A group of facilitators and students from Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Stellenbosch campus recently assisted in clearing invasive plant species at the Bellville Park campus.
This is according to John de Wet, the environmental sustainability manager at SU’s Facilities Management Division. De Wet said that students assisted in clearing Port Jacksons and Blue Gum vegetation during their excursion on 13 March.
These species were targeted for removal as they use too much water, said De Wet.
Bellville Park was chosen because it is a highly-infested area that used to be a compost dump site, according to De Wet, who also said that they planned to clear 4 000 square metres of land that day.
“The plants which will be introduced will be indigenous fynbos plants endemic to the area,” said De Wet.
A group of students from Stellenbosch University’s campus recently assisted in removing invasive Port Jackson and Blue Gum vegetation species at the Bellville Park campus on Thursday 13 March. Pictures from left to right: Sonia Twongyeirwe, a BAHons (International Studies) student, Christine Groenewald, the environmental sustainability coordinator, Jasmine de Wet, an intern at the Facilities Management division, Taariq Fakier, the conservation and waste management specialist, Cole de Villiers, an intern at the Facilities Management division, and Mitchell Sibindi, a Diploma in Sustainable Development student at the SU Business School. PHOTO: Uendjizuvira Kandanga
Christine Groenewald, the environmental sustainability coordinator at SU, said that the Port Jackson and Blue Gum vegetation species are invasive and are being cut down so that new indigenous plants can be introduced and the area can be rehabilitated.
“We cannot rehabilitate unless we get rid of the invasive species,” said Groenewald. “The eucalyptus leaves a very acidic soil, so nothing else can grow. And they are very water-hungry, so they take up all the water that we get.”
A small measure
Sonia Twongyeirwe, a BAHons (International Studies) student at SU, said that she decided to come to the activity because she is curious about nature and the native species in Stellenbosch.
“I think this is a small measure being taken to ensure the native species can continue to thrive,” said Twongyeirwe.
Taariq Fakier, the conservation and waste management specialist at Stellenbosch University, applies a solution to the cuttings of an invasive plant so that the invasive vegetation does not regrow. PHOTO: Uendjizuvira Kandanga
Students can get involved
Cole de Villiers, an intern at SU’s Facilities Management division, encouraged students to get involved with conservation and aim to reduce waste.
“Switch over to recyclable material, whether using a cotton bag to do your shopping, or refilling instead of buying stuff in new containers,” said De Villiers. “Also, check for water leakages and switch off unnecessary appliances. […] Monitoring your everyday consumption is a small action, but it makes a big effort in the end.”
SU has implemented various sustainable development goals (SDG), such as SDG 6, which speaks to clean water and sanitation, SDG 13, which is about climate action, and SDG 15, which is about life on land, said De Wet.