Page 18 - Landscape-Issue139

PROJECT

THE WETLAND AT CLAIRWOOD

LOGISTICS PARK, DURBAN

Project Team
Client/Developer: FORTRESS Clairwood
Logistics Park
Landscape Contractor: Simon
Clements: Garden & Landscape Design
Engineers: Aurecon Group

The old Clairwood Race Course in the South Durban

Basin was a degraded piece of grassland, home to the
Overview of the wetland
last naturally occurring specimens of Kniphofia pauciflora
(‘Race Course Lily’) and other significant flora and fauna.
Simon Clements: Garden & Landscape Design was
tasked with designing and implementing a translocation

method to rescue the entire habitat, in particular the few
remaining specimens of this lily.

he work was undertaken as part of filtration blocks to harness, filter and store
the requirements of an Environmental water gathered on site. This innovative
TManagement Programme (EMPr), and environmental solution in an industrial
the translocation methodology included development has resulted in a robust and
the biomimicry of a wetland habitat. ecologically sound landscape.
Simon Clement’s passion for Over a period of four months, and using
rehabilitation and water conservation, as specialised earthmoving equipment,
well as his understanding of site-specific approximately 12 000m3 of grassland
ecology, lead to him collaborating widely sods were carefully moved to a specially
with experts such as hydro-geologists, designed and constructed ‘hygrophilous-
wetland specialists, botanists and engineers ready’ habitat. This habitat was specifically
in order to develop the translocation created to be suitable for hygrophilous
methodology. This was successfully grasses with a very high water table that
implemented in 2016/17. can tolerate seasonal floods for a few days
Part of the project included the re-design at a time.
of the stormwater management plan to an
environmentally engineered stormwater Constructed wetland
management system including grassed and An integral part of the programme included
Kniphofia pauciflora in its natural habitat reeded swales, reed bed check dams and the rehabilitation of the existing ‘irrigation

16 Landscape SA • Issue 139 2024 Check us out www.salandscape.co.za