Grootbos Fynbos Flowers and Conservation

This is a pretty montage of Friday flowers from the fynbos landscape, which were photographed by the conservation team this week as they went about the work of conservation. Conservation work involves a range of daily activities from scientific data collection, ecology monitoring, digital mapping, collaboration with researchers, academic institutions, landowners, government departments, engagements with local green economy entrepreneurs and more, but their favourite work is that which requires them to spend time in the great outdoors where they might be rewarded with a special surprise or new detail. Sean Privett has always maintained that the more time he spends in nature, the more he discovers and learns. This is why his conservation team has now recorded 1'033 plant species on the Grootbos Reserve, as they have not stopped looking for tiny details at every opportunity.

This is a natural landscape that has recently benefitted from the work of an invasive plant clearing team that has begun removing plants by hand. These invasive plants have responded enthusiastically to the winter rainfall and filtered nutrients in the soil since the fire season. If these clearing teams seize the moment and hand-pull these young shoots, it is possible to stop them producing seeds. Then it will also be possible to allow the fynbos to thrive without having to compete for sunlight with the invasive species. The most important impact of removing invasive plants now will be better fire management in fire season with reduced damage and loss to wildlife and to local people's homes and livelihoods. Creating jobs while protecting nature and the humans who live within the landscape is a win-win-win situation.