Our conservation student, Emma Prain, has compiled an impressive species list that is invaluable to understanding and documenting the range of species in our area. This list is a work in progress and we welcome feedback and comment on it. Thank you, Emma, for all the hard work.
We are aware that species lists can be misused so we would like this to be mainly available to our landowners who have access to the password. However, if you are a local expert or interested visitor and would like access to the list to give feedback or use while you are in the area, please drop an email to info@gvbconservancy.co.za with your contact details and reason why you would like access and someone will get back to you.
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Hidden in our indigenous forest is a recently discovered species of dwarf chameleon. At this very moment Prof. Krystal Tolley, a Research Leader at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), is working hard to name this very elusive reptile. In the 1980s an employee from CapeNature’s scientific services found two chameleons in the Grootvadersbosch forest, they were collected and preserved at the South African Museum. After this initial sighting, no chameleons were spotted again. Previously scientists thought that the population in the Grootvadersbosch forest may be an isolated population of Knysna dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion damaranum), as they suspect that millions of years ago the Grootvadersbosch forest was connected to the Knysna forest. In around 2003, Krystal received a phone call from the manager of the Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve informing her that they had found a dead chameleon. Krystal traveled straight here to collect it. DNA sequencing on this specimen established that the species in our forest is a separate species to the Knysna Dwarf chameleon. Krystal has worked hard trying to describe and name the Grootvadersbosch chameleon. A big issue she has encountered is not finding enough specimens. The dead specimen collected in 2003 was partly decomposed making it difficult to use. They also had no morphological data on the species. She explained that you need to have several specimens to describe a species, so you can deduct a baseline of the range of features that represent the species. You also need a range of data such as measurements, photos and back in the day, drawings. She continued visiting the forest every year 3 years to try and locate the chameleons, with no luck. Finally, two years ago Alouise and Keir Lynch from Bionerds collected samples for her. The extra samples showed for sure that our species is a separate species to the Knysna dwarf chameleon. In October, we spent the week helping her find chameleons. We collected data from their habitat and ran non invasive experiments. Currently she has a big team working to understand the adaptations of different species of dwarf chameleons in fynbos and forest biomes. The team has deduced that the fynbos biome has very thin vertical perches, with an average perch size of around 1mm in circumference. In forests, the perches are either horizontal or vertical and are much wider, ranging between 3mm and 4mm. The chameleons have adapted to walk on these perches, with forest chameleons potentially having bigger hands, their appendages might be different lengths or their gaits differ. To understand this, we carefully made the chameleons run across vertical and horizontal dowel rods of differing thickness. Her team of scientists are interested in their adaptions and have many unanswered questions that they are still investigating. Our chameleons were not initially going to be included in the study because she feared she would not find enough of them. However, since we did find some during her last visit, she decided to incorporate them into the study. Her team has found that the closest relative to the Knysna dwarf chameleon is a species of undescribed dwarf chameleon that they have nicknamed the Beardless dwarf chameleon, found in the fynbos biome adjacent to the Knysna forest. According to Krystal, the Grootvadersbosch chameleon belongs to the same group as the Knysna dwarf chameleon, though through a distant relation. Hopefully our chameleon will soon have its own official name! Jonathan Barry, son of the late Henri Barry, was born in Swellendam and grew up on Lismore farm in the Grootvadersbosch Valley. He went to school in Swellendam and then completed 5 years of degrees and diplomas in the Information Technology field. He moved to England for work and then returned to Cape Town. In 2017, he got married and moved back to Lismore farm. Jonathan and Henri had been growing the business ever since. Jonathan Barry was recently selected to be on the board of directors for the Sentraal-Suid Co-operative (SSK). Jonathan was honoured to have been nominated and then chosen for a position. He was one of four nominees that were competing for three available seats on the board of directors. Members of the SSK were given the chance to vote on a poll that was open for 48hrs. Jonathan feels very honoured to have been selected for this position, he explained that the other nominees were amazing people, leaders and very capable in their work. He feels that he is a part of the farming community. He says he now must ensure that he does not let SSK down. He hopes to continue the great work that the board has done. The Grootvadersbosch Conservancy congratulates him and is very proud to have a member in such a prestigious position! Jonathan and Henri worked together to create a conservation conscious farm. Clearing aliens is a task that is especially important, and they have worked hard to eliminate them. The farm is 2600 hectares and 1100 hectares of that is mountainous area. Their large area of natural territory has encouraged their alien clearing efforts. As with many members, the biggest frustration is the speed at which clearing takes place, due to government red tape, but this has not hindered his attempts at clearing. Jonathan especially wants people to understand that alien plants affect the entire community. More aliens mean less water for our homes. He wants everyone to understand this and try their best to eliminate them.
In the last 10 years, the farm has tried to reduce fertilizers and chemicals. They have done this successfully and have reduced their Glyphosate load by 50%, which is quite incredible. They also purchase soil microorganisms for their fields to increase the soil’s health. He explained that to be truly organic or completely bio-friendly would be impossible, there are too many people that need to be fed and farms would not be able to keep up with the demand. They have a no-till approach to minimise disturbance on the soil. He explained that if you keep the soil healthy, it will do what you need it to do. He described the issue in communication between the outside world and farmers. Jonathan has the feeling that the outside world does not understand what is going on in agriculture and are often too quick to judge. Jonathan stated that a lot of what they do on the farm is because of his father, Henri Barry. He explained that Henri had a massive passion for the environment and the people in the valley. Henri made sure that his business was transparent so that his children could learn and understand how the farm operated, they were given great responsibly. When Henri passed away, the farm continued the same, nothing really changed because he had involved them so much in its day-to-day running. Finally, he explained that the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy is a role model conservancy, and the work it does is amazing. John, Henri, and everyone else who pioneered it, worked hard to make it what it is today. We are combining our approach to alien clearing in the high mountain areas with the release of biocontrol agents. Biocontrol makes use of an invasive plant's naturally occurring enemies to reduce the invasive impact of the species. The approach reunites weeds with their naturally occuring enemies, thereby achieving more sustainable weed control. Biological control is best combined with other mechanisms (mechanical and chemical) to achieve a multi-pronged approach. We are specifically concerned with the prevalence of silky hakea in the upper mountain areas. In October 2020, we received training on the applicability of different biological control on silky hakea. The training was completed by Dr Wood from the Agricultural Research Institute. We have now ordered the appropriate hakea fungus which will assist with control across the conservancy. Information on some of the different control agents is available here.
For the 2020 AGM, we are pleased to have guests who will discuss the Biodiversity Stewardship programme and associated tax incentives for landowners that formally commit to these agreements. The speaker will explain these different levels and incentives and the associated documents are available in advance or can be download after the AGM. In 2003, CapeNature created the Biodiversity Stewardship programme. This incentive was established to help landowners preserve and protect biodiversity on private land. CapeNature recognised that most of the province’s biodiversity is confined to private lands. The programme was designed to assist landowners who are committed to conservation on private land. A summary of these different levels can be found here. Fiscal TAx benefitsBirdlife launched the Fiscal Benefits Project to lobby SARS to revise aspects of tax legislation to assist landowners who commit to stewardship agreements and to engage with SARS on how these tax measures would be realized. The legislation has been in place since 2003 but there had been limited focus on how to claim these benefits. The incentive rewards landowners for their conservation commitment on private land. The incentives are only applicable for formally declared areas. Landowners can deduct the value of their protected land from their taxable income, thus reducing the tax owed. This tax incentive is globally unique and its successful inclusion in a tax return creates the first ever tangible, fiscal benefit as a reward for landscape level conservation. These benefits will be discussed and explained at the 2020 AGM but include:
Below is a link to the available files that further details these benefits.
Mirtelize Kreuiter is a passionate entrepreneur on a mission to make her mark in the agricultural world. She is currently making significant changes at the Fleckvieh Guestfarm in our conservancy, while expanding her new self-founded business, Live.Stock. Mirtelize grew up in Malmesbury, where she gained exposure to agriculture through her father, who was already in the industry. From a young age, she knew that she had to follow her passion. She recalls writing a letter to her mom at the age of six, where she apologetically explained that when she was older, she was going to work with animals. From there on her path was set. While at school, she worked at various farms and subsequently studied animal sciences at Stellenbosch University. She then travelled to America to complete her honours at an Angus beef ranch. Fast forward a few years and she now manages the Fleckvieh Guestfarm, while running her business -Live.Stock. Live.stock assists dairy, beef, and sheep farmers with routine checks, classifications, the building of herds through livestock trading and the insemination of cattle. Live.Stock has presented her with an opportunity to grow in a male-dominated profession. She feels the agricultural industry is restricting for women and often presents an environment where big decisions are left to men. Armed with her fiery passion and determination, she has created her own business, providing her with a space to practice her own knowledge and take charge. At Fleckvieh Guestfarm, she is making several changes and has some exciting plans. Firstly, she plans to promote the brand Fleckvieh as she believes the breed is incredibly special. She is attempting to start fresh milk and meat sales from the farm and is also working to build up their Simmental herd with a stud that has been deregistered for sometime. She explained that the stud, Kykso, a Simmental owned by Thys Swart, used to be internationally known. In previous years they exported embryos to Australia, Canada, Europe, and America. She plans to go to shows with him and build up his reputation. Secondly, in the dairy sector, she has adapted the milking practices on the farm in several ways, including balancing more milking with resting. This has allowed for more calving, which has built up the size of the herd. Her changes began at the start of the year and great progress has already been made. In the future, she plans to build new calf houses and improve grazing camps and irrigation. Mirtelize Kreuiter is a hard-working farmer, making great strides in a male-dominated profession. She is passionate about always ensuring her livestock are happy, healthy, and cared for. We wish her all the best in her business endeavours and the running of Fleckvieh. All the images below were taken by Jacques Marais as part of the Silver Mountain Music Festival. Boere voorsien noodsaaklike voedsel vir ons groeiende bevolking en vorm ook 'n belangrike deel van ons ekonomie, veral in landelike gebiede. Net soos by alle ekonomiese aktiwiteite, is daar 'n omgewingsimpak, en die balansering van boerdery met bewaring vereis noukeurige balansvaardighede. Daar is baie boere wat hard werk om hierdie balans te bereik. Selfs in hierdie moeilike tye is daar omgewingsbewuste boere wat nuwe tegnieke gebruik om die bevolking te voed, terwyl strategieë toegepas word om die agteruitgang van die omgewing te verminder. Ons het onlangs 'n onderhoud met een van hierdie persone, Nico de Kock, die bestuurder van die plaas Riet Valleij, gevoer. Ons wou saam met hom ondersoek hoe hy die boerdery vanuit 'n omgewingsperspektief probeer benader. Eers wil ons egter 'n bietjie agtergrond gee oor die plaas. Riet Valleij is in die negentigerjare aangekoop met die doel van die eienaar om nie net ‘n ekonomiese volhoubare eenheid te bedryf nie, maar om ook 'n sosiale bydrae te lewer, tot die plaaslike dorpe Suurbraak en Swellendam. Saam met hierdie inisiatief wil die boerdery dus ook hou by sy morele verantwoordelikheid om die omgewing te beskerm. Die belangrikste aktiwiteit op die plaas is melkproduksie en dan ook veeteelt vir die vleismark. Die totale grootte van die plaas is 2100 hektaar, bergagtige gebiede en bewerkte lande ingesluit. Van hierdie totaal is 270 hektaar besproeide grond en 250 hektaar droë lande, wat hul ongeveer 1600 beeste ondersteun. Riet Valleij se boerderymetodes kan opgesom word deur drie praktyke: bewaring, volhoubaarheid en modernisering. Nico was nog altyd baie passievol oor bewaring en glo in die filosofie dat “as die natuur grotendeels alleen gelaat word, sou die wêreld in beter balans wees. Die hoof rede waarom die wêreld en die natuur nie in balans is nie, is as gevolg van die mensdom. As die mensdom nie aanpas nie, sal dit erger word. Veral vanuit 'n boerderyperspektief”. Hy het verduidelik dat ons moet streef om in harmonie met die natuur te boer. Hierdie filosofie het hom gelei tot Bewarings Landbou. 'n Praktyk wat beskryf word as 'n volhoubare boerderystelsel, aangepas by plaaslike toestande en gewasse, wat die opbrengste optimaliseer. Dit help met die voorkoming van gronderosie en agteruitgang, terwyl die grondgesondheid verbeter word en die bewaring van natuurlike hulpbronne vergemaklik word (Gonzalez-Sanchez et al, 2015). Onder Nico se leiding het Riet Valleij bewaringslandbou hul eie gemaak deur bewaringsbewerking of minimum bewerking toe te pas. Archer et al (2017) verduidelik dat hierdie metode ten doel het om beter omgewings- en ekonomiese winste aan te moedig, deur die frekwensie en intensiteit van bewerkings, tot die minimum te beperk. Volgens Nico is die minimumbewerking na die Suid-Wes-Kaap en die Overberg gebring deur wyle Jack Human, wat na Australië gereis het om te leer hoe dit werk, voordat hy teruggekeer het om ander boere te leer. Voor die meer omgewingsgerigte boerderybenaderings wat ons tans beoefen, is grond net beskou as die plek waar wortels groei. Daar was nie ag geslaan op die organiese inhoud van grond nie, omdat geglo is dat plante se volle voedingsbehoefte kan deur middel van kunsmis aangevul kan word. Die landbougemeenskap van vandag het besef dat grond meer is as dit. Die Voedsel- en Landbou-organisasie van die Verenigde Nasies (2015) verduidelik dat gesonde gronde gesonde kos vir ons bevolking en diere oplewer. Grond is die basis van ons voedselsisteem en dit is 'n dinamiese, lewende ekosisteem wat vernietig kan word. Om boere te help, ontleed Technifarm, in Swellendam, grondmonsters van die veld om, die grondvoedingstatus, asook grondgesondheidstatus te meet. Die plaas is ook baie waterbewus. Die water in die melkstal word herwin en die water spoel af in 'n dam, waar 'n tenkwa die water na die lande vervoer as 'n bron van organiese kunsmis. Die World Wildlife Fund (2018) skat dat 43% van die beskikbare water in die Wes-Kaap vir besproeiing gebruik word. Klimaatwetenskaplikes voorsien dat die Wes-Kaap gedurende die volgende 100 jaar permanent droër toestande sal ondervind. Die voorspelling is dat reënval teen die die jaar 2050 reeds 30% minder sal wees (World Wildlife Fund, 2018). Boere moet nuwe waterbesparing praktyke beoefen om waterbronne te bewaar. Gekombineer met die herwinning van water, beheer Riet Valleij (met die hulp van die Grootvadersbosch Conservancy) uitheemse indringerplante wat waterbronne uitput en inheemse plante verdring. Die eienaar van Riet Valleij het van die begin af gesê dat alle “Blackwattles” op die plaas uitgeroei moet word. Dit is nou 26 jaar later en die proses is steeds nog nie voltooi nie. ‘n Verdere faktor wat in die landbou in ag geneem moet word, is die konstruksie van infrastruktuur en die impak op die omgewing. Nico het 'n opvangsdam in die berg bo die eiendom gebou, wat volgens die instruksies van die natuurbewaringsowerhede gebou is. Hulle het die terrein besoek en aangedui hoe die dam gebou moet word. Dit bevat ook 'n kleiner pypleiding om te verseker dat daar steeds water vir die natuur deurgelaat word, wanneer die rivier laag loop. Die water vir besproeiing word deur die pypleidings na opgaardamme vervoer. Van daar word besproeiing onder eie gravitasie gedoen. Sodoende is die besproeiing van die boerdery 80% onafhanklik van elektrisiteit. Nico is 'n ywerige voëlkenner en 'n liefhebber van die buitelewe en dit blyk uit sy pogings om inheemse en endemiese flora- en fauna-gebiede op, die plaas te bewaar. Die boerdery beoefen ook vernuwing deur te poog om kunsmisverbruik te verminder. Hulle is bewus van die impak van bemestingstowwe en verminder die volume wat hulle tans gebruik. Deur presisieboerdery toe te pas, word verseker dat 'n land nie oorbemes word nie. Nico besef dat dit te duur kan wees as net die omgewing bewaar word. Die boerdery sal nie oorleef as alle hulpbronne net tot bewaring ingespan word nie. Dit is egter wel moontlik om 'n balans tussen die twee te handhaaf. Balans is die sleutel! VerwysingsArcher, L., Im, J., Ransom, B. & Coley, M., 2017. What is Sustainable Agriculture? - Conservation Tillage [Online] UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Available at: https://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/ucsarep/about/what-is-sustainable-agriculture/practices/conservation-tillage [Accessed 17 June 2020].
Gonzalez-Sanchez, E.J., Veroz-Gonzalez, O., Blanco-Roldan, G.L., Marquez-Garcia, F., Carbonell-Bojollo, R., 2015. A renewed view of conservation agriculture and its evolution over the last decade in Spain [Online]. Available at: http://www.ecaf.org/ca-in-europe/what-is-ca [Accessed 17 June 2020]. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2015. Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production [Online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/news/news-detail/en/c/277682/ [Accessed 17 June 2020]. World Wildlife Fund, 2018. Agricultural water file: Farming for a drier future [Online] Available at: https://www.wwf.org.za/water/?25441/Agricultural-water-file-Farming-for-a-drier-future [Accessed 17 June 2020]. Farmers provide essential food for our expanding population and are also an important part of our economy, especially in rural areas. Much like all economic activities, there is an environmental impact and balancing farming with conservation requires careful balancing skills. There are many farmers who work hard to achieve this balance. Even in these trying times, there are environmentally conscious farmers who are engaging in new techniques to feed the population, while applying strategies to decrease environmental degradation. We recently interviewed one of these individuals, Nico de Kock, the manager of Riet Valleij farm. We wanted to explore with him how he attempts to approach farming from an environmental perspective. However, before we dive in, we would like to give some background on the farm. The farm Riet Valleij was bought in the 1990’s with the intention of the owner not only to operate an economically sustainable unit, but also to provide a social contribution to the local towns of Suurbraak and Swellendam. Along with this initiative, the farm also aims to adhere to its moral responsibility to protect the environment. The most important activity on the farm is milk production and then livestock breeding for the meat market. The total size of the farm is 2100 hectares, including mountainous area and cultivated lands. Of this total, 270 hectares is irrigated land and 250 hectares dry lands, supporting their 1600 cattle. Riet Valleij’s farming methods can be summoned up by three practices: conservation, preservation, and modernization. Nico has always had a passion for conservation and believes in the philosophy that “If nature were largely left alone, the world would be a better in balance”. The main reason why the world and nature are not in balance, is because of mankind. If you, as part of mankind, do not adjust, it will get worse. Especially from a farming perspective. He explained that we need to farm in harmony with nature. This philosophy guided him to Conservation Agriculture. A practice described as a sustainable farming system, adjusted to local conditions and crops, that optimises yields. It aids in the prevention of soil erosion and degradation, while improving soil health and facilitating the preservation of natural resources (Gonzalez-Sanchez et al, 2015). Under Nico’s leadership, Riet Valleij has adopted conservation agriculture, through the conservation tillage or minimum tillage approach. Archer et al (2017) explains that this method aims to encourage better environmental and economic gains, through minimising the frequency and intensity of tillage operations. According to Nico, minimum tillage was brought to the South Western Cape and the Overberg by the late Jack Human, who travelled to Australia to learn how it worked, before returning home to teach other farmers. Prior to the more environmentally orientated farming approaches we find today, soil was just considered to be the place where roots grow. The organic content of soil was not taken into account because it was believed that the full nutritional requirements of plants could be supplemented by fertilizers. Today the agricultural community has realised that soil is more than that. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2015) explains that healthy soils, yield healthy foods for our population and animals. Soils are the basis of our food system and they are a dynamic, living ecosystem that can be destroyed. To assist farmers, Technifarm, in Swellendam, analyses soil samples from the field to measure the soil’s nutritional status, but also the soil’s health status. The farm is also very water conscious. The water in the dairy parlour is recycled and the water washes down into a dam, where a tanker transfers the water to the fields as a source of organic fertilizer. The World Wildlife Fund (2018) estimates that 43% of the Western Cape’s available water is used in irrigation. Climate scientists foresee the Western Cape enduring warming and drier conditions over the next 100 years, and a decrease of 30% of the current rainfall levels by 2050. Farmers need to acquire new practices to preserve water resources (World Wildlife Fund, 2018). Combined with water recycling, Riet Valleij (with assistance from the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy), intensely clears alien invasive trees that deplete water supplies and decimate indigenous vegetation. The owner of the farm expressed from the start that all the wattles on the farm must be cleared. After 26 years of clearing the process is still not complete. Another factor to consider in agriculture, is the construction of infrastructure and the impacts on the environment. Nico constructed a catchment dam above his property which was built according to the instructions provided by Nature conservation authorities. They visited the site and specified how the dam should be constructed. They also included a smaller pipeline to ensures that when the river runs low, water is still allowed through for the maintenance of downstream aquatic ecosystems. The water for irrigation is conveyed through the pipelines to storage dams. From here irrigation is done under own gravitation, which enables the farm’s irrigation to be 80% independent from electricity. Nico is an avid birder and a lover of the great outdoors and this is evident in his efforts to preserve indigenous and endemic flora and fauna areas on the farm. The farm also practices modernization by attempting to reduce fertiliser usage. They are aware of the impact of fertiliser and are slowly decreasing the volumes they use. Through the application of precision farming you can ensure you do not over fertilise a field. Nico maintains that it can be too costly if you just conserve the environment. The farm will also not survive if you put all your efforts into conservation, but it is possible to maintain a balance between the two. Balance is the key! REFERENCESArcher, L., Im, J., Ransom, B. & Coley, M., 2017. What is Sustainable Agriculture? - Conservation Tillage [Online] UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Available at: https://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/ucsarep/about/what-is-sustainable-agriculture/practices/conservation-tillage [Accessed 17 June 2020].
Gonzalez-Sanchez, E.J., Veroz-Gonzalez, O., Blanco-Roldan, G.L., Marquez-Garcia, F., Carbonell-Bojollo, R., 2015. A renewed view of conservation agriculture and its evolution over the last decade in Spain [Online]. Available at: http://www.ecaf.org/ca-in-europe/what-is-ca [Accessed 17 June 2020]. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2015. Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production [Online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/news/news-detail/en/c/277682/ [Accessed 17 June 2020]. World Wildlife Fund, 2018. Agricultural water file: Farming for a drier future [Online] Available at: https://www.wwf.org.za/water/?25441/Agricultural-water-file-Farming-for-a-drier-future [Accessed 17 June 2020]. The Grootvadersbosch Conservancy is home to three different veld types, one of them is the Afromontane forest. Along the Langberg mountain range these patches occur in an array of sizes. Sadly, like much of the vegetation in the Western Cape, these pockets are threatened by invasive plant species and the expansion of human activities, including agriculture. Where the conditions support forest habitat, we try to re-establish forest species that will eventually assist in restoring some of these afromontane forests.
Our rehabilitation includes the use of a nursery where we cultivate seedlings and nurture small indigenous plants. We carefully remove a few small tree seedlings from mature and healthy forests, place them in containers and nurture them until they are mature enough to be planted back in the field. There are around 23 different species in our nursery, all irrigated daily and monitored closely by Twakkie (Goliath Highburg), the manager of our nursery. We asked Twakkie to share some important lessons that he has learnt from his experience with the nursery: A big issue that he has to deal with on a daily basis is the onslaught of the bushbuck. We treasure and adore our bushbuck. Often, we catch glimpses of them moving through our conservancy, and when we are not viewing them in our forests, we are scrolling through plenty of camera trap images of them. However, they are under the impression that any newly planted seedlings have been introduced just for their consumption. Twakkie has found that they will choose to browse on a newly planted tree from the nursery over an older plant of the same species. Much like us, they like new fresh food! The following list are some of the different ways that Twakkie tries to deter them:
While we do plant out seedlings from our nursery, Twakkie has also found that nature is often the best rehabilitator and we can simply help to support this process. Instead of actively planting seedlings from a nursery, it may be best to focus on protecting clusters of adult trees close to a cleared area. Birds or baboons will eat the seeds from these mature trees and disperse the seeds. Over time, the tree species will germinate and the forest will return, naturally. Ensuring that the area remains clear of invasive plants and giving nature a chance to recover may be more effective and less costly than actively trying to propagate and plant out tree seedlings. Twakkie has also been involved in rehabilitation where we maintain a canopy of mature invasive trees that provide a pioneer environment to shelter the young tree seedlings that have naturally germinated. Over time, the indigenous trees become more dominant and the invasive trees are then slowly removed. We are learning new things every day and there is no clear recipe for successful forest rehabilitation. These are just some of his lessons from our area. Comment below on what lessons you have learnt, we are always looking for new and interesting ways to aid our success! Any advice would be appreciated. World bee day is a celebration honouring our bee-utiful buzzing friends, it aims to highlight the importance of bees and beekeeping. In in the spirit of today’s theme we decided to interview our Chairman, John Moodie about bees. John has been beekeeping for the past 50+ years across South Africa and has held many prestigious positions; edited bee journals and been involved in bee related events. How many bee species do we find in South Africa? There are 24 races (Race is below subspecies) of honeybees globally – Africa has ten of these. For our purposes, South Africa has two races Capensis and Scutellata. Capensis is a unique honeybee in the fynbos area that can clone itself – called thelytokous parthenogenesis. For this reason, there is a ban on moving bees in South Africa from one zone to another. Research is ongoing on the Cape Honeybee and recently a specific gene which enables this behavior was identified. What do you believe will happen with the decline of bee populations? I am not sure if there is a decline in the Southern Hemisphere. If so, it is minimal. The issue is that honeybees are becoming more and more important as pollinators of crops that modern man enjoys eating. Onions, fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts all require cross pollination, and this generally means the service of managed honeybees that are moved into crops to ensure seed set. So, the ‘shortage’ may be simply a huge demand for honeybees to cover the increased number of crops needing honeybee pollination. In addition, these crops are often sprayed with pesticides and fungicides which have a detrimental effect on honeybees as well as the targeted pests. Beekeepers, as a result, may have to keep bees during off season by feeding them in order to have them available for pollination when needed. This will, of course, result in a serious increase in pollination charges levied to growers. There is a lot in the press about the threat to bees and the implications for agriculture and nature, in the South African context, are these exaggerated or very real threats? The threats are very real. The advent of additional bee diseases in Southern Africa have presented severe threats to our bees. Varroa Mite, AFB and the Capensis problem in the northern provinces are challenges which remain serious threats to our bees. The shortage of bee forage to support bees throughout the year is exacerbated by the severe droughts we have been experiencing. Bees are selective forages and not all flower types provide nectar suitable for nectar gathering, mountain fynbos may look beautiful but cannot support many bee colonies - unlike Australia with its generous supply of eucalyptus. The threats are exacerbated by increased demand for pollination and increased usage of pesticide on crops. What should the bee industry and agriculture be doing to try and reduce these threats? Easy to say but almost impossible to implement. Increase bee friendly forage, use less herbicide and pesticide on crops, reduce pollination demands, remove bee pests like wasps, baboons and honey badgers, stop bee hive vandalism and theft, and make sure there is sufficient rain to support the forage we have! Better regulation and training of beekeepers would help but that is also difficult to implement in an acceptable format to a group of farmers who seem to have decided to stay under the radar – sometimes for their survival – other times just to be difficult. What can the public do to help protect honeybees? Bees depend on a clean healthy environment with enough bee forage to support them. The public can do plenty to enhance this. Motives of gain and profit with modern industry and development trends, as well as modern agriculture’s need to compete and survive, makes it unlikely that the honeybees will receive the attention they deserve. Of course, public awareness of the harm that we are doing to our environment is evident everywhere. It is just difficult to persuade the public that this harmful trend needs to change, despite clear evidence the recent global shutdowns have shown. Hugging bees is not going to help. Awareness of the problems facing bees and beekeepers will, however, make a difference. Buy local honey, stop the importation of fraudulent honey which floods the market, offer bee sites with bee forage to registered genuine beekeepers and only apply pesticide sprays in accordance with the label instructions. Any other thoughts on world bee day?
The World Bee Day was declared by the UN in 2017. The document was dated on the 20 May to remember the baptism of Anton Jansa, (born in Slovenia in 1734) who was the author of A Full guide to Beekeeping. In the book he notes: “Bees are a type of fly, hardworking, created by God to provide man with all needed honey and wax. Amongst all God's beings there are none so hard working and useful to man with so little attention needed for its keep as the bee.” It is fitting that we honor this little insect that works so hard for mankind and plays such a vital role in our food chain. A big thank you to John Moodie for sharing his vast knowledge on this important subject. Have a look at worldbee.org to learn more about this special day! |
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March 2024
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