Grassroots September 2016, Vol. 16, No. 3 | Page 41
Congress
Mid-Congress Tour: Gondwana Game Reserve
Jono Berry
Gondwana Game Reserve
I
[email protected]
Conservation in Practice
was always told that if one did not like the
weather in the Western Cape…. just wait 10
minutes (!) and the mid-congress tour to
Gondwana Game Reserve proved this truism. For
those congress delegates who braved the first few
cold and wet minutes, a sunny afternoon was spent
traversing this 11 000 hectare reserve, learning and
sharing information about land restoration, alien
plant control options and integrated land
management. Located between Mossel Bay and
Herbertsdale, Gondwana Game Reserve is
committed to providing responsible, ethical land
management whilst playing host to a successful
tourism and hospitality business venture.
Ecologically, Gondwana has both Thicket &
Fynbos biomes represented and for management
purposes has further divided this broad demarcation
into six categories, namely: Fynbos, Renosterveld,
Thicket, Pastures, Recovering Pastures and Alien
Dominated. Discussions during the tour focussed
on the following three main issues: 1) the ongoing
eradication/management of alien plants, 2) the
importance of the grazing value of the
pastures/recovering
pastures
and
3)
the
responsibilities/obligations land owners are faced
with when dealing with alien plants.
Alien Plants
Gondwana is an Implementing Agent within the
Working for Water program and through making
use of seven local contractors employing a total of
over 70 people. The year 2015 saw 1 400 hectares
cleared of all alien plant species including the likes
of Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii), Red-Eyed
Wattle (Acacia cyclops) and the Silky Hakea
(Hakea sericea). Furthermore, the year 2016 is
about consolidating these hard won gains with
follow-up treatments and maintaining momentum
and employment. Biological control agents have
been released and thought has been given to the use
of fire in controlling alien species. During the tour,
the suggestion was made that perhaps fire could be
used prior to a follow-up treatment in order to
stimulate the seedbank and increase the value of the
herbicidal follow-up treatment. Essentially,
disturbance is seen to be a major contributing factor
to the spread of these alien species into adjacent,
previously stable plant communities and as a
Grassroots
management team, we are working towards curbing
unnecessary disturbance and if necessary,
monitoring for degradation and intervening
appropriately.
Grazing value of (recovering) pastures
The pastures on Gondwana are a heritage of the
agricultural practices prior to our reserve’s
establishment and although they are heavily
modified landscapes, they are critical to the
conservation and business model of the reserve.
These pastures have the ability to support greater
densities of herbivores with good visibility
whereby they in turn support the associated
predators which are so vital to the tourism products
we offer. Simply put, it is our pastures which
“fund” our capacity to conserve the threatened
Fynbos, Renosterveld and Thicket communities.
Responsibilities/Obligations of Landowners
A recurring theme throughout the day’s
excursion was the concept of the obligations which
landowners are required to abide by when dealing
with alien plants and their eradication/management,
as legislated by government. The majority of
participants seemed to agree that better decisions
were likely with improved communication with all
relevant stakeholders. Secondly, idealism may
have its place but not as the basis for legislating for
alien plant management and the expected behaviour
of landowners.
Rather, the realistic goal of
management as opposed to eradication should be
legislated for. Landowners should be expected to
improve the condition of their properties but to
expect and legislate for the eradication of alien
plants is unlikely to contribute to a genuine change
in attitudes and/or behaviour.
The conservation and responsible ecological
management of our Fynbos, Renosterveld and
Thicket plant communities is intrinsically linked to
the pastures and previously disturbed areas of our
reserve. Ironically, it is the alien plants which
provide so much employment and it is the so called
“degraded” areas of pastures and recovering
pastures which add so much to our economic
viability. Together these “problem” areas allow us
to engage in meaningful conservation and
September 2016
Vol 16 No. 3