New oversight support for Grabouw/Elgin restoration projects
The Grabouw/Elgin area has been internationally recognised for many reasons. It’s an important farming area – in particular fruit such as apples, pears, blueberries, as well as vineyards. It’s also home to Critically Endangered fynbos, including Kogelberg Sandstone and Elgin Shale Fynbos.
Topping the list, however, is the important role the catchments here play in providing water not only to nature and industry, but also to the City of Cape Town.
For that reason, the area has been the centre of a massive restoration effort. To date, that project was managed by the Groenland Water Users Association (GWUA).
Here hundreds of hectares have been cleared of invasive alien plants – in order to remove these ‘thirsty’ trees. One adult Eucalyptus tree can consume nearly 1 000 litres of water a day. Clearing costs have been covered by WWF South Africa, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture: LandCare, The Nature Conservancy and property owners. Management funding is provided by British retailers, including Tesco. The Kogelberg Biosphere has played a coordination role.
Now, however, the structure of this project is changing.
While the implementation of the work continues, a new unit has been created, called the GWUA Environmental Resource Unit. This unit will now provide oversight in the implementation of the alien clearing projects, as well as other river rehabilitation and biodiversity conservation projects.
Its vision is to support restoration and management of the catchment to provide water stewardship at catchment scale.
The GWUA Environmental Resource Unit is also essential in ensuring greater involvement of all parties at an oversight level. That’s why it is made up of representatives from the GWUA Board, the Kogelberg Biosphere, WWF South Africa, Blue Science (operational management of the contractor teams) and landowners.
According to Corlie Hugo, Coordinator of the Kogelberg Biosphere, “The GWUA Environmental Resource Unit helps to ensure even better representation of all involved – especially the farms that are part of the project. This is an exciting development, and once again recognition of the important role this area plays in supporting water security well beyond our borders.”
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