STRADDLING the Palmiet and Umbilo rivers, three highways, two proclaimed nature areas (Palmiet and Roosfontein), as well as several office parks and malls, the eleven-year-old Conservancy launched its Revitalising Westville campaign to tackle some of the neglect and rampant invasive alien plants that have taken hold over the last couple of years.
Westville has become a suburb overrun by alien invasive species including Syringa, Ageratum, Widelia, Triplaris, balloon vine, as well as pervasive neglect and degradation of open spaces, with green lungs such as Westville’s parks becoming dumping grounds for waste, infested by invasive alien plants, with endemic biodiversity nearly obliterated.
The conservancy is geared to build on its already rich legacy in the community with a growing membership of 400 and long-standing corporate supporters in Lomas-Walker Attorneys, Westville Veterinary Hospital and Westville Boys’ High School. More recently PicknPay, HiQ, Inspect- a-Home and the Lions Project have come on board,.
Over the last decade thousands of indigenous trees have been planted. The conservancy has transformed the road reserve of the 9km stretch of the M13 through Westville from the N2 to Paradise Valley from an invasive alien plant infested corridor to a corridor for nature-with absolutely minimum sponsorship. Alien-free verges act as wildlife corridors and buffer zones that help to stop the spread of invasive plants. All money raised from donors and sponsors is ploughed into on-going alien invasive plant removal, and replanting diverse endemic plant coverage. The conservancy promotes and implements vitally important nature corridors connecting the Umbilo and Palmiet River Valleys via the Westville Trail and at Paradise Valley/Cowies Hill.
Under the dedication of conservancy members John and Marion Hinck, who received a Mayoral award for their efforts in 2011, one of Westville’s open spaces, Jubilee Park, a 130 000 square meter area, has been transformed from an invasive alien plant-infested open desert to an example of the natural biodiversity of a swamp forest.
The Westville Conservancy has more recently turned to tackling high profile, central open spaces through a strategy of guerrilla gardening and winning over the local authorities to a more eco-friendly and efficient way of maintaining Westville.
The Revitalising Westville campaign has seen the adoption of some of Westville’s most visible and degraded areas, and rehabilitating these, clearing IAPs and planting indigenous flora. With professional landscaper Jenni Bell as a member of the executive committee, these areas quickly turned into a beautiful celebration and diversity of indigenous plantings.
The area around the Norfolk Terrace bus stop on the M13 was first, with bags of litter and glass and masses of soil removed to give rise to broad-leaved Coral tree surrounded by natural grasses, Carissa macrocarpa and succulents.
Again buried under rubble and rubbish, the traffic island intersection of Jan Hofmeyr and Roger Sishi has been planted up with a diverse selection of trees, shrubs and groundcovers.
For residents of Westville, and those invested in this suburb, the sudden beauty and care bestowed on what was once ugly and neglected, makes a welcome change.
