Invasive alien plants pose massive threat to Knysna River
THE value of the iconic Knysna River, its catchment and riparian zone, tributaries, wetlands, intertidal estuary, valley and surrounding countryside as a conservation corridor could not be overstated, said Southern Cape Landowners Initiative chairperson Cobus Meiring.
“As a prime example of what ecological infrastructure entails, the value it holds to the survival and wellbeing of humanity, the Knysna River and all it supports and represents is an invaluable asset to all South Africans.
“Almost unrivalled, globally, in terms of biodiversity, and demographically situated in a nationally recognised strategic water source area, the Knysna River links the Outeniqua mountains, its foothills, conservation areas, various biomes and communities living along its ecological footprint,” Meiring said.
However, the survival and natural functioning of the Knysna River and the ecological system it supported had, over time, become threatened by the emergence and flourishing of invasive alien plants, he said.
According to Meiring, modern landowners were increasingly aware of the negative impact of invasive alien plants on the environment, but often lacked a full grasp of the bigger-picture impact on biodiversity, water security and the exposure to fire danger posed by invasive alien plants.
The Southern Cape Landowners Initiative, the Table Mountain Fund, Knysna Municipality, SANParks and CapeNature have joined forces to help landowners along the Knysna River, as well as the Goukamma, Touw, Kaaimans and Great Brak rivers, to develop invasive alien plant control plans to help them manage the presence and impact of invasive plants.
Only a partnership between environmental groupings and private landowners, obtaining their buy-in and contribution into the overarching conservation project would ultimately ensure the survival of the Knysna River, Meiring said.
The origins of the presence of these invasive alien plants had been well documented, and they had been an ever-present feature of the Knysna countryside for close to two hundred years.
“Unbridled urban expansion, unmanaged and underperforming sewerage works, the dumping of waste, and developments on the Knysna River valleys and supporting countryside pose serious threats to the Knysna River as a conservation corridor,” Meiring warned.
Very little land remained available for the survival of biodiversity in the Knysna region, and landowners ignoring the spread and impact of invasive alien plants narrowed the prospect of survival for many endangered plant, animal, bird, terrestrial, aquatic and marine species as a result, Meiring said.
For more information, visit: http:// www.scli.org.za