Adapting is the name of NVT's game

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The teams that make up conservation body Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) have had to significantly change their approach to conservation during lockdown, and even under softer restrictions are still unable to do their usual fieldwork.

NVT's work with the environment in Nature's Valley is heavily reliant on being able to conduct fieldwork out in the surrounding area, but since the restrictions that came with lockdown, they have had to find new ways to conduct their work.

"As with all organisations and individuals, NVT has been adapting and changing to cope with the current lockdown due to Covid-19," said Kellyn Whitehead, conservation volunteer manager. They have also been able to complete more desk-based projects they previously might not have had time for.

"Fortunately, the NVT team has been able to use the lockdown to catch up on many admin and laptop-based tasks – these often get shunted down on to-do lists when fieldwork time is in great demand," she said.

NVT's marine team made up of Jesse Wildeman, Dr Gwenith Penry, Amy Perold, Aurore Counilh, Minke Tolsma, Caitlin Judge, Chris King and Julie Carlisle.

Nature's Valley team members Kellyn Whitehead, Mark Brown, Brittany Arendse and Kirwan Strydom.

Prior to lockdown, conservation ecologist Brittany Arendse had paid a visit to local beaches where shorebirds had seen mixed successes during the latest breeding season. "On Nature's Valley Beach there were only two plover chicks and one very young nest on the ground when lockdown started," she said.

"Lookout had one plover chick and at least four African oystercatcher chicks whose fates we cannot account for. We were generous when calculating breeding success for this season, by counting chicks that had hatched as fledged."

Arendse also noted that while birds on Lookout Beach experienced their lowest breeding success in five years, Nature's Valley Beach had the highest breeding success since they started work in the area.

Arendse has been confined to her home during lockdown, unable to check on the birds, but other divisions have to an extent been able to monitor certain wildlife.

One of the plover fledglings from this year's breeding season.

Every year around April, humpback whales start arriving in Plettenberg Bay on their way to Mozambique and Madagascar as part of their annual migration from the Antarctic. According to Whitehead, the whales were right on time this year. "Humpback whales were spotted at the end of April by a member of our marine team and then again during the weekend (6-7 June). There have also been sightings of the first southern right whales over the past few weeks, Whitehead confirmed.

When it comes to NVT's conservation education division, they have done work on their Table Mountain Fund small projects. "As the situation encourages outside-the-box thinking, one of our projects has shifted focus from minimising plastic to a scheme for growing vegetables in crates. This is an exciting project to encourage food security in communities," conservation educator Kirwan Strydom said.

Whitehead also confirmed that NVT is currently still not allowed to do fieldwork. "We are in the process of applying for permits so that we can start up again."

One of the plover chicks on Lookout Beach.