KNYSNA NEWS - Residents have alerted the Knysna-Plett Herald to an unsightly gash on the western Head above the now fire-damaged Featherbed Nature Reserve and want to know what this is.
A civil engineer, who did not want to be named, said that it seemed to have suddenly sprung up. "There has been no heavy rain to suddenly cause the hill to look like this. This is not a fire scar, so what is it?"
There have been stories of vehicles working on an access road which could have caused this damage, but this cannot be confirmed – and was in fact denied by SANParks, who attributed the cause to natural erosion.
"The area is above the Featherbed Reserve and not in the restaurant [sic]," said SANParks spokesperson Nandi Mgwadlamba this week.
"It is along a road, see whitish spot when you look across the area from the SANParks jetty, going to the bush, and was caused by runoff from the water," explained Mgwadlamba, who said this area was identified as one of the "hot spots" in the municipal GIS exercise and thus far as part of the Garden Route Rebuild project.
What is happening to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, is a burning question from readers who suddenly noticed this huge gash on the western Head hill.
She said the environmental committee is managing the following:
• High-risk erosion sites were identified through field surveys and this process is ongoing.
• Erosion mitigation materials (sediment retention fibre rolls and carpets) have been received from the Department of Environmental Affairs.
• Training was completed for the installation of erosion mitigation materials.
• The installation of erosion materials has commenced on high-risk erosion areas.
• Invasive alien plant control in burnt scar can only commence after some regrowth, with a three to six-month window.
• Project proposal for erosion mitigation and invasive alien plant management has been submitted to the National Disaster Management Committee for emergency funding.
Mgwadlamba confirmed that members of the environmental working group were on site on Friday, July 28 and that this area has been "categorised as a landslide and natural erosion," by planning manager for the Garden Route National Park, Len du Plessis.
Municipal manager Kam Chetty confirmed, "Our environmental department together with a representative of the owners, the national Department of Environmental Affairs, provincial department of environmental affairs and development planning, SANParks and CapeNature were on site and all agreed that erosion was imminent. Assistance has been offered to the representative of the owners by the Garden Route Rebuild, the environmental committee."
Unsuccessful attempts were made to contact the owners and management of Featherbed Nature Reserve.
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