Grazing eland help keep nature in balance
SINCE the reintroduction of a group of five eland, named Mike, Gibbs, Uniqua, Berni and Little P, to the False Bay Nature Reserve, their browsing has helped manage dense veld and open up areas for plant species to grow.
Eland historically browsed the Cape Flats, which was part of their natural range. Eland were absent from the Flats for more than 200 years prior to the implementation of this pilot project.
The eland are making strides leading to ground-breaking research in the management of veld through the Gantouw Project, a partnership between the City’s Biodiversity Management Branch and the Cape Town Environmental Education Centre (CTEET).
Preliminary observations have found that the eland are successful as a veld management tool in combating bush encroachment, which is a threat to the endangered Cape Flats dune strandveld.
Investigations have found that the eland target and browse the dominant woody bush encroaching on shrub species. Two alien invasive species (Acacia saligna and Acacia cyclops) are among the top 16 plants that are being browsed by eland at the experiment site.
Preliminary observations also show a significant decrease in the volume of individual shrubs in the experiment site where eland browse, as well as a decrease in vegetation cover and an increase in the number of plant species in the experiment plots.
The plant species that increased in the research plots are not new plant species to the reserve, but indicate that the decrease in the woody component is creating opportunities for other plant species to establish themselves.
The future of the pilot project will be assessed next year once the research, cost and benefits have been collated.
Petro Botha, the Gantouw Project manager from CTEET, recently won the Kudu Award at the 13th annual SANParks Kudu Awards ceremony.
She was recognised in the Women in Conservation category for her contribution to the sustainable conservation of fynbos through ground-breaking research using eland as a management tool, as opposed to fire, to conserve the vegetation of the Cape Flats.
“This pilot project highlights the importance of veld management as bush encroachment suppresses grass, herbs and other species, and can shift the equilibrium of an ecosystem to an unfavourable state. Until now, the eland have been habituated to be used as a veld management tool to combat bush encroachment, and their browsing has been monitored by our team within the experimental site,” Botha said.
City Mayco member for Area South, Eddie Andrews, visited the Gantouw Project this week.
“It is great to be partnering with CTEET for research on this very innovative approach to conserve our biodiversity, including the endangered Cape Flats dune strandveld, which is not found anywhere else in the world and is being threatened by bush encroachment,” he said.
The project aimed to promote the conservation and protection of the environment and biodiversity.
“It is encouraging to know that the public, including our children, have been meeting the eland and have been educated around the eland’s role in nature conservation, based on the research.
“We are happy to be celebrating with Petro Botha for the recognition that she has received. We also want to thank everyone who has been involved with this project for all their hard work,” Andrews said.