Alien Invasive Plant Book Launch with Karin Spottiswoode

ABOUT

Invitation to the first Launch of INVASIVE ALIEN AND PROBLEM PLANTS ON THE WITWATERSRAND AND MAGALIESBERG” by Karin Spottiswoode will be on Saturday 26th October 2024 at 11h00 to 12h00 at the Kloofendal Ecological Centre.

This book will assist property owners, management of Johannesburg public and private property, deal with the most common, alien invasive, problem plants on the Witwatersrand and Magaliesberg

The eradication methodology is mostly based on experience gained on work done, and still ongoing, in the Kloofendal Nature Reserve in Johannesburg, by the Friends of Kloofendal, supported by JCPZ, who have given Extended Public Works Programme workers to learn and assist. There is minimal use of herbicides.

This book has been a nine year project by the author, who originally qualified and practiced as an Occupational Therapist for many years, got her first field guiding qualification, FGASA I in 2002, at the same time as when the Friends of Kloofendal (FroK) was founded – she was one of the founder members.. She later obtaining her FGASA II and III qualifications. She started an Environmental Education Programme in Kloofendal with qualified guides and guides specialists in their field, for school groups during the week and community members with different nature topics, over weekends. This has been running well over the last twenty years with support of the loyal FroK committee members, guides and volunteers.

Being well acquainted with the indigenous plants in her area of guiding, she became most concerned at the number of alien invasive species growing in the reserve and all over Johannesburg, increasing in quantity and size over the years at an alarming rate, and minimal effective work, being done about these plants overtaking our natural veld, public open spaces in and around Johannesburg and on people’s private properties. 

Part of the FroK’s Environmental Education became teaching Coop workers, JCPZ staff, community members, what the harmful invading plants are, how to identify them, what harm they do and how to take them out.

This new book is an easy book to use, it assists people to recognize the invasive plants through photographs of the general plant, the leaves, flowers, seeds, also description of smell, describing where they grow, how big they get, warnings in red if the plant is toxic or has other harmful properties and how to distinguish these plants from similar harmless, indigenous plants.

The national regulations laid down by National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) is explained. As the National list of declared Alien Invasive Plants (AIPs) is for all over South Africa, this local book greatly facilitates identification of these AIPs focussed on just the Witwatersrand and Magaliesberg.

Also giving the common names as many people do not know the Latin names as listed in the National AIP List. 

The tools and methodology of taking the harmful plants out is described,

Each plant successfully removed is recorded with a simple cell phone App. which shows GPS location, date and time. These records are processed to give numbers of plants removed in each species, and location thereof on the GPS map.

The book is laid out systematically, one or two pages per plant, in seven categories, namely grasses, trees, shrubs, herbs, creepers, succulents and water plants, each plant by its Latin genus and species name, its common name(s) and family name, alphabetical according to genus within each category. 

If the plant is a declared Alien Invasive Plant (AIP), the plant number and category is given. 

Also, the country of origin.

This book is designed to provide guide lines on control of the many AIP species that occur on the Witwatersrand and Magaliesberg ,and most specifically aimed at full control of these harmful plants in the forests they have become, all over Johannesburg and in the Magaliesberg.

Meet at the Ecological Centre 15 minutes before the event. This event will go ahead regardless of the weather. For queries, please contact the Friends of Kloofendal (phone, WhatsApp) on 079 693-5608. For more information about Kloofendal Nature Reserve, please go to www.kloofendalfriends.org.za

DIRECTIONS