‘Friends’ needed for local reserves
Nature initiatives have been modelled on what has been done at Pigeon Valley.
THE work of the Friends of Pigeon Valley is gaining momentum in 2015 as the Friends worke closely with the municipal managers of this small reserve in Glenwood to help conserve the area and to ensure that it is in prime condition.
While the municipality manages the area, the Friends have undertaken alien clearing, tree labelling and educational projects that both enhance biodiversity and human use of the area.
Crispin Hemson, who leads the Friends group, said Pigeon Valley is close to Howard College, facing the bay and unusually, it has a north slope and south slope, which seems to have made it a hot spot for biodiversity.
“It has about 110 locally indigenous tree species and a bird list of close to 150 species. We have asked the municipality to make certain changes, such as Durban Water not cutting the grassy area on top of its reservoir, and Natural Resources trimming back some of the tree growth on the south to benefit seed-eating species. For the first time, we have seen Red-billed Firefinches in 2015,” he said.
An urban reserve may seem to be rather limited, but the changes seem to have made the reserve even more diverse. Another new sighting in 2015 has been a European Honey-Buzzard. One factor is the constant alien clearing funded by the Friends. Ngakhile Khwela, a skilled employee, has been working in particular on the areas around the reserve.
“The model of Friends groups, working closely with the management of nature reserves, is now spreading. Greg Arde is spearheading the establishment of a Friends of Burman Bush, a much larger reserve, drawing on the experience of Friends of Pigeon Valley. And Friends of Virginia Bush are expanding their membership and efforts to conserve the reserve. We are working in tandem, sharing experiences and strengthening the sense of collaboration between local citizens and municipal management,” said Crispin.
He said a recent initiative has been to develop species lists for each reserve, starting with trees and birds. In time, the plan is that visitors to Durban will be able to access full species lists for all natural areas in the city. The Friends groups, which are affiliated to WESSA, are working with other environmental groups on this issue. Their hope is that the Metro will host these lists on its website.
Both groups are keen to gain new members. Interested people are urged to contact Crispin Hemson (Pigeon Valley) on 031 206 1738 or hemsonc@gmail.com or Greg Arde (Burman Bush) on 082 822 0001 or gregarde@gmail.com
