NEWS
Overberg farmers open hearts to conservation of renosterveld
Farmers in the Overberg Wheatbelt who previously viewed renosterveld as wasteland are now conserving it for future generations
Dian Spear Reprinted From : https :// bit . ly / 3m0CaSR
A ccording to Dr Odette Curtis-
Scott , it is estimated that “ less than 5 % of renosterveld vegetation remains ”. This vegetation type , which is part of the highly diverse Cape Floristic Region “ has borne the brunt of the plough on an extreme scale ”, says Curtis-Scott .
Many people may not know renosterveld is considered to be “ the richest bulb habitat on earth ”, she explains . In addition to the habitat being destroyed for the planting of crops , it is also threatened by being fragmented into small areas surrounded by monoculture and affected by pesticides and other chemicals , unnatural fire regimes , alien vegetation , illegal ploughing , overgrazing and the destruction of watercourses .
Due to the sad state of affairs , active management is necessary to save what remains of this special habitat . However , getting people to care about renosterveld is difficult .
Figure 1 : Endagered Moraea comptonii © Odette Curtis-Scott
“ It looks like an homogenous , grey , drab shrubland and is considered the ugly sister of fynbos , and it has been overlooked , understudied and under-conserved forever ,” Curtis-Scott explains . Farmers often refer to it merely as uitvalgrond ( surplus ground ) or bossieveld ( shrub veld ) and perceive it as worthless .
Curtis-Scott laments that the renosterveld ecosystem in the Overberg is so degraded that it does not provide any ecosystem services that can be assigned a monetary value , so this cannot be used as an argument for its conservation .
“ Most of the water that goes through the system is brackish , which can ’ t be used for farming , and we are bringing in bees in hives to pollinate canola . We are not using natural pollinators . There aren ’ t enough of them left in the landscape .”
Figure 2 : Grey rhebok © Odette Curtis-Scott
So , how has the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust ( ORCT ) changed the perception of farmers towards renosterveld ?
Curtis-Scott explains that the way to get farmers to care about nature is by “ making them feel something in their hearts ”, adding , “ The way we have won over all these landowners we are working with today is through showing them what they have and getting them to fall in love with it .
27 Grassroots Vol 20 No 4 December 2020