More trees acquired for the Parys Wetland
The rehabilitation of the Parys Wetland extends beyond the task of cleaning up decades of trash and building rubble. It also demands a careful, systematic approach to remove invasive plants and replace them with indigenous, endemic species.
During an early inspection of the Parys Wetland in July it was discovered that many of the plant species one would expect to find there made way for invasive and exotic species.
The natural process whereby invasive plants are spread by birds and other animals grazing the wetland is further compounded by deforestation, as well as the illegal dumping of garden refuse that introduces exotic plants using cuttings that take root easily.
The rehabilitation of the Parys Wetland extends beyond the task of cleaning up decades of trash and building rubble. It also demands a careful, systematic approach to remove invasive plants and replace them with indigenous, endemic species.
In August, Agricultural scientist, John Kesi, from the Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) paid a visit to the Parys Wetland. It was during his visit that John offered his support for the project and immediately made arrangements for much-needed trees to be planted in the Wetland.
With the support from DESTEA, a hundred trees (Combretum erythrophyllum – River Bushwillow / Vaderlandswilg and Searsia lancea – Karee) were made available for this project. The trees were, however, located in QwaQwa and the “Vleilanders” had to find a way to transport the trees from QwaQwa to Parys.
After reaching out to the Parys community for assistance with the transportation of the trees, it was Bronwyn Cilliers from Valtrac who stepped up and made it happen.
The trees were delivered by Valtrac in Parys on December 5 at the “Dorpstuin” in Boom Street where they will acclimate and be taken care of until the wetland becomes their new home in early spring.
This collection of trees will not only serve an aesthetic purpose but will also contribute greatly towards restoring the ecological balance of the Parys wetland to its former glory.
Fauna and flora lovers may also join the “Parys Wetland Project” on iNaturalist by installing the free iNaturalist smartphone application. iNaturalist is essentially an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. It sources and identifies plants, trees, insects, and bird species through its unique identification system and organism occurrence recording tool.
Scan the QR code to visit the “Parys Wetland Project” on iNaturalist, or simply search for the project from within the iNaturalist app after you have installed it. From there it is as simple as taking your phone with you when you visit the Parys Wetland, or any other natural environment.
