A hands-on approach to conservation

Wits third-year students spent time at the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve where they got a practical experience to conservation.

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Black smoke indicates full combustion while white smoke indicates some residual moisture in the grass load

Every year, a visit by third-year Wits students to the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve has them assess the grass load, check the wind speed and temperature before the koppies’ conservation team burns the area.

This exercise simulates a real-life conservation situation giving students some practical grounding for their future careers.

According to Jenny Grice, a volunteer at the nature site, South African grasslands are under threat. “Thousands of years ago, grasslands managed themselves – regular fires often caused by lightning strikes on dried-out winter grass helped to keep grasslands from being taken over by forests and maintained their plant, animal and bird diversity.”

Prof. Sally Archibald demonstrates the use of a Kelsey anemometer to measure wind speed and temperature.

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Now urbanisation, the expansion of agriculture and timber, and the encroachment by invasive alien plants are new threats to grasslands’ existence.

Grice said grasslands are important components of the ecosystem as they act as a sponge to catch rainwater runoff ensuring that streams and rivers continue running throughout the year. “They support a vast range of plants, animals and birds; many plants that grow in grasslands are used medicinally by a large proportion of the South African population.”

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