Urban Wetland Conservation is a different kettle of weeds

LINK to VIDEO CLIP  "Edith, Aliens and Inspiration" (6 min)




Luzann Isaacs, Site Manger

Abel Abelse, Community Researcher

Water hyacinth is an aggressive weed that causes lots of problems if allowed to get out of hand. At the Edith Stephens Wetland Park on the Cape Flats, it established itself on the stormwater pond, destroying a birdwatching paradise. In this short clip you will meet the narrator, Luzanne Isaacs, who is the City of Cape Town’s site manager at the park. Determined to involve people from the surrounding low-income communities in finding a lasting solution to this and other challenges of stewardship, she teamed up with local entrepreneur and social activist Dale Isaacs. Together they raised the funds to set up a work opportunity programme, and you will see teams of people working alongside the heavy machinery to bring the weed under control. Also part of the story is Abel Abelse, a local youth excited at the prospect of being involved in the ecological research that is going into finding a more stable solution to the problem of weed infestation. Abel is experimenting with indigenous aquatic plants, using the swimming pool of the old homestead turned Park HQ as a laboratory . He hopes to introduce these, some of which have been traditionally harvested as food plants, into the stormwater pond. His source of new material is the nursery of the world renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, where he is helped by keeper of the aquatic plants, Josias Tamboer.



The battle for stable and sustainable management of urban ecosystems will be difficult and on-going, but we take our hats off to people like Luzann, Dale, Abel and Josias who bring different elements of society together to make a plan and make a difference.
GD 22 Dec 2010





Land Reform and Biodiversity Stewardship: a challenge for sustainability

A learning exchange 1 - 3 December 2010 at the Botshabelo Cultural Village, near Middelburg in Mpumalanga, South Africa

LINK to 3 VIDEO CLIPS:
Interviews: (1) Nomcebo (2) Lubabalo;  and  
(3) soundbites from  participants

The churchy images notwithstanding, this get-together in Dec 2010 was about biodiversity conservation, rural development and transformational governance. It took place at the cultural village of Botshabelo, which includes this imposing late-19th century Lutheran missionary church, a good venue for sincere discussion. This three day event was hosted by the Botshabelo Community, organized by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), convened by the National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and sponsored by the Dept of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR). The meeting was held in the church that the community inherited with their land claim, and was the venue for the presentations, deliberations and discussions of the opportunities and challenges facing all stakeholders in the process.

The meeting revolved around a triangle of interests:

1) Government agencies are keen to see delivery in the realm of land claim resolution, as well as issues of development and land reform;

2) The biodiversity sector, led by SANBI, but also including conservation and toursims agencies, are interested in the longer term management of the environment and natural renewable resources; and

3) Community land claim beneficiaries, who for the most part are ill equipped, inexperienced and under supported in their endeavours to make their reclaimed land sustainably viable.

This learning exchange, the third of its kind over three years, provided an opportunity for the core groups to articulate, discuss and understand the overall set of problems faced collectively. The spirit was good, the information candidly shared, and the hope for productive collaboration to take shape as a result of the endeavours.

GD 22 Dec 2010

Photos below::

1. Lubablo views an erosion gully on Botshabelo community land. Working for Wetlands will be doing some restoration work there.

2. Lerato Noko view some of the game: antelope, warthog, zebra

3. Delegates stroll through the cultural village
4. Traditional leaders who attended the workshop take time out in the cultural village

5. Cultural resting spot





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