveld that occurs inland of the Mist-belt, on land previously devoted to mixed farming, mainly with stock. Above this is the Highland Sourveld, which is marginal agricultural land. The Alpine Veld tops the Drakensberg and is the area of highest rainfall but lowest temperatures. The Valley Bushveld areas that dissect the province, generally have dry and harsh climates, and are in the most given over to subsistence and game farming. Each of these veld types has an impact on water resources that is the result of the exploitation that the area has been subjected to. The Mist-belt area, for example, suffers reduced run-off, destabilised riverbanks, siltation and invasion by alien trees (typically Acacia Mearnsii, or black wattle), due to intensive forestry.  (Ref 2)