NEWS
“ G
row , don ’ t mow .” With a musical ring to it , this slogan – focused on capturing Capetonians ’ attention on the City of Cape Town ’ s “ No Mowing Policy ” – tends to , well , grow on you .
As a media release sent out by the City last month explains , Cape Town lies within the greater Cape Floral region in which the rare Fynbos and Renosterveld vegetation groups are found .
Although the City currently maintains 17 nature reserves and various conservation sites , these protected sites represent but a small percentage of the area where fynbos occurs across the city .
Hence the City ’ s ‘ No Mowing Policy ’.
At present , the City has 63 listed areas where mowing is suspended during the growing season which starts in July / August and ends in November , annually .
These areas include public open spaces , greenbelts and road verges .
This allows for annuals , perennials and geophytes to flower , mature and seed during spring .
Someone who has an in-depth understanding of how campaigns like these contribute to conservation efforts is Peta Brom , an urban ecologist at the University of Cape Town ’ s ( UCT ) Department of Biological Sciences .
Brom says several botanists have recorded sensitive and endangered species of plants in road verges .
“ The Grow , Don ’ t Mow campaign , will help us to identify the places where these grow and to develop better management strategies which will catch these occurrences ,” she adds .
Sowing the seed
On the verge of a breakthrough
Nettalie Viljoen
And that is but one of the many benefits that flow from this campaign .
Figure 1 : Peta Brom , an urban ecologist at the University of Cape Town ’ s Department of Biological Sciences .
Grassroots Vol 21 No 3 November 2021 28