Page 16 - Issue 2 2019 Cornwall Hill

esTaTe lifesTYle

eradicaTion

of WaTer invasive planTs

Story and photography by Nicole Zwewick

hat South Africa is a water- 1 million hectares of invasive alien plants knowledgeable and shares her wealth of
scarce country should come as since its inception 20 years ago. This information so willingly. I discovered that
no surprise to residents, but the programme works in partnership with the team use the protocol developed by
Tmagnitude of the problem may local communities through the Expanded the Agricultural Research Council through
well be surprising. The Department of Public Works Programme (EPWP). The its Plant Protection Research Institute to
Water and Sanitation warns that South EPWP is a key government initiative to tackle the problem:
Africa is facing severe water scarcity create work opportunities “to provide

and, unless urgent actions are taken, poverty and income relief through • The removal of the flower heads to
estimates are that by 2030, we will have temporary work for the unemployed prevent seed production and to deplete
a water shortage of around 3000 billion to carry out socially useful activities” - nutrients stored in the plants' roots,
litres. While we can attribute some of the Growth and Development Summit of thereby weakening the plant
blame to global phenomena like climate 2003.
change, much closer to home the causes • The spraying of the actively growing
are human population growth and the The management of Cornwall Hill plant with herbicides which has proven
resultant increased demand for water, Estate has a programme of removal in to reduce plant numbers by 80%
failing infrastructure and poor water place to remove alien invader plants,
resource management. Less obvious concentrating on Pompom weed growing • A three month follow up to check on the

causes are thirsty invasive alien plants. on unbuildable stands, especially along effectiveness of the treatment before the
Alien plants reduce the annual runoff Kelly Bray Lane and the open veld areas plants die back for winter
by 1,4 billion cubic metres, which is the around the quarry. The number of estate

equivalent of 577 600 Olympic-sized staff members are supplemented by Controlling invasive alien plants is a long-
swimming pools! contract casual workers over a two-week term, costly commitment and requires lots
period in January to remove flower heads of manual resources and at times it may

The fight to control and eradicate and dispose of them. Recently Cornwall seem we are fighting a losing battle. There

invasive alien plants is spearheaded Hill Estate received assistance from an is good news and hope for our natural
by the Working for Water Programme EPWP Working for Water team in removing grasslands, though, as the Agricultural
administered by the Department of Pompom weed in some of our open veld and Research Council in conjunction with
Environmental Affairs. The national grasslands. Pompom weed (Campuloclinium Working for Water have successfully
Working for Water Programme has cleared macrocephalum) is a South American herb eradicated a small infestation in the
belonging to the daisy family. It carries Outeniqua Mountains outside George.

a pretty purplish-pink “pompom” flower We look forward to reclaiming our estate
during the flowering season from December grasslands through the combined efforts

to March, transforming the green grasslands of government, estate management and
of Gauteng into sheets of pink, highlighting staff.
just how invasive it is and the serious threat
it poses to the conservation of grasslands in sources:
South Africa. Pompom weed literally “paints” www.gov.za>about-government>expanded-
Rietvlei Nature Reserve pink every year and, public-works-programme
if it weren’t such an invasive problem, one www.environment.gov.za/projectsprogrammes.
could be forgiven for enjoying the sight; it is wfw
impressively pretty. www.bizcommunity.com/
article/196/358/197198.html
I caught up with the Working for www.arc.agric.za>arc-
Water team in the veld around the ppri>pages>pompomweed
quarry and spoke to team leader www.friendsofrietvlei.org/2017/02/07/pompom-
Mmapule Msimango. She is extremely weeds-is-taking-over
16 Cornwall View • Issue 2 2020