Department conducts environmental inspections throughout Stellenbosch
As part of its National Invasive Species Week, the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) conducted a Joint Operation in Stellenbosch last week.
This major environmental inspection is unprecedented in scope and importance for Stellenbosch nature areas, according to Professor Hans Eggers, chairperson of Friends of Stellenbosch Mountain (FSM).
Four teams of inspectors of DFFE’s Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI) crisscrossed the entire Stellenbosch area, conducting environmental inspections of nearly 130 properties.
While special attention was paid to the large nature areas managed by Cape Nature, Stellenbosch Municipality and MTO Cape, private properties, rivers and nurseries were also on the agenda.
The purpose of these inspections was to ensure, and if necessary enforce, compliance with environmental laws, especially the Biodiversity Act.
DFFE has the power to issue warnings, fines, instructions (called pre-directives) and ultimately directives which can be enforced by the National Prosecuting Authority.
The focus of the DFFE Joint Operation was on invasive plants such as Black Wattles, Pines, Bluegums and the many other foreign species because they are a big threat.
Invasive plants multiply and grow much faster than indigenous vegetation.
With every successive wildfire, their number explodes as the millions of accumulated seeds germinate and displace the indigenous vegetation.
If no action is taken, they eventually destroy entire ecosystems and rivers. They are also a major fire hazard and worsen erosion.
A drive along the Western Cape's scenic routes reveals how bad the problem has become.
Stellenbosch and Cape Town depend to a great degree on the nearby mountain ranges for their water.
Along with climate change and direct human influences, alien invasive plants are the biggest single threat to these water supplies.
"Drastic action is urgently needed to stop and reverse the spread of invasives," says Stiaan Kotze, the head of the DFFE Environmental Management Inspectorate.
"Whatever is not done now to control invasive plants will later result in things becoming a lot worse and costing the taxpayer and country much more money."
Preparations for the DFFE Joint Operation started three years ago in 2021 after local NGO Friends of Stellenbosch Mountain (FSM) had written to the Minister of Environmental Affairs at the time, Barbara Creecy, asking for intervention in Stellenbosch municipal nature areas.
Co-founder and current chairperson of FSM, Professor Eggers, explains: “We were highly concerned about the deteriorating situation in the Paradyskloof nature area, our home turf.
“Following wonderful early work by Working for Water and our own efforts, as well as earlier contractor work, invasive alien plants had been almost contained locally by 2019.
“Since then, however, they are making a big comeback, both on the upper slopes of Stellenbosch Mountain and in the low-lying areas.
"We recognised, however, that the same problems were occurring in other areas too, including Papegaaiberg, Botmaskop, Idas Valley and Mont Rochelle. Stellenbosch Municipality provided neither the necessary money nor the human capacity to address the problem adequately.
“So we decided to write to the minister. Fortunately for Stellenbosch, Minister Creecy expanded the scope of DFFE investigations to include all nature areas, not just municipal ones.
“This makes much sense as invasive plants freely migrate across property boundaries. If your neighbour does not comply with the law on his property, you also suffer."
Stellenbosch residents are encouraged to report contraventions of environmental problems to the DFFE Environmental Crimes Hotline at 0800 205 005 or to Envirocrime@dffe.gov.za
FSM has been active in removing alien invasive plants since 2008, focusing on the Paradyskloof nature area and western slopes of Stellenbosch Mountain.
FSM holds monthly volunteer hacks in Paradyskloof; for details see https://fsmountain.org/hacks.html