OCTOBER TALK

october talkAndrea Benn

Conservation Biodiversity on Road Verges and Urban Open Spaces – Don’t Mow the Verges by Prof Gavin Maneveldt  – 17 October 2015

Trained as a Marine Biologist, Gavin developed his interest in the diversity of our flora in the early nineties. He commenced his talk by listing some general aspects of biodiversity in South Africa:

  • After Indonesia and Brazil, SA has the most biological species in the world.
  • We have 1% of the world’s land space, but have one-third of its plant species.
  • We have three biological hot spots – most countries don’t have any. They are the Cape Floristic Kingdom – the smallest in the world, the Succulent Karoo which we share with Namibia, and the Maputo/Pondoland area shared with Mozambique.

We have 24,000 plant species BUT the highest documented extinctions globally. 2,500 species are facing extinction. In our region, the Western Cape, the figures are even more astonishing. We have 11% of the country’s land but 50% of all animal, fish and plant species due to our climate and soils. 96% of our plant species are indigenous, occurring naturally. A high percentage are endemic, occurring nowhere else.

All countries that have signed the Convention of Biodiversity have agreed to save 10% of their land mass and 20% of their coastlines. But up to 80% of our biodiversity falls outside protected areas and that’s the challenge we are facing because unprotected areas are not managed.

Gavin posed the question – do we need to travel to Namaqualand to see the spectacular spring flowers? He took us on a short pictorial trip up the West Coast, mainly looking at road verges. Words cannot describe the beauty on show.

He then described three areas which have a certain amount of protection due to the nature of their open spaces. They are Rondebosch Common with its amazing plant and bulb diversity in a small space, Rhodes Memorial where a different soil type on the mountain slopes promotes the lovely blue Geisshoriza aspera, Ornithogalum thyroides, and several Moraea, and thirdly the Royal Observatory near the Black River. Here several Moraea species include the most endangered Moraea aristata. In Australia it is an invasive pest! A new Lachenalia grows here in a very small pocket, and a Sparaxis variegata from the north, possibly Sutherland.

In complete contrast are unprotected open areas where most losses occur due to ‘keeping the verges tidy’ policy and also the unseasonal firebreak mowing. Where old farmland existed, lupins have become naturalised, herbicides used, and landscapes changed. In Gansbaai a lovely Satyrium in the firebreak was mowed. Stikland Hospital grounds support a large density of flowers – the verge outside the fence has nothing! Echium vulgare or Patterson’s curse (a 1b invasive alien) shades many areas blue. Many home verges may seem unkempt and well trodden but are a spring show with Romuleas, Cotula – the tiny button daisy, and Oxalis pes-caprae – the ‘suuring’ we enjoyed as kids.

Two Newlands ladies marked off an area of Geisshoriza flowers – a confused mower left the area alone! Our Kogelberg Biosphere area should have more protection just because of what and where it is.

We have mowers sweeping through gladioli and watsonias. We may be losing our wildflowers and by so doing causing a new illness. Called Nature Deficit Disorder, it happens when people become disconnected with nature. Verge, open space, and firebreak mowing here in Betty’s Bay overrides newly awakening spring growth. The result may be no more flowers and soon no more of the species! Garden Service teams clear plots of everything. You may not sell a property with aliens on it so everything is cut back, even local indigenous plants and possibly some endemics as well. We need to be like the Newlands ladies and say NO MOWING OF OUR VERGES TODAY!

Our thanks to Gavin for a most interesting and informative talk of great relevance to Betty’s Bay.