My name is wood fairie. I look after the woods and mother earth forest...
     This was one of the many nature guardians created by local school learners at Princess Vlei in the last few weeks.
       Learners from Levana Primary, Primrose Park Primary and Lotus High came to Princess Vlei to create the guardians: symbolic figures to express the children’s commitment to caring for nature and wild creatures. 
      The learners first explored Princess Vlei to observe what animals were living there, and to discuss what dangers threatened them, and what they needed to keep safe. Learners also gathered found natural material such as sticks, leaves and feathers. Our young naturalists were particularly inspired by a large crab spotted on the banks of the southern outlet canal.

The learners then used their natural materials to create small guardian figures to keep the wildlife safe at Princess Vlei.

Two weeks later, the children gathered at Lotus High school to begin work on large guardian figures. These large biodegradable figures will be installed at Princess Vlei at our annual Flight of Dreams parade on Saturday, September 21. Learners will be invited to inscribe their intentions on how to care for nature on wooden sticks to be incorporated into the guardian figures.

Several generations of strong women came together to Princess Vlei on August 9 to plant trees and to honour our women heroes, past and present.
The event was organized by the Princess Vlei Forum in celebration of National Women’s Day and the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. About 80 women from local communities came together to plant 30 indigenous trees, donated to Princess Vlei.
    The Princess Vlei has long been associated with women and the indigenous people, as expressed in the legend of the Princess. This is the story of a KhoeKhoe woman who was violated by Portuguese sailors from the d’Almeida party, in 1509. Her tears formed the vlei.
   Mary Jansen, a longstanding community and cultural activist was the MC for the event, and was presented with a book to honour her contribution to the fight for social justice and for the recognition of indigenous people’s rights.  Jansen is a Chief in the Cochoqua Tribal House.
Emma Oliver opened with a prayer, giving thanks for the women ‘of the past days who inspire us with their courageous lives’.

    The first tree planted was in honour of the unnamed Princess of Princess Vlei. This tree is a sapling of the ‘Treaty Tree’ ­- a 500 year old Milkwood still growing in Woodstock.  A battle between the KhoeKhoe and the Portuguese sailors under De Almeida  took place near by the tree in 1509 -  64 sailors were killed. Later slaves were sold under the tree, and the Blaauwberg Treaty granting the Cape to the British was signed there in 1806. The sapling was donated to Princess Vlei by fynbos consultant Alex Lansdowne.
    Princess Chantal Revell planted a tree in honour of Sarah Baartman, the KhoeKhoe women who was taken to England in 1810 and suffered horrific abuse, including being paraded as a spectacle in public. Revell described a recording of Baartman’s voice, in which she said, ‘Ek wil huis toe gaan’. She died aged 26 in France, but her body was kept and dissected. Her remains were finally returned to South Africa for a dignified burial in 2002.
   Tanyan Gradwell, an indigenous revivalist and social activist, planted a tree in honour of Krotoa. Krotoa was taken to the castle by Jan van Riebeeck as a young girl, and suffered abuse at the hands of the Dutch. She learnt Dutch and worked as a translator in negotiations with the KhoeKhoe. She later married and had children, but after a short, traumatic life died of alcoholism.
Gradwell spoke about the injustices suffered by the Cape’s indigenous people, which are still continuing. She read out a poem she had written to Krotoa, asking ‘There are so many truth and lies, do you know that your children have been marginalized…?‘

    Mary Jansen planted a tree in honour of Zubeida Jaffer, a long time activist for social justice and women’s rights. Jaffer spoke about the importance of giving our daughters a positive message, of helping them to heal from the intergenerational trauma that has been handed down over the centuries. ‘We need to tell them every day how beautiful they are, and that they deserve to be treated with respect’.
    Several other members of group spoke about women they were honouring by planting trees. Amongst them was Cheryl Jacobs, whose parents ran a fruit and vegetable stall at the Princess Vlei for many decades; and Clarina de Freitas, who planted a tree in honour of the De Freitas women who sold fish near Princess Vlei for several generations. ‘Our slogan was that no-on should ever go hungry’
Charlene Houston spoke about her grandmother, Winifred le Shauls, who was brought from the Congo to South Africa as a child servant. 
   The Princess Vlei is an appropriate space to honour strong women, as it holds a memory and energy going back thousands of years. There is much trauma in that memory, but also growth, connection, healing and support. Trees remind us of the power of community, the strength of diversity, and the importance of roots, and the trees planted today will endure as beautiful living monuments to honour the indigenous peoples and strong women of this land.

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.

“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.