GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - During its annual key stakeholder report-back event on Wednesday 13 December, the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) will be highlighting some of the most burning issues related to environmental management in the Garden Route.

Cobus Meiring of the GREF says maintaining a healthy environment requires money, as any land manager will agree. 

"Dealing with the eradication and constant control of fast spreading invasive alien plants (IAPs) in the Garden Route is a particularly expensive exercise. Although private landowners in the Garden Route go to great lengths to clear their land in line with legislation, they are facing an uphill battle as the costs related to petrol, herbicide and labour soar."

Similarly, mountain catchments and rivers are badly affected by invasive species such as pines and wattle, and there simply is no longer sufficient funding available for authorities to effectively deal with the scourge.

Working for Water not making a dent

According to Meiring, the Working for Water programme (WfW) is not able to make a dent in the spreading of invasive plants in the Garden Route as less money becomes available from Treasury. WfW was established some three decades ago to deal with invasive alien plants on a national scale and in the process generate much-needed jobs.

"State-sponsored business models to clear land in collaboration with supporting environmental management agencies prove difficult to implement. Land cleared often falls back to historic densities and it is essential to do follow-up work, but it is expensive and is then not conducted."

Climate change enhances IAPs

He says the advent of climate change enhances the presence of IAPs in the landscape, and the cumulative effect this has on the destruction of biodiversity and availability of fresh water resources lost from catchments and river systems, already impacts on water security in South Africa. 

In addition, a warmer climate with hotter and stronger winds impacts on stored water in dams and reservoirs as higher than normal evaporation rates takes its toll.

"The South African economy and the country’s ability to manage its environment is inextricably intertwined. It is critical to understand that if all in the country strive to a higher quality of life and environment, a prospering and fast-growing economy is not negotiable," says Meiring.

Food and water security vital

Food and water security is vital for the future of South Africa and all its citizens, and the dire state of sewerage management systems countrywide, polluted rivers and the spread of invasive alien plants deserve urgent attention.

The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) is a public platform for environmental management and conservation entities in the Southern Cape.

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