GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Rural properties affected by the severe 2017 fires are now being overgrown by vigorous invasive alien plant regrowth.
This became apparent at recent community engagement and field verification processes conducted in the Knysna, Rheenendal and Plettenberg Bay areas.
According to Cobus Meiring of the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI), landowners in the Knysna burn scar are overwhelmed by the aggressive invasive alien plant regrowth.
"Although several landowners are doing what they can to save their land from becoming jungles of invasive alien plants, there are many areas where, already, the amount of work required to suppress and control regrowth will exceed available resources," says Meiring.
Several affected conservancies, private landowners, and commercial (land management) entities have already initiated efforts to suppress and control the aggressive bounceback of invasive alien plants.
Although alien regrowth was not unexpected, landowners in Brenton-on-Lake, Rheenendal, Featherbed and Brenton-on-Sea were surprised at the aggression with which Black Wattle, Port Jackson, Rooikrans, and Blackwood is covering land previously regarded as pristine (with only indigenous plants present).
Land management risk
According to Meiring, absentee landowners who own large properties in the Garden Route pose a major headache to neighbouring landowners, as their unattended land becomes infested with severe invasive alien plant growth.
Landowners and land managers adjacent to such unattended land are facing an uphill battle.
Despite efforts to clear their own land, bordering properties that become overrun by invasive alien plants increasingly pose a severe fire risk, and constitute an endless source of invasive alien plant seed.
There may be light in the tunnel for concerned landowners however, as authorities intend to enforce the relevant legislation (such as the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 (Nemba) and the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act 43 of 1983 (Cara)), strongly encouraging owners of land in the Garden Route to increase efforts to comply.
According to authorities, landowners refusing to address the invasive alien regrowth situation will be served with directives by the Green Scorpions, which, if ignored, will lead to substantial penalties.
SCLI is a public platform for landowners and land managers with an interest in the control and eradication of invasive alien plants. Read more on http://www.scli.org.za.
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