Jennifer Fill

Jennifer Fill

Dec 04, 2016

Group 6 Copy 72
1

Rolling out Results

It has been a bit of a hiatus here from the writing, but not from the working!

I'm extremely pleased to announce that we have published our second article on invasive alien plant clearing in the Western Cape.  Specifically... in the Berg River!  (The article is free for a limited time, so click on the hyperlink to download a pdf  :-)  

Similarly to our previous paper, we emphasize that Working for Water's current approach to clearing invasive alien plants needs to be re-evaluated and likely overhauled.  Despite 13 years of investment in clearing the Berg River watershed, pines are still all over the place and the fynbos hasn't fully recovered.  The reasons for this include lack of specific objectives, uncoordination among agencies, a short-term funding model, and inefficient techniques. 

Berg River

This is not a trivial issue.  We have two more papers that are nearly ready to submit for publication.  One is our assessment of the last 20 years of alien plant control in the Kruger National Park (although this effort has actually been around for much longer).  The main problem plants are cacti, water weeds, and some terrestrial weedy species that produce tons of seed, spread rapidly, and form dense thickets.  Turns out that it is really difficult to assess exactly how well control has succeeded, because the planning, funding sources, and control methods are not well documented or prioritized.  

Sunset Dam, Kruger National Park. This dam used to be covered in water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)

Our other paper involves an effort to remove bass (which are alien fish here) and invasive plants from a mountain river.  Again, similar findings apply.  

Rondegat River. Photo by Suzaan Kritzinger-Klopper

We can only expect to restore these ecosystems, and keep them that way, if we prioritize, set realistic objectives, and follow through with them to ensure long-term viability.

I am sure South Africa is not alone in this situation.

In other news, yes, I am still volunteering with the Volunteer Wildfire Services!   Despite the fact that fires are necessary for fynbos, the extreme increase in frequency mainly due to arson fires is not good for long-lived seeding species like Proteas.  

After our shift on the Botmanskop fire, November 2016

1 comments

Join the conversation!Sign In

About This Project

Tiny, cryptic moss frogs inhabit remote mountain seepages in South Africa's fiery fynbos biome. Non-native, invasive pine trees threaten this biodiversity hotspot, but restoration efforts are underway. In this project we will compare methods and outcomes of mountain fynbos restoration projects to answer the question: How do invasive pine removal strategies affect moss frog populations and effectively restore fynbos?

Blast off!

Browse Other Projects on Experiment

Related Projects

Wormfree World - Finding New Cures

Hookworms affect the lives of more than 400,000,000 men, women and children around the world. The most effective...

Viral Causes of Lung Cancer

We have special access to blood specimens collected from more than 9,000 cancer free people. These individuals...

Cannibalism in Giant Tyrannosaurs

This is the key question we hope to answer with this study. This project is to fund research into a skull...

Backer Badge Funded

Add a comment