GEORGE NEWS - Staff and students of NMMU’s George campus at Saasveld have declared war on alien invasive plants, adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards the threat on campus and the immediate surrounding ares.

In the spirit of the recent Green Campus Awareness Week, staff and students demonstrated their commitment to the environment by actively participating in a week-long programme to clear the area of invasive alien plants.
The ‘physical attack’ was followed by the controlled release of biological agents to control the spread of invasive species.

"The Southern Cape is infected with alien plants and this has a negative impact on the region’s economy, biodiversity, already highly stressed water supply as well as the region’s aesthetic va-lue," said Dr Jos Louw, director of the School of Natural Resource Management at the campus.

As part of the recent successful Green Campus Awareness Week the campus and its two entrance routes (one from George and the other from Wilderness Heights) were divided into five zones with each zone cleared of all invasive plants on a specific day.

This was a team effort between NMMU, the Working for Water group and Eden district municipality who donated the chemicals used to prevent regrowth.

According to Louw the action plan focused on the major invasive species - Black Wattle, Blackwood, Pine and Blue Gum trees.

On the fifth day biological control agents were released to aid the control of alien plants. The Acacia seed weevils eat the seed of the alien Australian Acacia species, which include Black Wattle and Blackwood.

Louw said the control of alien vegetation requires a well-managed and scientific approach. He added that the entire operation served as an important awareness campaign among staff and students of the campus. The process will be repeated early next year.

For more information on how to manage the threat of invasive alien plants, contact Dr Louw at the School of Natural Resource Management at NMMU George on 044 801 5111.


Etienne Janse van Rensburg (left) and Jared Weinzierl (right), agricultural management students, hard at work.