SEVERAL plant species, including a range of specially protected bulbs and aloes growing along the busy N3, have been translocated to a temporary nursery to save them from being destroyed during the upgrading of the Hammarsdale interchange.
With the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) working together with the eThekwini Municipality Environmental Planning Department, plants such as aloe arborescens, aloe ferox, aleo maculate, ledebouria floribunda, ledebouria ovativfloia and hypoxis hemerocallidea were transplanted.
“These plants lay within the limits of the construction works and needed to be removed to avoid being damaged and destroyed,” said Jason Lowe, SANRAL eastern region project manager.
Part of the area falls within Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D’MOSS) which manages grassland and any vegetated areas along the N3.
“The plants were growing in areas where construction of the new ramps for the interchange was going to occur.”
He said these indigenous plants would have been damaged or destroyed by construction machinery and blasting if they were not removed.
An environmentalist highlighted areas and the type of indigenous plants most likely to be found within the project limits and
a plant specialist removed these plants.
“The plants have been moved to a temporary nursery where they will be monitored and taken care of until they are replanted back in their original environment.
“All plants that were removed were carefully replanted in temporary plastic bags. The plants were grouped according to type of species and will be watered accordingly,” added Lowe.
The plants will remain at the temporary nursery until the construction is completed in their respective areas around June 2018.
