‘It’s more than just grass!’
This is the mantra followed by the Friends of the Haenertsburg Grasslands (FroHG) who celebrated their 10th anniversary on Saturday, November 25.
FroHG was predated by informal volunteer group, Haenertsburg Environmental Monitoring and Action Group (HEMAG), from 2002-2007.
In alliance with the Haenertsburg Development Foundation (HADEF), HEMAG ran a grassland conservation project funded by the National Lottery from 2003-2006.
This saw various changes and improvements in the area, including, but not limited to; an environmental management plan, the reopening of the hiking trail and the removal of alien plants.
FroHG was launched on September 24, 2007 with a formal constitution (amended in 2015) under the guidance of then chairman, Ian Burman, who was instrumental in launching their website, www.haenertsburg.co.za/FrOHG/.
During Burman’s time as chairman, there were a number of attempts at the land that is home to the Woodbush Granite Grassland (WGG) ecosystem, which is endemic to the area and is the rarest ecosystem in Limpopo and holds the highest priority conservation score.
The WGG ecosystem also holds the highest range of biodiversity in South Africa, second only to the Fynbos ecosystem.
The first was by Ndowana/De Beers who carried out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) seeking to prospect for kimberlite (diamonds) on the lower slopes of the Iron Crown between 2008-2010.
Luckily, this did not go through and there was no mining done in the area.
There have also been several unlawful land appropriations all over the area.
The WGG system was listed in the Government Gazette as a critically endangered ecosystem in terms of the Biodiversity Act in 2011.
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Following this successful motion, Haenertsburg Nature Reserve was declared on June 17, 2016 (Provincial Notice 68 of 2016).
FroHG are currently setting up a management plan for the nature reserve in an attempt to secure the management authority of the reserve.
In the meantime, FroHG have put up signs demarcating the boundaries of the reserve, and continue to implement strategies to raise public awareness of the critically endangered grassland.
These strategies include hiking trails, spring flower walks, sports events, signage Flyers, calendars, their website and the quarterly publication, the Mountain Getaway.
Earlier this year, Cathy Dzerefos entered FroHG into the Enviropaedia competition in which FroHG was awarded an Eco-Logic Eco-Community Bronze Award as well as a certificate of merit in the biodiversity section.
