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All about birds

30/6/2019

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While some might not know their weaver from their wader, some learners of three local primary schools are experts on birds found at Princess Vlei. And pretty fabulous artists too!
These learners, from Harmony Primary, Muhammedeyah Primary and  Lotus River Primary had the privilege of attending one of Alice Ashwell's spectacular and informative interactive bird workshop during the second term this year. The workshops form part of the Princess Vlei Forum's annual Flight of Dreams Project, to raise awareness of the birds and other wildlife at Princess Vlei.
Below are Alice's comments on the workshops.
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Today we are planting wolves

30/6/2019

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“Today, we are planting wolves”

This was the message from restoration consultant Alex Lansdowne at the Princess Vlei Forum “Bringing life to the Princess” planting event on 11 June.
 
Speaking to the one hundred and twenty children who had gathered to help with the planting, Alex explained that the difference between a cultivated plant in a garden and a wild plant is like the difference between a dog and a wolf.
 
“There used to be a community of about 500 different plants, and the work that we are doing, and you guys are helping us is real conservation work. You guys are helping to bring the habitat back…. The City of Cape Town has the most biodiversity of any city in the world, and you are helping to conserve that.”
 
The children came from Claremont High, Lotus High, Buck Rd Primary, Kannemeyer Primary, and Levana Primary. There were also a group of home schooled learners. The children enthusiastically followed Alex’s instructions to put more than 700 plants in the ground. Each child wrote their name on a stick to plant with the plants, and was given a thank you letter with colour photo cards of each species that was planted.
The planting was part of the Forum’s environmental education programme, but also an important part of a five-year restoration plant to revive the indigenous fynbos in the area. Lansdowne was contracted by the Forum to draw up the plan.
 
The schools planting event followed a community planting event in May. Between these two events
  • More than doubled the area of habitat under active restoration from 699m2 to 2341m2.
  • A total of 1025 plant units, and 16 trays were planted.
  • 7Kgs of mixed seed were broadcast in the 2019 restoration areas.
  • 26 species were planted or broadcast, of which 4 are on the RedList of endangered species.
The forum would like to thank Elzanne Singels and  CTEET volunteers, Nondumiso Myataza. Tevya Lotriet, Princess Mfekayi and Wanda Tshangela for their assistance, as well as all the learners and their teachers for making this a great afternoon. Thanks also to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, managed by Nedbank Private Wealth, for funding our education programme and restoration work.
 

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Over 3000 new wild plants - Thanks to BotSoc Kirstenbosch!

30/6/2019

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This blog entry is a guest blog by Zoe Poulsen. It was commissioned by and first appeared on the Botanical Society website. The Princess Vlei Forum would like to thank the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society for their generous financial assistance, as well as their time and expertise. Volunteers from the Lions Club and local community also assisted. 

ON Saturday 25 July, the Princess Vlei Forum (PVF), in partnership with the Botanical Society of South Africa Kirstenbosch Branch, held a planting event at the Greater Princess Vlei conservation area in Cape Town. More than 3 000 plants were planted on the day. The extinct in the wild Whorled Heath (Erica verticillata) and critically endangered Serruria foeniculacea were reintroduced for the first time. This event forms part of the ongoing pioneering ecological restoration taking place at the vlei, with multiple stakeholders, specialists and international partners. 
  Located on the Cape Flats near the suburbs of Fairways, Southfield, Heathfield, Grassy Park, and Retreat, Princess Vlei forms the gateway to the wetlands system of the False Bay Ecology Park, encompassing Rondevlei, Zeekoevlei and Zandvlei. This extensive wetland reserve forms an important community and heritage space, as well as habitat for birds and the endangered Western Leopard Toad.
Serruria foeniculacea were reintroduced for the first time. This event forms part of the ongoing pioneering ecological restoration taking place at the vlei, with multiple stakeholders, specialists and international partners. 
  Located on the Cape Flats near the suburbs of Fairways, Southfield, Heathfield, Grassy Park, and Retreat, Princess Vlei forms the gateway to the wetlands system of the False Bay Ecology Park, encompassing Rondevlei, Zeekoevlei and Zandvlei. This extensive wetland reserve forms an important community and heritage space, as well as habitat for birds and the endangered Western Leopard Toad. 
  For many years Princess Vlei was in danger due to a proposal to build a shopping mall on her banks. The site also suffered years of neglect due to racially discriminatory distribution of resources during apartheid. Thanks to the efforts of the surrounding communities, through the Princess Vlei Forum, the decision to build the mall was overturned in 2014 due to the significant cultural and natural heritage value, and the conservation area proclaimed. 
  The Princess Vlei Forum is a community-driven nonprofit organisation dedicated to working as custodians of this green open space. An active part of this custodianship is a 5 year restoration project to restore vast tracts of habitat at Princess Vlei. This will ensure the conservation area reaches its true potential as a critical biodiversity area for generations to come. The Botanical Society Kirstenbosch Branch has recently formed a new partnership with the Princess Vlei Forum, contributing funding towards this innovative restoration project as well as inspiring youth to become involved in biodiversity conservation. 
  Comments Alex Lansdowne, conservationist and leader of the Princess Vlei restoration team: “The Princess Vlei conservation area has understudied conservation value and high restoration potential. The investments made by the PVF into conserving this site are remarkable and have attracted international attention. Princess Vlei has been written off many times as a valueless open space in a non-white area, riddled by crime and social ills. We are changing this narrative by restoring this unique habitat. If we are to redress apartheid spatial planning we need to deliver good condition, safe and accessible natural spaces to poorer communities. We are doing this. The partnership between BotSoc and the PVF is part of a broader campaign to reintroduce young people to nature. Our main goal is to inspire future conservationists and nature enthusiasts in areas where they need them most”. 
   The Princess Vlei Restoration Project brings together stakeholders from the Princess Vlei Forum, local community including youth, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), the American Orchid Society and the City of Cape Town Parks Department. Seed funding has been received for the project from a variety of national and international sources. The Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust has made significant contributions towards the management and environmental education programmes on site. This has allowed for further investments from the International Society for Ecological Restoration, the Rowland and Letta Hill Trust and the American Orchid Society. 
  
The goal of Phase 1 of the project is to restore a total of 12 ha at the site, encompassing critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos as well as Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and Cape Lowlands Freshwater Wetlands, both of which are classed as endangered vegetation types. Since the project has been initiated, vegetation and habitat condition of the site has been mapped and the area of the Greater Princess Vlei Conservation Area under active restoration has doubled. With a project ethos of fostering community custodianship, many members of the local community including youth have been involved in the restoration planting events. 
  This year 48 plant species have been restored to the site, eight of which are listed as being of conservation concern on the Red List of South African Plants, one of which is extinct in the wild and two are critically endangered. Investment has also been made in upskilling local workers through training in restoration specific skills including seed collection, plant propagation and restoration planting. 
   Thanks to this innovative ecological restoration project, with much hard work and strong community and partner backing, the future looks bright for the biodiversity of the Greater Princess Vlei Conservation Area. Watch this space for further updates.
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Be grateful to the birds!

5/6/2019

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Attention: Guardians of the Future
date: 07 June 2219
topic: ** Mission: Save the Birds and Bugs! **
note: TOP SECRET
>>>> message starts….
You have been briefed by the Bird Guardians
on the importance of your mission. If you do
the following things carefully you will be able to save the bird and insect species....

These were the instructions given to some young time travellers visiting Princess Vlei from the year 2219.  The visitors had come from a future where there were no birds or bugs. A world full of sounds - bleeps,  sirens,  robotic voices,  and machinery. But not a twitter, nor a chirp, nor a buzz could be heard, where all greenery had disappeared under concrete, and all rivers and vleis were swallowed by plastic  waste.  
     Forty time travellers, from Buck Road Primary, Harmony Primary, Floreat Primary and Levana Primary schools, were greeted by a Spirit Guide (Denisha Anand), who told them how the vlei had once looked in the time of the first humans who lived there, and how those humans lived harmoniously with the plants and animals. 
     Then the time travellers went out wearing with face masks to ensure that they did not catch virues from the past or pass on any viruses from the future. They carefully observed the birds and insects to see how they lived, what they need, and what might threaten them.  They were guided by the Time Lords, (who were sometimes their teachers).
When the time machine was ready to leave, the Chief Time Lord, Brendon Bussy, blew a horn to warn the children that the portal was closing, and they had to run to get back or risk being stuck in 2019.
 
Back in the time machine, the time travelers reported on their findings and shared their pictures and maps. They all agreed that birds and insects are awesome, but there are many things threatening them, in particular pollution. Here are some of their observations:
 
“Birds have feathers to keep them warm, they travel to different places, this is what we call migration. They use their beaks to get the nectar out, because unlike humans they can’t use their hands.”
 
“We want to make people aware that they shouldn’t pollute these areas because it is hurting the birds and insects.”
 
“We found that birds are in danger because humans don’t really care, they just care about technology and that and don’t really take care of nature … Nature don’t need us, we need nature. And there is lots of pollution and the wetlands are their habitat and then some people … want to clear the wetlands for farming or to build houses.”
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