July has been a very wet and cold month even for us nature lovers, but we managed to get some work done on our projects.
In this issue:
- Stanford Mill Stream – Food Gardening & Fynbos
- Hawston Paddavlei Project
- Land Care Teams on Alien Clearing at Whale Coast Nature Reserve Mountain side
- Hawston Sea Cadets
- Public Talk
Stanford Mill Stream – Food Gardening and Fynbos
Stanford monitors have been very busy planting indigenous wetland plants in the Mill Stream education amphitheatre. The idea is to shift plants like arum lilies and other geophytes from a grassy area where they are periodically mowed to an area where they can flourish and be appreciated.
Hawston Paddavlei Project
This project is moving along fast now. Project Storm water purification and water testing project are progressing well. Water testing skills are being refined and the team is cutting all the poles and droppers for the Paddavlei walking trail
Land Care Teams – Alien Clearing at WCNR
The Department of Agriculture has been partnering with Whale Coast Nature Reserve by sending teams of workers from Landcare to cut alien invasive plants on our reserve on the mountain side. They have again sent two teams for the past two months to continue the work of alien invasive clearing on our reserve.
The teams have been working on daily basis on our mountain in between the wet and cold winter weather. The two months contract with us ended on Monday 29th of July.
We are so grateful to the Landcare teams for all their hard work and help in fighting against alien invasive plants and proud to say we’ve begun to see and celebrate the growth of various indigenous plants.
Hawston Sea Cadets
We are very grateful to the Cadet Instructor Robbie Hansen for removing the illegal fishing nets from the Paddavlei. TS Birkenhead Sea Cadets are an important role player in the Hawston Paddavlei project.
Public Talk
Whale Coast Conservation will be hosting a Public Talk in August after a winter break which was cold and wet. The topic will be “Climate-Smart Agriculture” by Prof Stephanie Midgley. In this presentation, Prof Stephanie Midgley will unpack the concept and practice of ‘Climate Smart Agriculture’, specifically in the context of the Overstrand region and the Western Cape more broadly. Climate variability, increasing weather unpredictability, and more frequent and intense weather extremes (sometimes leading to disasters) are key factors affecting production and profitability of farming, with implications for the whole food system.
The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has developed a roadmap towards better planning, science-based decision-making and support to farmers amidst these climatic threats – the SmartAgri Plan. The plan outlines a co-ordinated and co-operative approach to the development of long-term climate resilience in agriculture. A systemic, landscape-focused lens means that biodiversity and ecosystem services are integrated into the plan. The presentation will refer to practical examples and response options. Participants of all backgrounds and ages will be encouraged to contribute their own experiences and vision for a sustainable healthy future for all.
