NEWS
and in watercourses along the Ouka River – this is the only known remaining location for this species .
We hypothesised that one of the main threats to this species is a lack of fire , thus we decided to test this on a small proportion of the population . Following the successful implementation of an ecological burn in an area of Renosterveld at Uitvlucht where it grows , post fire surveys revealed that the original plants were resprouting successfully and numerous new seedlings were encountered growing in the vicinity – this is a great sign for the species !
As the Renosterveld continues to grow and change at these conservation sites , we continue to work alongside the landowners who are custodians to conserve and manage their veld . As our knowledge from ongoing biodiversity monitoring grows , we continue to feedback our findings to the dedicated landowners with whom we work .
We would like to acknowledge
WWF South Africa Table Mountain Fund ,
WWF ,
Ford Wildlife Foundation ,
Hans Hoheisen and the Mapula Trust for supporting the ORCT ’ s conservation easement project as well as the amazing farmers we are lucky enough to work with to conserve their Renosterveld . Please consider
supporting the vital work of the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust to help us manage and conserve more Renosterveld in perpetuity .
Figure 12 . Repeat photography of the same view at different times .
ing incidents of plant poaching to , as in this case , undertaking post fire monitoring to document the rapid vegetation changes that take place in the Renosterveld following an ecological burn .
Following an ecological burn in senescent Renosterveld that is many years post fire , the thick shrubby overstorey vegetation is cleared , triggering the germination and blooming en masse of many annual plant species . Mass blooming of many bulb species is also a common phenomenon in Renosterveld the following spring after fire .
We still know relatively little about the fire ecology of Renosterveld vegetation , with monitoring of post fire changes in the vegetation helping us to grow our knowledge of the ways in which species or plant groups respond following a burn .
For example , some pollination guilds contain groups of plants with a certain flower colour that may only grow together after fire to attract a specific pollinator . Sometimes plant species new to science that only grow after fire in highly localised areas may emerge or species that have not been recorded for many years may finally reveal themselves . The more we monitor , the more we learn .
At Uitvlucht farm , the area of Renosterveld that was burnt is home to a small population of Polhillia brevicalyx , a small Renosterveld shrub in the pea family ( Fabaceae ) that is Critically Endangered on the Red List of South African Plants . It grows along drainage lines
Figure 13 . An ecological burn triggers the germination and blooming of many annual plant species .
Figure 14 . Polhillia brevicalyx
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