The Endangered Geissorhiza radians.
and invasive alien plant species
(that displace the indigenous species). The two most important
emerging threats are the ongoing
impacts of global climate change
(as we have little way of predicting
its consequences), and the threat of
new diseases (associated with both
climate change, and with today’s
extensive global trade and passenger movements).
In addition to these threats, a new
emerging threat poses a serious
problem for conservation management in the Western Cape. This
threat is indiscriminate mowing and
clearing of our road verges and urban open spaces. In South Africa,
all new roads, road upgrades and
clearing (including mowing) of natural vegetation greater than 3ha
now require authorisation in terms
of Environmental Impact Assessment regulations. However, it appears that the management of road
A mixture of spring wildflowers on a road verge outside
of Darling.
verges, some servitudes and other
urban open spaces appear not to
be subject to environmental management planning, implementation
or monitoring. As a consequence, it
has become all too clear that
through poorly timed mowing practices, we may well be losing many
species of spring flowering and other wildflowers on our urban and
public open spaces long before they
have had a chance to set seed for
the next flowering season. While
the City of Cape Town has, in the
past, curtailed the mowing of certain areas during the flowering period to allow the spring wildflowers
to bloom and shed their seeds, it is
still disheartening to read that …
“City Parks will keep mowed areas
tidy as a priority” … and that …
“Staff and contractors will work
additional hours to limit and reduce
any mowing backlogs” (City of
Cape Town Media Release No. 596 /
A succulent form of Senecio littoreus (Hongerblom)
flowering on an open space at Yzerfontein.
2014, 15 August 2014). Understandably the City is faced with a
difficult decision (a decision that
either way, delights some residents
and angers others), but under our
current biodiversity concerns the
obvious decision appears quite
plain.
To highlight the impact that mowing and poor verge management
practices have had on our biodiversity, several examples exist, but
three recent ones, of wide concern,
include Serruria furcellata
(Kraaifontein Spiderhead Protea)
and Disa procera (no common
name), both Critically Endangered,
and the Near Threatened Satyrium
carneum (Rooikappie, Rooi-trewwa,
Ewwa-trewwa). Serruria furcellata
occurred naturally from Brackenfell
to Kraaifontein. Due to urbanisation
and industrial development, this
species was reduced in 1987 to
fewer than 250 plants in the
Dimorphotheca pluvialis (Cape Rain Daisy, Reënblommetjie, bietou, Witmargriet, Witosblom, Wit-sôe) flowering on an
urban open space in Brackenfell.