Cape Town - The Friends of the Liesbeek (FoL), supported by the City, will soon begin a community-led seasonal wetland and indigenous plant reintroduction project along the Liesbeek River in Observatory.
The first phase of the project involves mechanical scraping of the site, which may commence later this week or next week.
The project will see the reintroduction of at least 26 different locally indigenous and appropriate wetland fynbos species into the floodplain connected to the Liesbeek River and within the Two Rivers Urban Park just north of the N2 and Liesbeek Parkway intersection.
The City is assisting with the mechanical clearing of the site by providing a front-end loader and a scraper to clear invasive kikuyu grass. This will be followed by some foliar spraying to control the spread of the kikuyu grass, then the site will be planted with indigenous species.
FoL chairperson Nicholas Fordyce said: “We’ve been quite deliberate in compiling a plant list that is locally appropriate and well suited to the specific site characteristics, including considerations of soil type, water availability and sun exposure.
“Many of the chosen species will also be beneficial to insects and birds in particular, and to certain mammalian species, particularly rodents … We have avoided very tall species as we feel visibility is important for safety.”
The major contributing factor behind the depletion of these locally indigenous wetland fynbos species in the city is urbanisation.
Fordyce said a whole ecotype, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, was critically endangered because of this and was now confined to only a few spots, most notably at Kenilworth Race Course, Rondebosch Common and the False Bay Nature Reserve.
Another factor behind the depletion was the spread of invasive species.
Alex Lansdowne, the deputy chairperson of the mayoral advisory committee on water quality in wetlands and waterways, said: “All restoration projects add immense conservation value as the national conservation target for this vegetation type (Cape Flats Sand Fynbos) is 30%, but only 15% remains and 1% is statutorily conserved. That 30% target is unattainable without restoration.”
The project has been made possible because of funding from the Cape Bird Club, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary and has chosen to support a number of ecological initiatives it feels will support the city’s bird life, as well as the Khula Cape Foundation.
Cape Bird Club committee member Jane Doherty said: “The Liesbeek River is a critical corridor for the movement of birds within our city and seasonal wetlands provide essential habitat for both resident and migratory species. We are delighted to be able to support FoL with this strategic project.”