Volume 9 April 2013 - SANBI
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Volume 9 • April 2013
CREW –National Overview
Domitilla Raimondo
T his year CREW celebrates its
10 year anniversary.
Over the past ten years CREW has
grown at a sustainable rate, ex-
C REW, the Custodians of
Rare and Endangered
Wildflowers, is a programme
panding from the focus on the Fyn-
What started off as a three year that involves volunteers from
bos to include summer rainfall ar-
pilot project in the Fynbos with ex- the public in the monitoring
ternal grant funds from the United eas. In 2006 the Mpumalanga Plant and conservation of South
States, has expanded into a nation- Specialist Group joined CREW and Africa’s threatened plants.
ally implemented programme with in 2007 the KwaZulu-Natal Node CREW aims to capacitate a
financial and institutional commit- was established. CREW work start- network of volunteers from
ment from SANBI and the Botani- ed for the first time in Limpopo in a range of socio-economic
cal Society (BotSoc). Few projects 2012, with an exciting partnership backgrounds to monitor
of this nature have a lifespan longer between the University of Limpopo and conserve South Africa’s
than five years, so getting to 10 and the Limpopo Botanical Society threatened plant species.
is very impressive. The success group (see article on page 34). This The programme links vol-
of CREW is due to the dedication year, 2013, we take the bold step unteers with their local
of our network of volunteers who of moving the programme deeper conservation agencies and
donate their time and resources to into the Eastern Cape, working particularly with local land
monitoring and conserving rare and both in the Pondoland region in stewardship initiatives to en-
threatened plants. To honour this partnership with Sustaining the sure the conservation of key
commitment, SANBI and BotSoc Wild Coast trust, as well as in the sites for threatened plant
will be producing a coffee table Grahamstown and former Ciskei species.
publication this year, highlighting region with Rhodes University. A
the plight of 100 of South Africa’s CREW node will be established in
most threatened plants. A major Grahamstown based at the Selmar
focus of the book, titled Plants in Schonland Herbarium and Vatiswa
Peril, will be to demonstrate the Zikishe, who has been working with
work being done by CREW volun- CREW in the Cape Floristic Re-
teers, highlighting CREW activities gion (CFR), will head up the work
to monitor the status of threatened in the Eastern Cape. Our first two
species accurately as well as con- years will focus both on setting up
tribute towards their conservation. a group of volunteers based in Gra-
The number 100 was chosen as hamstown to monitor plant species
this year is the centenary anniver- of conservation concern as well as
sary of the Botanical Society. piloting employment of young mem-
1
bers from rural communities in the status of South Africa’s biodiver- tor and conserve plants of conser-
former Ciskei area to work as para- sity. We would like to thank all our vation concern in your regions. We
ecologists. volunteers for their hard work that challenge you to help us break all
resulted in this recognition. We look previous records and to demon-
The term para-ecologist is some- forward to celebrating our ten-year strate that this programme has the
what unknown in South Africa. anniversary with you. This year we necessary momentum to continue
Para-ecologists are individuals encourage extra hard work to moni- well into the future.
recruited from rural communities
to help conduct ecological and
conservation research in the area
in which they live. With dedicated
training and constant linkages with
News from the CREW
visiting scientists, para-ecologists
become local experts in biodiver- KwaZulu-Natal Node
sity and work to bridge the com- Suvarna Parbhoo
munication gap between local and
scientific communities, contributing
to both scientific research and local
development. CREW’s para-ecolo-
S ix months have passed
since I took over the reins
of CREW KwaZulu-Natal man-
The fifth annual summer-rainfall
workshop, held at Umthamvuna
Nature Reserve, was by far the
gist project will run from April 2013
ager from Isabel, and a busy six best attended workshop. Sixty-five
to November 2015, with three focal
months it has been. participants attended, including
areas namely, the former Ciskei re-
gion of the Eastern Cape, the Pon- My highlights have been the four- CREW volunteers from KwaZulu-
doland region, and rural towns sur- day bumper CREW summer-rainfall Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga
rounding Cape Town (Mamre and workshop and meeting new volun- provinces, students from UKZN-
Worcester). Funding for employing teers via the Bioblitz project. My Westville campus, inland and
para-ecologists has come from lowlights have been the untimely coastal branches of the KwaZulu-
the Groen Sebenza project (Jobs death of Rob Scott-Shaw and Natal Botanical Society and the
Fund) that SANBI is implementing missing opportunities to join the KwaZulu-Natal provincial con-
across the Conservation Sector in CREW groups on field trips due servation agency. It was the first
partnership with 32 environmental/ to this season’s strange weather. CREW workshop to be held over
biodiversity organisations, and the Sadly, 2013 began with the news four days. The workshop kicked off
Kirstenbosch Branch of the Bo- that Roger Uys, Ezemvelo KZN with Braam van Wyk’s tree iden-
tanical Society. Groen Sebenza is Wildlife’s ecologist, is relocating to tification course and concluded
aimed at developing priority skills New Zealand. Apart from being an with Marie Jordaan’s Gymnosporia
in the biodiversity sector to create ardent CREW fan, Roger has been identification course. During the
sustainable job opportunities for extremely helpful with plant permits weekend, Braam informed us of the
800 unemployed graduates and and access to the provincial re- principles of plant geography by
matriculants. CREW will be doing serves. We wish Roger all the best. explaining the distribution patterns
its bit to build skills by employing
ten para-ecologists.
Reflecting on 2012, there is much
to be proud of. Our volunteers
surveyed many species of con-
servation concern with so many
exciting finds (see articles written
by each CREW group for examples
of these). SANBI’s virtual museum,
iSpot, has taken off, with CREW
volunteers making a massive
contribution (see article on page
8). The data collected by CREW
volunteers has been invaluable
for updating the Red List. During
2012, the conservation status of
797 plants was updated. At the
end of 2012, the CREW team
received SANBI’s CEO Special
Award recognising the value of
our contribution towards achieving Rob Scott-Shaw showing volunteers how to do plots at Red Desert Nature Reserve
2 SANBI’s mandate to monitor the (Photograph: D. Higginson-Keith).
Participants at the 2012 CREW summer-rainfall workshop. of plants and why some plants are rare. Mondi’s environmental man- ger, Jacqui Shuttleworth, provided insight into the company’s environ- mental programme. Tony Dold in- troduced his newly launched book, Voices from the Forest. On Sunday we were joined by an amaMpondo delegation to celebrate the launch of Sinegugu Zukulu’s book, Me- dicinal and Charm Plants of Pon- doland. The 2013 CREW summer- rainfall workshop will be held in Es- howe on 6–9 September with three well-known botanists (Neil Crouch, Benny Bytebier and Pieter Bester) already secured for plant identifica- tion courses. My first official assignment as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife ecologist, Roger Uys, eThekwini municipality ecologist, Er- CREW KwaZulu-Natal Node rol Douwes and some participants of the Entumeni Bioblitz. Manager was to prioritise the 460 KwaZulu-Natal threatened plant species into target species for almost 40 priority species. The herbarium at Umthamvuna Nature each of the eight CREW groups. group’s enthusiasm has grown Reserve but also contributes to This new target species list made tremendously over the past year, other herbaria. for intense discussions at each with an injection of new CREWites. of the planning meetings and The CREW herbarium techniques The CREW KwaZulu-Natal Node gave the groups a new focus. course at the Bews Herbarium, has entrenched its university pro- The Nicholson Botanical Group facilitated by Christina Potgieter- ject at the University of Zululand, set out on a mission to Dumisa in Curry, further enhanced CREW University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pie- search of Data Deficient species. volunteers’ confidence in plant termaritzburg campus) and Durban The group recorded more than collecting. Both the Boston and University of Technology. This pro- 100 species in just two hours with Underberg groups have submitted ject was initiated in 2009. Universi- the find for the day being Searsia specimens to the KwaZulu-Natal ty of Zululand students were again rudatsii (Endangered), previously Herbarium for the first time. The unsuccessful in their search for the known only from Vernon Crookes Mkhambathini Group continues very rare saprophytic ground orchid Nature Reserve. The Underberg to donate specimens to the Bews Didymoplexis verrucosa (Vulner- Group excitedly set out to find Herbarium and the Nicholson able) that is only known from one the historical localities of their Botanical group has its very own locality. University of KwaZulu-Na- 3
tal students collected baseline plant programme appreciates her invalu- biodiversity symposium and WES-
demographic data for a population able help in this regard, as CREW SA KwaZulu-Natal coastal office. It
of the medicinal Merwilla plumbea volunteers will be able to access will also be reaching out to the vari-
(Near Threatened) for the third year this information electronically [see ous other provincial conservancies
and conducted a mini Bioblitz at the http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/ in the upcoming ‘quiet’ season. In
site. We trust that we have inspired nu]. The backlog of CREW data addition, we had two radio inter-
students to pursue careers in plant from KwaZulu-Natal was efficiently views with prominent regional radio
conservation. captured by Nkosinathi Mnwabe, a stations, although these were pri-
first year University of Cape Town
marily for the Bioblitz project. It is
The KwaZulu-Natal Node em- student from Impendle in the Kwa-
wonderful for CREW to have wide
ployed its first National Research Zulu-Natal Midlands, who joined
support throughout the summer-
Fund/Department of Science and CREW over December and Janu-
ary to do a stint of vacation work. rainfall region.
Technology (NRF/DST) funded in-
tern, Nomvume Petela. Nomvume During the past year, the CREW The CREW KwaZulu-Natal node is
was primarily responsible for con- programme in this province has grateful to the EDRR Programme:
tributing to the Bews online her- received exposure at the Botani- KZN Node, for the use of their vehi-
barium by capturing data for speci- cal Society KwaZulu-Natal coastal cle and shared office space. I look
mens of threatened genera on the branch, eThekwini Municipality’s forward to 2013 with exciting pro-
BRAHMS database. The CREW biodiversity forum, KwaZulu-Natal jects and new CREW groups.
News from the CREW
Cape Floristic Region Node
Ismail Ebrahim
In the Cape Floristic Region
the year started off with the
annual CREW workshop held in
Hermanus at the Habonim youth
camp.
The programme was packed with
interesting talks and for me the
highlight of the workshop, as al-
ways, was hearing the stories from
the CREW volunteer groups about
their achievements for the year.
On 12 June 2012 the iSpot website
was officially launched at the Bio-
diversity Information Management
Forum. iSpot enables people to
share their observations of nature Vathiswa with University of Stellenbosch students.
and in the process, learn about
biodiversity. As part of the launch,
but there were nevertheless some surprised by the abundance of the
we conducted a Bioblitz at the Ke-
good ones. One of the most excit- species post-fire.
nilworth Racecourse Conservation
ing was the trip to the Caledon
Area. More than 100 people joined Our engagement with universities
Swartberg Mountain, where we
us for the event and the highlight involving a Red List lecture and
found new populations of Moraea
of the day was recording Hessea
insolens and M. longiaristata. Both field trip to a site with threatened
cinnamomea, last seen at the site
these moraeas are listed as Criti- species was very successful. In
70 years ago. This was the starting
cally Endangered. As many of you 2012 we conducted our Red List
point for our Bioblitz project (see
already know, M. insolens is my ab- training at the Cape Peninsula Uni-
article on the Bioblitz project page
solute favourite plant so, needless versity of Technology, University of
8).
to say, I was very excited about this the Western Cape and Stellenbos-
Our C team field trips took a back discovery. The population of M. lon- ch University. We also structured
4 seat to the Bioblitz project this year giaristata is also new and we were our practical session differently and
this improved the level of student
participation. We included a practi-
cal identification exercise and train-
ing on how to complete the CREW
forms. This gave us an opportunity
to engage with the students more
meaningfully and share our knowl-
edge and experience better.
We rounded off the year with a
great two-day trip to the Sandveld
to collect Campanulaceae species.
We were joined by Chris Cupido,
Campanulaceae expert from the Critically Endangered Moraea insolens. Critically Endangered Moraea longia-
Compton Herbarium. The main pur- ristata.
pose of the trip was to find some
species listed as Data Deficient ble. These specimens will be used We look forward to an exciting
in the Sandveld and Cederberg to unravel some of the species 2013. Both Kirstenbosch National
regions. The Wahlenbergia and complexes in the family. This fo-
Botanical Garden and the Botani-
Prismatocarpus genera require cused approach seemed to be very
taxonomic revision and our mission successful and we will try to do a cal Society celebrate their cente-
was also to collect as much fresh few more family specific collecting nary, so there are many activities
material for the herbarium as possi- trips this year. planned for this year.
Measuring species conservation success:
The Red List Index
Lize von Staden
T hanks to the large amounts
of data on our species of
conservation concern collected
in that it synthesises a large num-
ber of positive, negative or neutral
trends into a single statistic that,
African flora to be closely moni-
tored for calculating our own Na-
tional Sampled Red List Index. This
by you, our volunteers, many when tracked over time, can give group of 900 species includes spe-
species’ Red List statuses are us meaningful insight into whether cies from all Red List categories as
changing. overall, we are doing better or well as from all parts of the country,
worse in our conservation efforts. and this is where we are going to
In many cases, however, these
need your help. For this group of
changes are as a result of an im- The time frame for calculating the
special species, we need not only
proved knowledge of our species, Red List Index is typically every five
to ten years, and in adopting the surveys to locate their populations,
rather than an improvement or
Red List Index in South Africa we we also need to periodically revisit
deterioration in their conserva-
have decided to align the index with those populations in order to de-
tion status. The question therefore
our national report on the state of termine accurately how well they
remains, can the Red List tell us
whether we are successful in our the country’s biodiversity, called the are surviving—work that many of
conservation efforts to save spe- National Biodiversity Assessment, our CREW groups are already do-
which is produced every seven ing. You will be hearing soon from
cies from extinction, or not?
years. However, as you may well Suvarna and Ismail which Sampled
International conservation scien- be wondering, how is it possible to Red List Index species have been
tists have developed a system that monitor the status of our entire flora assigned to your group for monitor-
involves periodical reassessments as well as reassess all 20 000+ ing, and we will be developing the
species every seven years? The methodology for the best way to
of groups of species and incorpo-
good news is that for large groups monitor population trends for those
rates changes in Red List Status as
of species, the Red List Index also
well as the reasons behind those species over the next year. We
works on a randomly selected sub-
changes into a statistic, or indica- hope that you are as excited as we,
set of species, in which case it is
tor, called the Red List Index. This called a Sampled Red List Index. the Red List team, are in joining us
index works much like the more fa- in this new chapter of conservation
miliar economic indicators such as We have therefore randomly se- monitoring of the South African
GDP or the Consumer Price Index lected 900 species from the South flora! If you have any further ques- 5
tions about the Red List Index,
please feel free to contact me at
my e-mail address, L.vonStaden@
sanbi.org.za.
This hypothetical graph illustrates
how the Red List Index shows
trends in conservation success
over time. The markers on the lines
represent the value of the Red List
Index calculated for a particular
year. If the trend in the line con-
necting the markers is positive over
time, it means that more species
are genuinely improving in their
Red List status—moving from
categories of higher risk of extinc-
tion to categories of lower risk of
extinction due to conservation in-
terventions—indicating successful
conservation efforts. On the other
hand, if the trend is negative, it
means that more species continue
to decline—losing more habitat and
populations over time, and thereby
moving to categories of higher risk
of extinction—indicating a failure to
prevent species from going extinct.
Psoralea studies benefit through CREW involvement
Abubakar Bello
A s a newly admitted interna-
tional student at the Univer-
sity of Cape Town, the important
field and unwrapped the secrets of
understanding the distinguishing
key characteristics of the various
contributions of CREW to my groups. Furthermore, CREW Cape
future career in systematic biol- Floristic Region manager, Ismail
ogy cannot be overemphasised. Ebrahim, always alerts me to up-
coming trips and Bioblitzes, and
I am currently doing research for
also takes care of my transporta-
my PhD on the taxonomy and evo- tion. The information I received
lutionary studies of the genus Pso- from CREW on the geographic
ralea L. (Psoraleeae, Fabaceae) in distribution of some members of
southern Africa. My supervisors, the genus Psoralea contributed im-
Prof. C.H. Stirton and Dr Muthama mensely to the paper I presented at
Musya, introduced me to CREW, the recent 6th International Legume
which is just like a fellowship for Conference at the University of Jo-
my studies. To date, I have had hannesburg (6–11 January 2013).
the opportunity to visit almost all Sarah (CREW staff) introduced me
areas of the Cape Floristic Region to iSpot, a user-friendly website
on about seven field trips, including that helps to identify anything in
Bioblitzes, organised by CREW. nature. Through CREW, I was able
These have contributed enormous- to collect herbarium and voucher Abubakar Bello in the field.
ly to my introduction to the wide specimens for my study species as
variety of Cape plants, especially well as some rare and endangered
members of the pea family (Le- indigenous legumes. The idea of plants is timely and of paramount
guminosae), which I am focusing CREW to use students like me and importance. I have no reservation
on. Vatiswa Zikishe (CREW staff) other volunteers to monitor and in saying that, in my experience,
6 introduced me to legumes in the conserve South Africa’s threatened CREW is a big success.
Celebrating our contribution to developing future
plant specialists
Vatiswa Zikishe
P lant identification is one of
the most important skills
in conservation, as we need to
know and understand what we
are conserving in order to apply
proper management interven-
tions.
One of CREW’s objectives is to
increase awareness of threatened
plants and also to partner with
universities in achieving our com-
munal goal of conservation. Work-
ing in the CREW Programme has
exposed me to people with various
levels of plant identification knowl-
edge and I have observed that
students coming from universities
often have limited ability to apply
the techniques needed for this
skill. Having identified this gap, in
2008 we started working with uni-
versities from the Western Cape,
Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
We started off by giving lectures
on Red List assessment methodol-
ogy, its objectives and how to apply
the IUCN criteria. After reflecting
on the lessons we learnt while do-
ing this training, in 2010 we then
included herbarium techniques
as part of the course to encour-
age participation from students. Abubakar checking the plant description.
We showed them the link between
doing Red List assessments and
the importance of herbarium speci-
to the CREW Programme by his us proud! Our successes may be
mens to determine species status
supervisor, Prof. Charles Stirton, small but by raising awareness,
as well as to enhance their plant
who has also played a major role we have created a stepping stone
identification skills. Of the hundreds
in assisting CREW to realise this on the way forward to educate
of students we’ve engaged with,
goal. Abubakar’s interest in plants and engage the public about plant
we managed to get a few plant en-
is not limited to the genus chosen conservation.
thusiasts and for some, we made a
huge contribution to their studies, for his study but he has also shown
an interest in learning more about To other students out there who
as we cover vast areas of the Cape
other plants in the Cape Floristic would like to participate in our activ-
Floristic Region when we do field-
Region. He is a very keen and ities, be it at university or job entry
work. Students can join the trips
that cover their area or species of promising student. CREW has level, send us an email so that we
interest. provided the platform for volunteers can add you to our mailing list for
across the country to pursue their notification of upcoming trips and
During last year’s spring season, passion for plants and for some, to other exciting CREW activities. You
we had the privilege of working further a career in plant monitoring. can also be a volunteer and enjoy
with Abubakar Bello from Nigeria, To everyone who has helped an amazing learning experience in
who is doing his PhD studies CREW to achieve these results, we the field! E-mail me at V.Zikishe@
through the University of Cape would like to emphasise that it is sanbi.org.za or my supervisor, Is-
Town, focusing on the genus not about what you got from us, but mail Ebrahim, at I.Ebrahim@sanbi.
Psoralea. Abubakar was introduced what you have put in that makes org.za. 7
CREW Bioblitz Project
Domitilla Raimondo, Ismail Ebrahim and Suvarna Parbhoo
C itizen Science projects in-
volve members of the public
in monitoring biodiversity. In
June 2012, SANBI launched the
iSpot online portal, a Virtual
Museum and Citizen Science
interface.
During the latter half of 2012, as
a result of funding received from
DST/NRF’s SAASTA (South African
Association for Science and Tech-
nology Advancement) Programme,
the CREW Programme initiated
the Bioblitz Project. The aim of the
project was to create awareness
of biodiversity through conducting
a series of Bioblitzes. During each
Bioblitz, experts and members of
the public worked together to sur- Community group from Rondevlei at one of the Cape Floristic Region’s Bioblitzes.
vey natural areas, seeking, identify-
ing and recording as many species
as possible in a single day. Photo-
graphs of a range of animals from
small creatures, like spiders and
butterflies, to beautiful birds and
rare plant species were taken and
loaded onto the iSpot portal. For
members of many rural communi-
ties, it was their first opportunity to
visit nature reserves and for some,
the first time using digital cameras
and the internet. The iSpot portal
is proving to be a highly effective
biodiversity monitoring tool. Twenty
Bioblitzes were conducted across
South Africa, with a particular focus
on rural areas that are biodiversity
hotspots e.g. Pondoland in the
Eastern Cape and the Bokkeveld
escarpment of the Northern Cape.
As of January 2013, almost 100
of the 2 200 users on the site are
CREW volunteers. Our volunteers
have made 9 100 observations,
18 480 agreements with others’
observations, 11 351 identifica-
tions and 5 231 comments to iSpot
Geoff Nichols and Ashley Nicholas with his students at the Umthamvuna Nature
users’ observations—with this Reserve Bioblitz.
number increasing every month.
Records on iSpot are being used to
conduct conservation assessments of public. In addition, a host of new total of 598 observations loaded
of species and these records are emerging invasive species has onto the iSpot website. Some of the
also fed into provincial conserva- been recorded.
tion plans. Species previously exciting discoveries included a new
thought to be extinct by scientists, In the Cape Floristic Region, nine monkey beetle at the Elandsberg
8 have been recorded by members Bioblitzes were conducted with a Nature Reserve and a new popu-
conservancies, both provincial
branches of the Botanical Society,
University of KwaZulu-Natal
(Pietermaritzburg campus) and
WESSA. The endangered Hilton
daisy (Gerbera aurantiaca) made
for a spectacular scene at the
Hilton college grassland while the
Near Threatened Brachystelma
modestum was a good find at the
Table Mountain environmental
area. Several observations of
frogs, birds and oribi were made
at the Bill Barnes Nature Reserve.
We also made several marine
observations at the Umhlanga
Lagoon Nature Reserve. Vernon
Crookes Nature Reserve, home to
a rare species of giant earthworm,
yielded a range extension of
The final Bioblitz at Table Mountain Nature Reserve where we were joined by a
Searsia rudatsii [Endangered].
member of SAASTA (Photographer: D. Scholtz).
The Bioblitz Project was great
fun and it gave us an opportunity
lation and range extension of the In KwaZulu-Natal, 10 Bioblitzes to engage new volunteers in the
highly threatened and cryptic Tri- were conducted with a total of project and visit some amazing
anoptiles solitaria at the Roman- 589 observations loaded onto sites. It was wonderful to
experience the interaction between
srivier Stewardship Reserve. This the iSpot website. Participants
various experts and citizen
species is only known from a hand- included representatives from scientists sharing their knowledge
ful of sites on the Cape Flats and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, eThekwini of, and passion for biodiversity with
this is an exceptionally good find. municipality, various KwaZulu-Natal each other.
Medicinal and Charm Plants of Pondoland
Domitilla Raimondo
O n 16 September 2012, the
Botanical Society and South
African National Biodiversity
region. Pondoland is recognised
by conservationists worldwide as
a biodiversity hotspot. The region
Institute launched the first ever is however under imminent threat
publication documenting the from the proposed expansion of a
use of plants by the amaMpondo large multi-lane national highway
people. and from opencast mining. The
Titled Medicinal and Charm amaMpondo people who live in this
Plants of Pondoland, the region have a rich culture, which
publication was launched at the includes extensive traditional and
Umthamvuna Nature Reserve, with medicinal use of local species,
conservationists, CREW volunteers particularly the plants. Many of the
and Pondoland herbalists amongst plant species that occur only in
the more than 100 people in this region are central to healing
attendance. practices and rituals that are
unique to the amaMpondo.
Pondoland is an undeveloped
wilderness area on the east coast As with many ancient healing
of South Africa, stretching between traditions, the amaMpondo have a
Port Edward and Port St Johns.
broad, holistic approach to health
It has over 2 500 plant species,
Sinegugu Zukulu, author of The Medici- care. Traditional amaMpondo
220 of which are endemic to the
nal and Charm plants of Pondoland. medicines and charms, called 9
amayeza, include many plants
used to treat a wide range of
illnesses as well as for cultural
and religious purposes, such
as ritual purification, protection
against witchcraft and religious
ceremonies. Whereas Western
health care is based on curing
physical symptoms, many
amaMpondo people attribute
disease and misfortune to
metaphysical powers, which can
be controlled with the correct use
of amayeza. For the amaMpondo,
misfortune and ill health are
caused by a breach of customs
and traditions or by supernatural
powers. Herbal remedies and
charms are used in rituals to
appease the ancestors, to protect
against evil forces and to remove
ritual impurity.
Medicinal and Charm Plants
of Pondoland describes sixty
amayeza plants and their uses,
based on information told to the
author, Sinegugu Zukulu, during
interviews conducted with four
herbalists, Ixhwele Mashona ‘Su-
Sinegugu Zukulu with the herbalists.
lamntwana’ Wetu Dlamini, Inyanga
Samson ‘Jakalas’ Gampe, Um-
numzana Sizwe ‘Mistoli’ Shezi and
Umnumzana Mpondombini ‘Six-
teen’ Danca.
The information on indigenous
plant use in Pondoland presented
in this book will be of relevance to
anyone interested in plants in the
region, but it is primarily aimed at
school pupils. Despite the interna-
tional fame of the Pondoland biodi-
versity hotspot, the majority of the
AmaMpondo people who live in this
region are not aware of their unique
natural heritage. In addition, the
knowledge of the particular plants
used in rituals and for healing is
typically held by the older genera-
tion. The youth of the region are
not learning from the elderly people
how biodiversity traditionally has
played a key role in their lives. This
knowledge is of prime importance
to ensure the long-term apprecia-
tion and therefore conservation of
these species.
Herbalist indicating medicinal properties of plants.
The Medicinal and Charm plants of
Pondoland has been produced and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the printing of 5 000 books. Books
published by SANBI with financial AVIS. The Botanical Society of are available from the Botanical
10 support from the Norwegian South Africa generously sponsored Society bookstores.CEPF/Botsoc Stewardship Project
Implementation of Biodiversity Stewardship by the Botanical Society of South Africa in eight botanically
significant sites in the Maputaland-Pondoland hotspot in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Isabel Johnson
W e are now into the second
year of the Critical Ecosys-
tems Partnership Fund Project
and CREW volunteers continue
to be of great assistance.
We have taken on two additional
sites—Highover in the Umkomaas
Valley, and Edgeware near Boston
in the Midlands. Both of these sites,
as well as Wingfield and Hlomohlo-
mo, were approved as qualifying for
Nature Reserve status by the BSP
Working Group in early February
this year.
Here are a few highlights. In mid-
November the CREW A-team vis-
ited Highover, which supports one
of the most important blue swallow
sites in KZN. This is a fantastic
property, stretching from the Um-
komaas River up Valley Bushveld
On top of the world at Highover (Photographer: I. Johnson).
clothed slopes and spectacular The Umgano Field Ranger training
cliffs to an area of mistbelt grass- continues and some of the rangers
land on the top. In spite of a small are becoming proficient at plant
problem with the BotSoc Mazda, identification. I knew we had made
we continued undaunted in Alison progress when on a recent walk
Lettenga’s bakkie. Some interest- through the grassland I asked what
ing finds were a very narrow-leafed family a purple daisy belonged
form of the endemic Searsia ru- to and was informed that it was
datisii (Vulnerable), a low growing Aster perfoliatus. They visited the
‘underground tree’ that superficially Bews Herbarium in July and saw
looks like a legume, but some fruit specimens that they had collected
and the characteristic ‘Rhus’ smell mounted on herbarium sheets. We
soon put us right! We also found have spent some time on an identi-
fication key, and they are now key-
Thunbergia venosa (Rare) and on
ing out Umgano forest trees with
a subsequent visit a new record
some proficiency, in spite of lan-
for Dioscorea brownii (Vulner-
guage difficulties (trying to explain
able). Boston CREW have been
a ‘quilted’ leaf was challenging).
very helpful with the Edgeware
Time and expertise given by Sally
and Bostonview sites. Dave Clulow
Johnson and Christina Curry have
was roped into helping with Veld been hugely appreciated.
Moses Hlongwana with his speci- Condition Assessments and Forb
men of Disperis fannini at the Bews Diversity plots, the latter ending in With the field season drawing to
Herbarium (Photographer: I. John- our getting very wet and dodging an end a great deal of paperwork
son). lightning strikes! awaits! 11A tribute to Rob Scott-Shaw
Isabel Johnson
T he unexpected and tragic
loss of Rob Scott-Shaw
has been a devastating blow to
botany and vegetation analysis
in KwaZulu-Natal and South
Africa.
Rob was incredibly supportive of
CREW and we will all miss him
enormously. He was involved with
CREW for many years, even before
CREW started in KwaZulu-Natal,
and he attended the Cape Floristic
Region volunteer workshop held
at De Hoop in 2006. Always ready
to give us advice on where to go
and what to look for, he was a key
figure in getting CREW KwaZulu-
Natal going. He organised and
joined us on field trips to Ithala,
Inhlazatshe and many other places.
Most recently, he met up with us
at Dumisa, spending a worthwhile
morning in the grassland at
Glenrosa where he found several
special species. He was fearless
in pursuit of interesting plants Rob Scott-Shaw with CREW volunteers at Umthamvuna Nature Reserve.
and there are many stories of
his disappearing over cliff edges
with no thought of safety. He also His pioneering book Rare and He was the curator and technician
drove his Condor (always full of threatened plants in KwaZulu-Natal of the Killick Herbarium at Queen
plant specimens in varying states (still a ‘botanical bible’ to many of Elizabeth Park.
of freshness) to places that most us).
He was a member of the CREW
drivers of robust 4×4 vehicles His huge input into the Red List of Advisory Forum, which met annu-
would avoid. South African plants. ally in Cape Town.
Rob attended almost all of the Rob was very unassuming
His vital contributions to the
CREW summer-rainfall volunteer and seldom criticised anyone.
vegetation mapping of KwaZulu-
workshops—from Mtunzini in 2008 This, coupled with his immense
Natal and South Africa as
to Umthamvuna in 2012—and gave knowledge, made him the valued
summarised in the VegMap
many inspiring talks. In particular,
publication by Mucina & Rutherford mentor that he was to so many
one vividly remembers his telling us
(2006). people. He also had a wonderfully
how to monitor our own ‘God’s bit
wicked sense of humour and was a
of nature’-grassland, which prompt- His very comprehensive database great party animal.
ed many CREW members to enjoy of KwaZulu-Natal grassland forb
the rewards of monitoring their own We will miss Rob enormously as
diversity and the effects of grazing
bit of turf. we spent a lot of time in the field
and fire (Rob possibly visited more
Rob was a vitally important figure grasslands and forests throughout with him and we had an ongoing
in KwaZulu-Natal botany. He will KwaZulu-Natal than anybody debate about Senecio erubescens
always be remembered for his else ever has, and collected huge varieties. I will never see one of
many contributions, which include, amounts of data on vegetation those infuriating plants or do a forb
amongst other: composition and condition for both diversity plot without remembering
grasslands and forests). Rob.
His M.Sc. work on the difficult
Acalypha peduncularis species His ground truth mapping of the Our sympathies to Maureen, Kate
12 complex. KwaZulu-Natal forests. and Bruce.Early Detection and Rapid Response:
Management of Invasive Alien Species and SANBI
Alex Marsh and Reshnee Lalla
S outh Africa has a long his-
tory of invasive alien species
management:
species, it is estimated that that the
negative economic impact of these
plants is R6.5 billion every year.
2013 will mark 100 years of bio- Many of the invasive species being
control implementation in South addressed by Working for Water
Africa. have been proliferating across
South Africa for decades and it is
The South Africa Plant Invader
Atlas (SAPIA) is 30 years old and thus no longer worthwhile to direct
represents 30 years of invasive efforts at their eradication. It is the
alien plant monitoring in South role of SANBI’s Invasive Species
Africa. SAPIA lists over 700 plants Programme to focus on invasive
as naturalised or invasive, of which alien species (IAS), which may be
238 species are listed under the feasible eradication targets.
draft regulations. In 2008 the programme started as
The Working for Water Pro- a partnership between SANBI and
gramme—which has been in exist- the Natural Resource Management
ence for 16 years—is recognised Directorate within the Environmen-
as the biggest plant management tal Programmes Branch of the De-
programme in the world. Its empha- partment of Environmental Affairs.
sis on poverty alleviation has en- The programme focuses its efforts
on IAS detection, risk assessment Invasive Species Programme KwaZulu-
couraged the programme’s growth Natal Coordinator, Reshnee Lalla.
and drawn international acclaim. and eradication planning. This is
Of the listed species, the Working a concerted and co-ordinated ef-
for Water Programme subjects 64 fort by research institutions, con-
cies. In the process, information is
taxa to regular control. These taxa, servation organisations and civil
gathered on these species in order
which are largely woody species, society across the country to limit
to ensure the best future manage-
have been prioritised because of widespread invasion of species that
ment nationally.
their effect on catchment areas and currently have limited distribution in
riparian zones. South Africa. The Invasive Species For more information about the
Programme administers funds to Early Detection and Rapid Re-
However, despite the billions of conduct eradication and manage- sponse Programme, please e-mail
rands spent on managing invasive ment of selected invasive alien spe- us at alienplants@sanbi.org.za.
Teams clearing invasive alien plants. 13Nieuwoudtville CREW
Donna Kotze and Estholene Moses (Indigo development & change)
A s Nieuwoudtville Biodiversi-
ty Facilitators, our aim is to
share knowledge about the envi-
ronment with the community.
Our Eco Club connects people
from diverse backgrounds, such
as scholars, farm workers and
residents of the community, and it
has become a place were children
feel safe and happy. We see every
day as a challenge and we are very
positive about the road ahead.
The Nieuwoudtville summer school
took place during the first week
of the December holidays. The
five-day programme of fun and en-
vironmental activities was hosted Team bioblitz.
by various facilitators and we even
had the CREW team here for one and international scientists for shar- University of KwaZulu-Natal). The
day! The week was focussed on ing their knowledge so generously! talk by Christopher Willis (SANBI)
learning and developing new skills, The most exciting part for the learn- on dragonflies and damselflies re-
involving learners from primary and ers was uploading their pictures ally captured our imagination. One
high schools. The highlight of the on iSpot and making a powerpoint of our partners who presents an
week was an endurance day hike in presentation of their key findings to Eco Talk each year is Dr Michael
the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve. the local audience. Kuhlman (National History Muse-
This was a real challenge for the um, London), who gave a stimulat-
learners but the smallest learner In collaboration with the Nieu- ing presentation on plant pollinator
was the champion walker of the woudtville Biodiversity Support interaction in the Cape. Dr Anton
day! Now we are all looking forward Group, we (Indigo development Pauw also presented a fascinating
to the winter school in June 2013. & change) hosted a range of Eco talk on pollination.
Talks presented by scientists from
Five Bioblitzes were hosted in the different countries. Talks covered We would like to thank all present-
Nieuwoudtville area—two in the a wide range of topics, such as the ers for sharing their insights with
Hantam National Botanical Garden interaction of Rediviva bees with the local and broader scientific
and three in the Avontuur conser- their Diascia host plants (by Hilke community. If you are interested
vation area. Different veld types Hollens, Munster University) and in giving a presentation in the Eco
were monitored and documented pollination by small mammals in Talk series, please contact Donna
in various areas of the Fynbos and South Africa (by Dr Petra Wester, Kotze at donna@indigo-dc.org.
Renosterveld, including a dedicat-
ed field trip to the special wetlands
of Avontuur, accompanied by hun-
dreds of hungry horseflies. Grade Linking Biodiversity Conservation
10 learners participated in three of
these events and not only enjoyed to Climate Change
being out in nature, but also had Bettina Koelle (Indigo development & change)
the opportunity to develop technical
skills, such as learning to work with
a digital camera, GPS and tablet.
Apart from exploring our special T he CREW team in Nieuwoudt-
ville is involved in facilitat-
ing quarterly workshops with
environmental monitoring. These
workshops are usually offered for
biodiversity, this exercise facilitated adults only but a few months ago,
small-scale farmers to support we were approached by a group
interaction and the exchange of
effective adaptation to climate of children to explore the option of
knowledge between participants,
variability and change. having a parallel workshop for chil-
ranging from local farmers to sci-
entists from further afield. A special This involves some action re- dren, based on the argument that
14 thanks goes to all South African search processes focussed on they are the ones who will haveto deal with the results of climate
change one day.
In a learning exercise, facilitated
by Dr Ute Schmiedel (University of
Hamburg), the children explored
the different types of plant leaves
and how they store water as an
adaptation to drought. They tested
the water contents by pressing
the leaves and experimented
with drying leaves in the sun. The
learners then shared their findings
with the adults, who were delighted
to hear about the results the young
scientists had to share.
Engaging young persons in citizen
science is important—and there
are many opportunities to do so.
If you would like to know more
about the Climate Change
Preparedness workshops, you can
contact Bettina at Bettina@indigo-
dc.org. Dr Ute Schmiedel facilitating an exercise.
Jacobsbaai/Weskus CREW
Koos Claasens
D
jaar.
ie afgelope blomseisoen was
die mooiste die afgelope 20
Dit was regtig besonders mooi om
te sien hoe die struike, die een
spesie na die ander, in die blom
kom en elkeen meer blomme het
en ‘n langer blomperiode as vorige
jare. Wanneer dit by bolplante kom
lyk dit nie of dieselfde altyd geld
nie. Moraea hainebachiana het ‘n
redelike konstante blomtyd (14–30
Augustus) en minder blomme as
dit ‘n droë jaar is en vanjaar het dit
twee keer langer geblom (7 Augus-
tus–10 September). Aan die ander
kant het ek gedink dat ons dalk
meer van Bulbinella calcicola sou Polygala umbellata.
kry as gevolg van die goeie reën, The only know population of the Criti-
maar net ongeveer 10% van die cally Endangered Moraea loubseri.
plante het geblom. Brunsvigia bos- pie, Olifantskop, naby Langebaan
maniae blom konstant vir jare al, ontdek en dit word as die mees
maar daar is heelwat meer blomme bedreigde knolplant in Suid-Afrika besoek en ongeveer 200 plante in
na ‘n baie droë jaar. beskou. Op ‘n stadium is daar ge- blom gekry. Sedert 1982 het hier-
dink dat die plant in die natuur uit- die plante egter verdwyn en is daar
Moraea loubseri is in 1973 deur gewis is, maar Johan Loubser het by twee geleenthede, in 1995 en
Johan Loubser op ‘n granietkop- die oorspronklike terrein in 1982 2002, minder as vyf plante gevind. 15In 2011 het Rupert Koopman weer tussen Saldanha en Langebaan te plants which extended well into
twee plante gevind. In 2012 het ons besoek om onder andere die October. The specimen table at the
die terrein baie gereeld besoek, Polhillia spesie (Data Deficient), Wildflower Show was the best in a
aangesien dit amper onmoontlik is wat lank gelede daar versamel is, long time as we found numerous
om die plant sonder blom te kry en op te spoor. Sover was ons pogings new specimens not seen at that
‘n blom hou net drie dae. Ons nog onsuksesvol, maar die belo- time before, due to the wonderful
moeite is beloon en 14 plante is ning om in interessante veld rond rains. Our walks at Tienie Versfeld
gekry wat ten minste ses saadkap- Reserve are always successful
te loop maak op daarvoor. Met ‘n
sules gemaak het. Die beloning is because the soil is damp, even in
besoek aan Cape Columbine het
een van die weinige foto’s van M. summer, and there is incredible
loubseri in die natuur. ons Polygala umbellata gekry wat
bulb diversity.
die eerste aangetekende populasie
Daar is gepoog om meer eien- daarvan in Saldanha kalksteen We had the privilege of joining
domme wat nog natuurlike veld het strandveld is. Jacques van der Merwe at Bur-
ghers Post to see the Hessea cin-
namomea (Endangered) as well as
Babiana villosula (Near threatened)
in flower in June. It was a highlight
Report from the CREW group at for all of us to see what he and his
team had achieved towards con-
Darling and Yzerfontein serving large parts of the farm and
controlling the alien trees.
Heleen Preston Our walks within and around
Yzerfontein proved very popular.
O ur groups have changed fo-
cus over the last two years,
incorporating the areas around
caerulea (Critically Endangered),
Gladiolus griseus (Critically Endan-
gered) and many more are doing
Members’ enthusiasm increased
as the season progressed and they
could identify plants from the field
the Langebaan Lagoon into our well. Our Babiana pygmaea colony guides. This has also led to more
monitoring space. We have fo- on Oude Post Farm seems to like members joining the Wildflower
cused on having more walks for being trampled by cattle during the Society. A favourite outing is along
members of the three communi- long dry summer, or maybe there the calcrete ridges on the common-
ties, which proved very popular. has been enough rain at the right age within the town to see the Ag-
time, as the population increases athosma thymifolia against the cliff.
We continue to monitor the special in size and number each year. We walked along the Bokbaaivygie
species around Darling and None of the special species in the trail in early September and were
Yzerfontein. The Babiana pyg- Tienie Versfeld Reserve seems overwhelmed by the spectacular
maea (Critically Endangered), to mind being grazed from time to display of Dorotheanthus clavatus
Geissorhiza darlingensis (Critically time. This year there was again a (Endangered) and Spiloxene cana-
Endangered), Lachenalia purpurea- spectacular display of flowering liculata (Endangered) growing in
profusion among the restios in the
damp soil. This coastal Strandveld
trail on private land is only open
to the public during September
The critically endangered Moraea
16 Learning in the field at Langebaan. loubserii.and is well worth a visit. We were within the Postberg Reserve on the serii (Critically Endangered) plants
unsuccessful in finding Gladiolus opposite side of the lagoon. Stru- where there was only one plant the
quadrangulus (Endangered) which maria chaplinii (Endangered) and year before. Two weeks later, my
we found there three years ago but Gladiolus caeruleus (Near Threat- husband and I found even more
we found them on Baarhuis Farm ened) also seem to like the cooler plants. This site will be monitored
a few kilometres north within the cliffs. I had the priviledge of joining in future. Safety, however, is a con-
same veld type. We found about the Jacobsbaai Group for some of cern as there is no access control
50 Gladiolus griseus growing not their outings and saw new plants around the quarry and illegal dump-
10 metres from the lagoon edge, like Lachenalia viridiflora (Criti- ing and quad-bikes are a problem.
wedged between granite and cal- cally Endangered) on the rocks
crete in deep sand! At the same at St Helena Bay. Koos Claasens We look forward to another exciting
site we also found Ixia purpureoro- and I visited the site at Olifantskop year and thank the CREW team at
sea (Endangered), known only from and found several Moraea loub- Kirstenbosch for their support.
Friends of Tygerberg Hills (FOTH)
Hedi Stummer
O ur main focus in 2012 was
on the Dassenberg cor-
ridor. Working closely with the
Cape Town Biodiversity Stew-
ardship officers, Ulrike Irlich
and Andre Rossouw, we visited
Dassenberg Farm, Kanonkop,
McGregor’s Farm (another popu-
lation of Cephalophyllum parvi-
florum, Critically Endangered),
Touchwood, Nirvana, Franco’s
Farm, Tydstroom, the Koeberg
plot, Brakkefontein and Papekuil
Outspan.
We noted that although the sites
were quite close to each other,
the plant species lists were quite
different.
The highlight of the year was FOTH CREWites.
discovering Planea schlechteri
(Critically Endangered) at Briers
Erepsia patula (Vulnerable),
Louw Nature Reserve in early
Athanasia capitata (Endangered),
February. Norwegian scientist,
Aspalathus recurva (Vulnerable),
Prof. Per Ola Karis, who described
Moraea villosa (Vulnerable) and
the plant from pressed specimens,
Watsonia strictiflora (Critically
came to visit in November to see
Endangered).
the live plants in the veld. We
counted over 50 plants in March
Three visits were made to RDM
and we plan to monitor these plants
Renosterveld Conservancy in the
in the future and check sites in the
Elandsberg near Wellington. This
vicinity.
site of 2 500 ha was burnt in the
veld fire that swept through Bains
Hercules Pilaar had a runaway fire
Kloof and beyond in January Our find of the season, the Critically
early in the year and provided an Endangered Planea schlechteri.
2012. We found many Red
ideal opportunity to monitor the
Listed species, including Moraea
post-fire vegetation. We added
angulata (Critically Endangered), secunda (Critically Endangered).
about 100 species to the existing
Pelargonium chelidonium Game is currently grazing on the
plant list, special species being
(Endangered), Serruria candicans property and this may affect the
Aristea lugens (Endangered),
(Endangered) and fields of Babiana vegetation. 17Prof. Ola Karis looking at the Planea schlechteri population.
Our inability to access a Cape Flats permission from Eskom to moni-
sand Fynbos site (namely 6BOD tor the vegetation. Last year the
or Fort iKapa as it is know today) site was brush cut and then had
has been of some concern. The a controlled fire rather late in the
City now has some control over season. We found another popula-
the management of the vegetation tion of Aspalathus retroflexa subsp.
and Andre Rossouw made it pos- bicolor (Critically Endangered) as
Watsonia strictiflora found at Hercules
sible for us to resume our monitor- well as very healthy populations of Pilaar.
ing. Although the site looks more Diastella proteoides and Serruria
disturbed than before and has aemula, both Criticaly Endangered.
been neglected (we could not find Despite missing outings because
Diastella proteoides [Critically En- of wet weather, we were fortunate as the CREW programme. This
dangered] and only a few Serruria in finding a viable population of makes it all worthwhile!
aemula [Critically Endangered]), Lachenalia liliflora (Endangered) (a
we did find another population of form of L. pallida) at De Grendel. We greatly appreciate the financial
Aspalathus retroflexa subsp. bicolor donation for petrol from the Friends
(Critically Endangered). The good We are proud that we could con- of Tygerberg Hills and the support
news is that the site is now being tribute to the fact that landowners from Penny Glanville at the Tyger-
cleared of the Port Jacksons and are now more aware of the value of berg Nature Reserve, the members
we can return to check the vegeta- their vegetation through our inter- of the FOTH CREW team, CREW
tion on a regular basis. est and enthusiasm. We also find at SANBI, the scientists at the
it very rewarding to have our infor- Compton Herbarium and the City
Another concern is the Plattekloof mation used by the City of Cape of Cape Town, who invite us to all
Heritage site. We have not received Town’s Biodiversity Branch as well these interesting places.
CREW Hottentots Holland Branch
Cecilia Wolmarans
D uring the winter months
of 2012, the group joined
Zikhona Mdlalase on Vergelegen
and Disperis capensis. The flow-
ers were out in abundance so we
In September we visited the Verge-
noegd Farm, situated right next to
had to tread carefully. A study was the N2 on the way to Stellenbosch.
Estate to help her with one of done in the veld to determine the From a distance the farm seemed
her botanical projects. differences between Lobostemon overgrown with aliens but amongst
In August we returned for a full hottentoticus (Endangered) and L. the grasses we found species like
day of exploration and found two fruticosus, both occurring in this Triglochin bulbosa. Highlights were
18 small orchid species, Disa obliqua area. Muraltia macropetala (Vulnerable),Disa obliqua.
One of the highlights of the year
was definitely our outing to the
Kogelbay area, joined by the Ko-
The team at Suikerbossie. gelberg CREW Group. The area
was recently burned and with no
Pterygodium catholicum hidden We also explored a piece of wet- existing plant lists, we were able to
in the renosterbos, and Corycium land on the Elsenburg Farm near identify more than 100 species. We
orobanchoides. On the same day Stellenbosch. The area is sur- found a variety of grasses as well
we also visited Harmony Flats. rounded by farmlands, mainly vine- as species such as Pelargonium
Some of our members had not yards, and is a refuge for avifauna. incarnatum, Dilatris pillansii, Leuca-
been there before and it was won- This was an ideal opportunity to dendron xanthoconus, Mimetes cu-
derful to see the delight on their get to know the grass species as cullatus and Protea nitida, to name
faces as the veld revealed its treas- well as interesting plants such as a few. We definitely want to make
ures. We also participated in the Orobanche ramosa and the colour- a return trip to this diverse area, as
Bioblitz on Harmony Flats but the ful Watsonia meriana. there is much more to explore.
weather did not cooperate that day!
One of the highlights of our Octo-
Swellendam and
ber trip to Schapenberg was find-
ing the small Wurmbea marginata.
Unfortunately, the flowering time of
News from
Lachenalia liliflora (a form of
L. pallida) was over but there was
an abundance of Babiana angusti-
Barrydale CREW
folia (Near Threatened), some with Flora Cameron
red markings and some without.
We were asked to compile a plant
species list for the farm Suikerbos-
I n 2012, the shrinking popu-
lation of Polhillia brevicalyx
(Critically Endangered) was
The highlight of the year was the
formation of the Overberg Low-
lands Conservation Trust, the reali-
sie, situated between Sir Lowry’s
increased by the discovery of sation of the dream of a previous
Pass and Gordons Bay. Despite
being geographically close to another 10 plants. CREW champion, Christi Kloppers.
Schapenberg, there was consider- Odette Curtis has taken up the The launch was attended by land-
able species variation, mainly be- case of Polhillia in the Lower owners, SANParks management,
cause of differences in geology. At Breede River Renosterveld and CapeNature managers, the Mayor
Suikerbossie we were able to ex- together with Charles Stirton, has of Swellendam (the municipal area
amine Amellus asteroides, Harveya discovered a new species (P. cur- includes Cape Infanta, Malgas,
purpurea and Spiloxene aquatica. tisae) to add to the original list of P. Stormsvlei, Suurbraak and Barry-
We were also able to compare pallens, P. canescens (Vulnerable) dale), all sharing a common interest
Berkheya barbata with Berkheya and P. connata (Critically Endan- in conserving the renosterveld. The
herbacea. This piece of land is gered). A management plan has
privately owned and the owner’s chairperson is the owner of Voor-
been worked out and the conser-
involvement in the land stewardship vation of the two populations has stekop (Uitvlught), one of the first
programme is gratifying. been secured. farms we surveyed. 19You can also read
