KNYSNA NEWS - Identifying invasive alien plants as the number one threat to our regional environment and natural infrastructure, and the work done by Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI) in assisting landowners and managers in the area to help them understand the environmental damage and downstream problems caused by invasive alien plants, directly feed into the way we manage natural infrastructure in the Southern Cape, says Cobus Meiring of SCLI, and the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).
Meiring attended a presentation on the ecological investment framework project held at Nelson Mandela University's (NMU) Saasveld Campus in George in November.
In their joint presentation to key environmental stakeholders, CSIR project leaders Dr Dave Le Maitre and Dr Greg Forsyth said, "What we dubbed the ecological investment framework project, is really an investment in ecological infrastructure, by which we mean an investment in protecting ecosystems for the services they provide to us, such as reliable supplies of water and productive land."
Disasters necessitate action
"The recent extremely destructive wildfire covering almost 100 000 hectares, as well as those during the past two years, including the Knysna and Riverdale disasters, again focused regional attention on ecological resilience, disaster and risk response and its associated factors," said Le Maitre.
The Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) was contracted by the Western Cape Government in an effort to get a grip on the state of, and future management of the natural environment of the Western Cape.
Also discussed at the meeting was current work in the region regarding the implementation of the Western Cape biodiversity spatial plan (BSP), the prioritisation process of the ecological infrastructure investment framework (EIIF) and alien invasive species strategy (AISS) for the province.
The recent Outeniqua fires focused regional efforts on the ecological infrastructure and the services they provide to us, such as reliable supplies of water and productive land. Photo: Supplied
In attendance at the presentation and follow-on discussion was a range of stakeholders, including representatives from local authorities and conservancies.
Concluded Meiring, "With the assistance and support we receive from the Table Mountain Fund, SCLI will continue with its natural infrastructure initiatives over the next three years."
Find out more: www.scli.org.za/gref
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