“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.
 

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.”

​Piece by small piece the Princess Vlei Forum is working to restore and rehabilitate the land around Princess Vlei. On Saturday 18 May, thirty local residents, Stellenbosch University students, and various Lions’ Clubs came together on Saturday 18 May to restore the indigenous vegetation at Princess Vlei.
 
While this work has been ongoing for several years, the project gained new life when the Forum employed a manager for the site, and contracted the services of fynbos restoration expert Alex Lansdowne to draw up a five year rehabilitation plan. The aim of this is to help the damaged ecosystem at Princess Vlei recover and secure biodiversity on site.

Plants put in include five hundred Cape Flats fynbos  and dune strandveld plants that had been propagated locally from plants that are known to have occurred naturally  around the vlei.  The group also sowed seeds of flowering plants such as the rain daisies, to recreate a strandveld meadow – which hopefully will create a  carpet of colourful flowers this spring.
 
Once habitat condition, has been improved, the Forum will embark on species conservation. Erica verticillata (Extinct in the Wild), Leucadendron floridum (Critically Endangered) and Serruria foeniculacea (Critically Endangered) are three threatened species endemic to the city of Cape Town that once occurred at Princess Vlei.
 
This project is supported by the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, managed by Nedbank Private Wealth

​There are some exciting developments at Princess Vlei – but the ongoing active engagement of the community is critical to enable the area to thrive.
 
This was the message of the community members who gathered at the Princess Vlei Open Day in Grassy Park on the evening of March 27.
 
Five years ago, the Princess Vlei Forum launched a community campaign to create a vision for the space through workshops, surveys, and discussion. This vision has been revisited with communities regularly, and has guided our engagement with the City of Cape Town to leverage resources and implement improvements. 

A representative from City of Cape Town’s Recreation and Parks Department, presented some of the City’s long term plans for Princess vlei
These include a children’s adventure play park, which will shortly be erected on the eastern shore, and a walkway/ jogging track to circumnavigate the vlei. The proposed track offers a five kilometre trail, and will be suitable for use as a Park run.
 
Draft concept plans with proposed improvements to the Princess Vlei Eco-adventure centre on the Western shore were also presented for comment.
 
Alex Lansdowne, a fynbos restoration expert who has been contracted by the Princess Vlei Forum, spoke about the five-year restoration plan through which the Forum plans to restore the natural ecosystems on site.
 
Also on display were plans and a model showing a small pavilion to be used as a classroom, exhibition space or tearoom. The Princess Vlei Forum is currently exploring ways to fund this initiative.
 
A video featuring interviews with people around the Legend of the Princess, was also screened to launch an Oral History Project to capture the Vlei’s rich cultural heritage – an initiative of the Princess Vlei Heritage Committee.
 
An important proposal currently being explored is holding a regular ‘pop-up’ market. A group discussion on this generated valuable guidelines. Important among these were that the market should

• reflect the unique character of the site
• express the identity and interests of local communities give local artists tan opportunity to promote and sell their art
• provide a platform for educating a broader audience on the heritage, culture and traditions of the surrounding communities.
• Educate communities on health & well-being through proper nutrition using locally produced, organic, affordable produce.

Participants also encouraged co-operation with other groups such as the Jolly Carp and the Philippi Horticultural Association.
 
The other group discussed ways to protect the Princess Vlei from threats posed by dumping, vandalism, illegal vehicle use, sand mining, vagrancy and other anti-social activity. Recently, the Forum has raised funds to employ a full time manager, and the City has deployed twenty-four hour specialised rangers. While these interventions have greatly alleviated the problems, these activities remain an ongoing threat to efforts to rehabilitate and beautify the site.
 
The group considered the possibility of fencing all or part of the conservation area to minimise or eliminate these threats. It was agreed that any fencing must not impede access to those who want to enjoy the vlei’s natural beauty, and that community consultation is essential.
 
The group also raised the need to protect the site in the long term from the threat of inappropriate development. All agreed that while it was important to explore protective mechanisms such as acquiring heritage status, one of the best ways to protect the area is to restore its natural beauty and biodiversity, enhance its cultural heritage value and to continue promoting its value as a space for nature lovers and the general community. 
 
We look forward to engaging with community members further on these issues. To find out more, please email us at imagine@princessvlei.org.

​Our wetlands are full of wonders, as forty children discovered at the Princess Vlei Forum Wetland Wonders programme in March. Children and teachers came from Lotus River Primary, St Stephens Rd Primary and Levana Primary,

The programme aimed to give local learners a chance to explore Princess Vlei, and observe some of the amazing plants and creatures living there. Learners were encouraged to see how the creatures live together, and to draw deductions about their dietary and habitat needs.
 
A number of wonderful creatures were spotted by the learners, including many land crabs, a Purple Gallinule, Masked weavers, bright red dragon flies, locusts, a dune mole rat and, best of all, a beautiful little leopard toad.
 
A week later, the children came together again to create portraits and totem poles representing the life in the wetlands. Children were encouraged to draw a food web showing two or three creatures in their wetland habitats. Their creativity and powers of observation were clearly displayed. Art is a a very effective way of encouraging children to pay attention to nature, and to develop a relationship with and understanding of nature. By working with colours, composition, and patterns, learners internalize lessons about how nature lives in balance as a community.  

These portraits will be converted into mini totem poles for the learners to carry on the Princess Vlei Forum’s annual Flight of Dreams parade on September 14. They will also be on display in the Grassy Park Library later this year.
 
Thanks to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, managed by Nedbank Private Wealth, for sponsoring our environmental education work with local primary schools.

By Denisha Anand
 
Platbos Forest has gained several thousand new trees - with the help of our Lotus Princess Vlei Guardians.
     Throughout the years, our Eco Guardians from Lotus High School have been hard at work planting indigenous plants, propagating for their own nursery and diligently greening their school, all while having fun!
    Lotus High Eco Club has been coordinated and managed by science teacher Shafiek Isaacs. Our relationship with the school grew through our citizen science project aimed at encouraging high school learners  to gather ecological data for Princess Vlei. Our citizen science project fosters custodianship through environment activities aimed at reconnecting learners with their natural environments.
     On the 15 of March, 15 Eco Guardians took their green conscious spirit to Platbos Forest to help plant trees at the Greenpop Reforest Festival. The learners were accompanied by Shafiek Isaacs, Denisha Anand (Princess Vlei Manager) and student assistant Tihana Nathan. Platbos forest is a rare coastal indigenous forest near Gansbaai, with many very old milkwoods, stinkwoods and other forest trees.
We arrived at Platbos around 13:00 and registered at the Greenpop Reforest Fest table where we were shown to our tents. The learners were bursting with excitement. Colourful tents were scattered everywhere and a forest backdrop set the tone for what would be one of the best out of community experiences for all!
     The learners settled in and began exploring - for many their first experience of a safe space in the forest where young girls and boys can just be themselves. As their eco facilitator, I was overflowing with happiness to see my kids interacting with what would be called “bos” back at Princess Vlei. They were so overwhelmed by being “out in the open”, no walls, just plant “borders”, and all commented on how wonderful it was to be in a space free from litter and loud noise. The freedom to explore a natural space was so good for them. They needed to see nature in a state where it does not need to be saved or policed, just loved and explored for what it is.
     The weekend was a learning experience for all of us. I was confronted with teenage antics, which was both terrifyingly humbling and hilarious. The learners did not like the vegan food, they made sure that I knew this at every meal but they understood why plant-based lifestyles were good for their bodies and the environment. Despite this, they participated enthusiastically in all the experiences. They enjoyed the workshops, especially the yoga and loved the Heart Space, a quiet spot for reflection.

     On Saturday, the Guardians helped to plant 2300 trees with other Reforest Fest-goers in an area previously consumed by alien vegetation. The learners thought that it was so cool that they would be creating a new patch of forest from trees propagated from the original forest. Baby trees from mommy trees to reclaim our indigenous forests. Genius!
     Later that afternoon Bridget, Gary and myself, had the opportunity to share on our work as a forum and the progress made over time as a civic lead organisation. To conclude our presentation our Eco Guardians suprised everyone with some forest poetry (see their poems below).
In preparation for our Platbos adventure, the eco guardians created beautiful forest poems. They edited their poems under the Old Milkwood Tree in the forest and channelled the forest energies to create the most magical pieces of art. Three learners, Nicole Anthony, Damica Fortuin and Widaad Abrahams shared their experiences with an amazing audience of encouraging people at the Thetha: Canopy Conversation space.
     Elzanne Singels, a Paleo-Ethnobotanist from UCT, gave everyone a taste of what our ancestors might have eaten. She specialises in understanding the diets of the Western Cape's earliest residents, and in creating food from local indigenous fynbos plants.

     The evening ended beautifully with members from an indigenous revival group performing a ritual under the Old Stinkwood. A cultural experience that captured every fest-goer's heart. The ritual honoured our ancestors, the forest and  all who have connected with nature to protect and serve her.
Francois and Melissa, the owners of Platbos, hosted us for supper - they were so happy to meet the kids. It was truly a perfect end to a perfect day. The kids were so happy with their non-plant based boerie rolls!
      Great music took us into the evening and I sat and reflected on the experience under the open sky.
As a young environmental educator and conservationist, this experience was life changing. I realised how important reconnecting people, more importantly youth, to green spaces is. Not just the orthodox style of teaching EE, facts and doing tours around parks and reserves. But true immersion. Opportunities to breathe, touch, smell, hear and even taste, nature in its purest form. The need to see natural spaces in pristine environments is vital, it gives us hope in urban conservation spaces where we’re trying rehabilitate pockets of remnant vegetation and doctor ecological drivers.
The youth need to see this, they need to see more success stories so that they know what to fight for and what to live for. The Eco Guardians from Lotus High have been exceptional and we look forward to our journey back to Platbos in 2020.
     A huge thank you to Greenpop, Krige Trees, Platbos Forest and Princess Vlei Forum for making this happen, and thanks to to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth for funding our education projects. Thanks also to the following Eco-Guardians who came along: Damica Fortuin, Zoe Paulsen, Widaad Abrahams, Shannon Everson, Chandre November, Terry-ann Goliath, Jay-lee Marthinus, Ferdous Noordien, Cindy April, Amin Groves, Shakeel Groves, Rowan Hendricks, Letino Watson and Nicole Anthony.
So many laughs were shared and so much growth came from this journey.

Our Princess Vlei puppets were proud to be part of the youth strike against climate change in Cape Town on March 15. The puppets have been created by school learners for the Princesss Vlei Forum's annual Flight of Dreams parades through Grassy Park.

The puppets were carried by a group of the Harmony Primary Environmental club, who joined undreds of students at the protest. The protest was part of the wave of youth protests that was sparked by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who began the Friday school strikes to try to raise awareness of the need for urgent action to try to prevent fossil fuel induced climate change from being even more destructive. Similar protests took place in other parts of South Africa, and accross the world, under the hashtag #ClimateStrike.

In Cape Town, over a thousand learners from numerous schools across the province gathered with bright coloured posters outside Parliament. They chanted, “Stop denying! Our earth is dying”, “Mother earth, can we fix it? Mother Earth, yes we can!” and “Change your mind, not your planet.”

Sarah Farrel, one of the organisers, said that the protesters were demanding that government halt new fossil fuel projects. They also called for much more renewable energy by 2030. “We want it to be right, front and centre, because it is exacerbating poverty. It is making peoples lives worse,” she said.

Recent extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Idai and Cyclone Kenneth which have devastated Mozambique, the floods in KZN, and severe droughts in parts of South Africa highlight the destructive impact that Climate change is already having on humans and environment. The UN IPCC special report has warned that governments have ten years to bring greenhouse gases emissions under control, to  avert runaway climate chaos and climate tipping points which might make the planet uninhabitable. We would like to salute Harmony Primary learners Julius Bolligelo, Hannah Elliot, Sixolise Yohane, Chloe  Sardine and  Musa Khumalo for giving up the first afternoon of the school holiday to raise awareness of the critical need for governments to act urgently and effectively in tackling this issue.

Our local learners are blessed with highly creative teachers, as we discovered at the Princess Vlei Forum/Peter Clarke Art Centre workshop on 2 February. The workshop was held in honour of World Wetland’s Day, and aimed to show teachers creative ideas for using totem poles to teach learners about the food webs of common Princess Vlei animal and plant species.

Introducing the workshop, Bridget Pitt from the PVF explained that the Forum was dedicated to using Princess Vlei to give kids a chance to experience and learn about nature, and to awaken their passion for it. ‘This is our best investment to ensure that places like Princess Vlei are cared for in the future. The Forum works actively with the PCAC’s outreach project, Ibhabhathane, as art is a powerful aid to instil an appreciation of nature.’
 
The site manager, Denisha Anand, spoke about the Forum’s programme to develop learners into young nature guardians, and about how they can become active nature conservationists by helping to capture data about endangered species such as the Western Leopard Toad.
 
Fabian Hartzenberg, from the PCAC, facilitated the workshop. He explained that the totem uses symmetry and balance, perfectly reinforcing lessons about how foodwebs need to be balanced to enable a healthy eco-system. The project can be used when teaching both the art and science curriculum.
 
Under his guidance, teachers explored different ways to construct the totem poles to using recycled and found materials. The teachers threw themselves into the task, and the results were spectacular.
 
This event marks the beginning of the Forum’s annual programme to use creative activities to excite children about the nature on their doorstep. A highlight will be our annual parade, this year scheduled on September 14. Any interested teachers can contact us on imagine@princessvlei.org.
 
Thanks to the Peter Clarke Art Centre for hosting the workshop, and to the Ibhabhathane project and Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth for supporting our environmental conservation programmes.

Denisha Anand has been employed by Princess Vlei Forum to manage the Greater Princess Vlei Conservation Area. This is a huge site, with both great rewards - and great challenges. In this post, Denisha looks back at some of the challenges and rewards of her first year as manager of GPVCA

Challenges
 
Workforce
There is much to do on the site, both to restore it's ecological integrity, and to manage it. Getting enough hands on ground to do this work has been one of our biggest challenges this year. Even though we were allocated EPWP contracts for most of the year, our work load on site has been backlogged for quite a few years. We have made a lot of progress on site but encourage the public to participate in clean-ups and alien species removal events hosted by either the CoCT or PVF.

The tragic loss of our team member
Losing one of our first contract workers, Neville De Koker, was a devastating tragedy. Neville was part of the first CoCT EPWP team on site. He was shot near his home in Retreat and later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Neville’s passing had a huge impact on the team and on myself as a manager. His family came together to plant a tree with the PVF at Princess Vlei and continues to visit and water his tree in memory of him.

Theft and vandalism
This year we have attempted to do some rehabilitative planting on site. We planted a healing garden in the shape of a spiral. But over the past few months since the planting people have been stealing the river stones that have been set out to mark the garden and create the pathway. This has been extremely disappointing. We have also had wooden edging stolen from one of our planting projects done by High School learners. Stealing  plants, rocks and infrastructure from the site is stealing from the children and community members who come to enjoy Princess Vlei. It is very discouraging for our learners, who take great pride in the gardens they create on site, to see their work destroyed like this.   We urge the public to report any theft or vandalism seen on site. Please don't buy any plants or garden features which you suspect may have been stolen from this or any other nature site.

Litter
We have experienced large amounts of litter being left behind by visitors, particularly near at the braai facilities such as alcohol bottles, chips packets, meat packaging and so on. There are black bins available for refuse on site. If the bins are full or you can not access them then please take your packaging home and discard it there- if you managed to bring it to the Vlei, it should not be difficult to take it away. The wind blows a lot of the rubbish in to the water and has a negative impact on aquatic and bird life at the vlei.
 
Water harvesting
During the worst phase of Cape Town’s drought, we experienced quite a number of people attempting to harvest water from the Greater and Little Princess Vleis. This is illegal and fines can and will be issued on site. We have also seen  people collecting water from the ablution block  near the old fish market on Prince George Drive.  While we know water has become a scarce resource in the City, we cannot allow this on site - it would quickly grow out of hand, with a devastating impact on the plants and animals which rely on the water. The traffic to get the water is also very destructive.

Gains

Princess Vlei Guardians
Having a full-time manager has enabled us to take our relationship with the schools to a new level. In addition to the  regular creative art and eco- awareness activities,  such as the Flight of Dreams parade, they manager has been co-ordinating a group of high school learners, who have formed a club called the Lotus Princess Guardians. These learners visit the vlei, do clean-ups, observations, planting and other hands on activities that feeds in to the science curriculum. The Lotus Princess Guardians has been our first guardian school and has done exceptionally well this year. Next year, we plan to involve other high schools, and to have a junior guardian school programme with the primary schools as well. Altogether, we have involved nearly 200 children in over 20 events this year.
 
Western Leopard Toad Workbook
Management and the PVF co-created an amazing workbook for young scientists to facilitate the collection of  baseline data for the Princess Vlei endangered Western Leopard Toad population. The workbook will be completed by high school learners who are part of our guardian project, and the data they collect will be logged by management. This will help us understand where the toads travel to when they’re not on site, where they call from, where they’re breeding and if there are any new risks and threats that we need to be aware of. It will also raise awareness of these magical creatures, and encourage all community members to help look after them. Click on the image to download the workbook. This can be freely used for non-profit educational purposes, but please email us if you want to reproduce it.

Restoration Management Plan
Princess Vlei will have a full Restoration Management Plan in 2019. An expert consultant, Alex Lansdowne,  was brought in by management and funded by PVF to create a plan to guide the restoration and rehabilitation process of the vegetation on site. This plan will guide alien invasive clearing, fynbos and Strandveld restoration and rehabilitation etc. Alex Lansdowne has been putting this document together for Princess Vlei over the course of 2018. As management, we’re excited to  be following a set plan that aims to see species and habitat recovery over a period of 5 years plus. We plan to raise further funds for an exciting community project to re-establish signature endemic species on site such as Serruria Foeniculacea and Erica verticillata. This beautiful Erica was once abundant in the area, but is now extinct in the wild. Serruria Foeniculacea was restricted to a 50km2 area around Princess Vlei, and is now critically endangered in nature.
 
Partnership with Platbos Forest
A beautiful partnership was fostered between Princess Vlei and the Platbos Forest Family. Platbos has donated over 30 trees to Princess Vlei this year which was used to create a memory thicket, in memory of those that we have lost and in memory of the plant species that have been lost too. An event honouring Neville De Koker was held to plant the trees, during which people were invited to dedicate trees to memory of loved ones. In 2019, PVF will partner with Platbos to take 15 to 20 young Princess Vlei Guardians to the Reforest Fest. We’re excited about this partnership and look forward to seeing it grow.
 
Water Hyacinth Eradication Plan
Management and relevant CoCT staff have created an Eradication Plan for water hyacinth at Princess Vlei. The Plan will be adjusted as we go along in order to establish what works and what does not. The plan hopes to have Water Hyacinth controlled within a space of 2 to 3 years on site.

Networking
In addition to management work on site, Denisha has represented PVF and Princess Vlei at various fora this year, in particular the National Wetlands Indaba, and the Fynbos Forum. She presented a poster at the Fynbos Forum this year, and will do a presentation on Princess Vlei next year. This has greatly boosted the profile of Princess Vlei in the conservation community, as well as providing Denisha with many exciting opportunities to share experiences and knowledge with others in the field.

 ‘The learners couldn’t stop talking about the event … they were in and out of my class wanting to talk and get pics.’
             
These words from Lotus Primary teacher, Priscilla de Wet, capture the excitement of the learners who attended the Princess Vlei Boats and Toads event on 29 November. The event was held in partnership with Gravity adventures, to raise awareness about and appreciation for our beautiful leopard toads.
 
Forty learners from Lotus and Harmony Primary attended. They were given worksheets about the leopard toad, completed and activity and answered questions about habitat, size, life cycle and threats. They then looked at photographs of a toad and modeled a clay toad based on these. This activity helped them get a real, sensory feel of how the toad looks and is shaped – particularly as the models were life size. The learners then visually decorate the ‘toad habitat’ on the bases for the toads to sit on.

While one group was busy with the toads, the others went onto the water. Gravity Adventure facilitators showed the learners how to paddle, and gave them some practice on land. They were strapped into life jackets, and off they went. A few learners had a good opportunity to study toad habitats and breeding grounds when they landed up in the reeds.
 
Western Leopard Toads have recently expanded their breeding grounds at Princess Vlei, and we hope that we will get more toad activity as we improve the environmental health of the area. The Forum is busy with a project with older learners to monitor toad movements at the vlei and in surrounding private gardens, and to raise awareness of the need to protect these animals. Toads are on the move, and we’d like to invite any local residents to inform us of toad sightings, or if you have heard them at night.
 
A huge thanks to Gravity for making their canoes, life jackets and facilitators available, and enabling the children to have such a wonderful time on the water.
 Thanks also to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust Managed by Nedbank Private Wealth for funding our conservation education programme.