Uprooting alien invasive plants
Infestation a threat to water and soil quality
Linda Jansen is leading efforts to rid the scenic Cape Winelands of invasive alien plants.
Jansen, 50, an alien plant clearing contractor from Tulbagh, is changing her community through her commitment to the environment.
Jansen joined Cape Nature, a public institution responsible for biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape, as a general worker in 2002. She was soon asked to join the Cape Nature office as a wage clerk.
But the banks of the Breede River had seen a widespread infestation of invasive plant species over the years. If left to flourish, invasive alien plants pose a threat to plant and animal biodiversity, using up vast amounts of water and compromising soil quality.
The Western Cape department of agriculture’s landcare division turned to the community in search of solutions, and out of that search emerged Jansen, who was approached to register as an alien clearing contractor.
Jansen’s business, Lyn’s Valley, now oversees three teams and employs 39 people deployed in projects in Wellington and Worcester.
“When I started out I employed 12 people and I hired a bakkie and three chainsaws. I employed people who had previously been in jail, housewives, youth… people who needed a job,” she said.
Jansen has an acute understanding of the ecology of the area and the impact invasive plants had on resources need- ed by local vegetation.
“There are many kinds of alien plants growing here. Eucalyptus, pine, and poplar trees are all alien plants. The blue gum tree is one of the bigger trees that grows next to water. On a hot day, it can drink as much as 200l of water. The river turns into a stream; there is so little water left that you can’t even fill a bottle. When you cut the tree down, you can actually see water bubbling out of it.
Fondly referred to as “Aunty” and “Mother” by her employees and locals, she said her teams worked closely with farmers in the area. -
‘‘ The river turns into a stream; there is so little water left you can’t fill a bottle