GEORGE NEWS - In February, academics from Nelson Mandela and Stellenbosch universities co-hosted a workshop with experts in the field of invasive alien plants to share thoughts and experiences on the impact these plants have and possible solutions when dealing with them on a large scale.
"It is quite clear that invasive alien plants remain one of the biggest risk factors facing the Southern Cape in terms of severe wildfire disasters, damaging floods, water security as well as loss of biodiversity," says Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (Gref).
"Dr Romain Pirard who holds a PhD in Environmental Economics from Université Lyon presented at the workshop. Pirard is seconded to the School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University which, as part of the South Africa–France scientific co-operation, develops research on the economics of land use for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and he provided some leading answers to the question:
"Can value-added industries support the control of invasive trees in South Africa and beyond?"
Meiring added that, because of its favourable climate and the fact that it is a high rainfall area, the Southern Cape is a hotspot for a host of invasive alien plants (IAPs) and trees, and more species are becoming visible as they spread over the landscape.
Pampas grass, that was introduced as a garden plant in this region in the last fifteen to twenty years, is a prime example of an alien invasive plant (there are many more) that is now firmly established throughout the Garden Route landscape, especially in river beds and seep-lines where conditions are ideal for seeds travelling in the wind, and the spread is prolific.
"Due to costs associated with eradicating and controlling invasive alien plants in general, landowners and land managers are constantly looking for options to mitigate the expense of dealing with IAPs, which include options in the clean energy sector, soil enrichment as well as bio-char and stock feed mixes. Invasive trees such as pine, wattle and eucalyptus make for fine timber, but finding suitable trees in large quantities is not sustainable, and difficult to come by and harvest before they can reach sawmills.
"Supply is also finite throughout the region as there are no structured replanting or harvesting regimes in place.
"The charcoal and firewood industry in South Africa and Namibia is a multi-million rand industry, but as demand grows, those in the industry have to reach further and further away from the market to source sufficient supplies. The Southern Cape and Overberg have large areas covered by rooikrans, Port Jackson, wattle and pine and that is where large-scale harvesting is currently taking place.
"Despite the potentially viable option to clear the land of unwanted plants and trees by selling the biomass to contractors looking for firewood, some landowners who allow harvesting entities access to their land often complain that harvesting contractors cause more harm than good when working with invasive species on their land.
"This can lead to aggressive regrowth when there is no methodology applied, and increased wildfire risk from dry debris left behind provides an exponentially high volume of fuel load for wildfires."
Nevertheless, the search for solutions for the viable use of large volumes of biomass that can be harvested from landscapes badly affected by IAPs must continue, and Pirard will be delivering a presentation on the topic at the Gref Climate Change and Environmental Management Indaba to be hosted at Nelson Mandela University on 29 June.
The Gref 2023 Indaba theme is "Creating climate-smart, resilient landscapes in the Southern Cape".
Gref is a public platform and climate change think tank for all those in the Southern Cape involved in active and ongoing conservation and environmental management efforts to meet up, interact and showcase what they are busy with and what they are doing in terms of planning ahead.
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