Dr GUY PRESTON

The Program Leader of the Campaign in South Africa "Working for Water"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

FROM

Preston believes the anti-invasive campaign must become more nuanced to get the public support it deserves. "The emphasis needs to shift from what is necessary to what is feasible as well."

Jacaranda City
Demand for a more flexible approach may be seen Pretoria, the nation's capital, which is famous for its jacaranda trees. The tree, an import from Argentina, was first brought to the city in 1880 and large-scale planting started soon after. A hundred years later, more than 50,000 jacarandas adorned the city's streets, parks, and gardens. South Africa's parliament passed an act three years ago that declared 198 exotic species as "weed and invader" plants. The law provides for stiff fines and jail sentences for trading in or keeping the plans on public or private land, including suburban gardens.
Officials recently listed the jacaranda under a special category of invasive species, which allows the city to keep existing trees but not to replant them when they die. The idea was that attrition would gradually eliminate the water-hungry alien trees from the city.

 But local residents have put up such a fight that city authorities may relent and allow them to replace dead trees.

"Plant Police"
Preston, of Working for Water, says the alien-invasive problem is so immense that it may well make sense to get the distractive fighting over the jacarandas out of the way. "We need all the support we can get. We don't want to alienate people," he said. "Jacarandas are a problem, but not to the extent that they should be allowed to get in the way of the bigger objective. We have to box clever and rather ensure support for the fight against far worse species." But in general authorities are not taking a more lenient approach. Cities employ municipal officers dubbed "plant police," who knock on suburban doors to inspect gardens. Errant owners get warned to remove listed alien-invasive plants or be charged. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

QUESTIONS:- Dr Guy Preston ...Is he responsible for removal of the Oak trees & even the exit strategy of forestry from the Cape How much of this out of control...ethnic cleansing campaign is he responsible for ? Sure Alien Invaders ..but consider that even "Jacaranda city" had to fight for their trees...ACTUALLY....what is going on! We cant seem to work out how invasive, for example and  Oak tree is....??? Or put it this way how slow a tree must spread before its fast enough to be an ALIEN INVADER threat...Are we, in the cape peninsula going to have to fight like Pretoria had to for our tiny little slithers of remaining forests!

By the way ...what does Zealot mean ?

READ ARTICLE OF THE MONTH...

THE PRETORIA JACARANDAS

Article of the Month

Jacaranda - Xenophobia in the name of Environment Management?

Ronnie Kasrils MP

 

The phrase "alien invasive plant" has become established jargon among some environmentalists in South Africa recently. It has become a phrase usually expressed with intonations of voice that communicate disgust and rejection, in fact phobia - a fear or hatred of that which is foreign. By definition invader plants are from foreign origins. These are the plants that evolved elsewhere on earth where the climatic and soil conditions correspond to the new territories they invade and where they displace indigenous plant communities. Invader plants are extremely successful in their new territories particularly because their natural enemies are absent. The phrase "alien invasive plant" however propagates a very misleading perception that all plants from foreign origins are invasive. Most certainly that is not true.

Usually environmentalists would recommend the planting of indigenous plants instead of exotics, or the so-called "alien invasives". Within this context indigenous refers to plants that occur naturally within the political boundaries of the country. This is a view that one would find difficult to defend scientifically. People should be clear that only humans are aware of political boundaries. For the rest of the living world, in particular for plants, boundaries are defined by the conditions to which they are adapted and their ability to reach suitable habitats. For this purpose plants have adapted strategies for seed dispersal, seed survival and so on. The problem, from an environmental point of view, arises when natural migration of a species gets a helping human hand. Taking the well known ecological truth of species migration into the debate about what is indigenous (or alien for that matter), one can then ask the question whether a Jacaranda tree that grows in Pretoria is all that more alien than a Yellowwood growing in this same city which would depend on the goodwill of humans to provide it with an adequate perennial water supply, through sprinkler irrigation to prevent its otherwise natural demise?

According to available information, the Jacaranda first struck root in South African soil in 1888 when two trees were planted at a school in Arcadia. The first seed was imported by James Clarke and from the first batch of seedlings, trees were planted in Koch Street, now known as Bosman Street, Pretoria. Ultimately the Jacaranda became so popular and widely planted that Pretoria became known as the Jacaranda City. It is estimated that some 55 000 Jacaranda trees occur within Pretoria. Johannesburg inhabitants argue that the Jacarandas in their city are more numerous and beautiful.

Jacaranda mimosifolia is a native to north-eastern Argentina where it occurs mainly along rivers in warmer-temperate sub-humid areas. It is deciduous. Here in South Africa the tree has adapted well to warm parts of the country. In frost prone areas it only survives where protection is provided during winter, until it is well established. It is very hardy to drought, surviving well in the northern and north-western parts of the country without much need for care and maintenance. Apart from its popularity as an ornamental tree, Jacaranda also yields an attractive light coloured timber that works well and can be used for cabinet making and office furniture.

The Jacaranda is cultivated throughout South Africa, from Cape Town to the North with the exception of the very cold central parts of the country where it doesn't survive. Jacaranda propagates itself in nature in the warm humid regions, such as the Lowveld of the Northern Province and Mpumalanga. In these areas the species can be undesirable. It is, however, very popular amongst local people not only for ornamental purposes, but also for shade. Its steady growth, an acceptance of a range of soil types, combined with the ease of propagation, probably adds to its popularity.

In terms of water use it is not possible to say whether Jacaranda consumes more water than comparable South African trees. Research to quantify accurately the water use of this species has not been done on any substantial scale, due to its fairly low importance as a commercial timber tree. It is, however, generally known that deciduous trees are much less demanding in their water needs than their evergreen counterparts particularly during the wintertime when water reserves in the summer rainfall areas are stressed. The notion that exotic trees use more water than indigenous trees is also a sweeping generalization that is not based purely on scientific evidence. Sufficient research hasn't been done to substantiate this assumption.

Non-South African plants, like the Jacaranda, have enriched this country. They provided resources for human benefit for a century or more. We will be a lot poorer without these non-native resources, and our environment, particularly the urban areas, will come under further pressure if all of these are to be removed. In an era where human demands on the environment and environmental resources are so enormous and put much stress on the natural conditions under which these natural systems became established, one has to look at exotic plants with a balanced perspective. On the one hand it is necessary to recognize their origins, their impact on water resources and their negative impact on other species. This in turn, needs to be balanced with the benefits people derive from these plants, and the protection they provide. This they definitely do, in many parts of our country. We should protect our water sources and manage the trees we introduced from other parts of the world for the best benefit of the environment and the people of South Africa.

It would be appropriate, in natural areas, to maintain the natural character and sense of place by controlling exotic vegetation, including those indigenous species that were introduced from elsewhere in this country. Populated areas, in particular the urban environment, are areas where the character of the landscape has been transformed permanently and where natural systems have been altered. These areas must be developed to provide for the human needs of everyday living. Extreme purist approaches to the environment in these areas may contribute very little to the dignity of people, who have a desire to live in an aesthetically pleasing environment. The Jacaranda trees of Pretoria serve as an example. The Jacaranda City will therefore remain for many years to come. The Jacarandas are part of South Africa's heritage.

This article was originally published in Green & Gold, October 2001.

Archived Articles

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 

"Plant Police"

Preston, of Working for Water, says the alien-invasive problem is so immense that it may well make sense to get the distractive fighting over the jacarandas out of the way.

"We need all the support we can get. We don't want to alienate people," he said. "Jacarandas are a problem, but not to the extent that they should be allowed to get in the way of the bigger objective. We have to box clever and rather ensure support for the fight against far worse species."

But in general authorities are not taking a more lenient approach. Cities employ municipal officers dubbed "plant police," who knock on suburban doors to inspect gardens. Errant owners get warned to remove listed alien-invasive plants or be charged.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://www.centurionweb.co.za/mall/PhilipGohl/news.html
Record
03 Oct 2003

Kasrils supports jacarandas

Elmarie Linde
Pretoria's purple haze, the legendary jacaranda trees, might still have a chance at survival. This is according to Councillor Philip Gohl, who sent a letter to the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Ronnie Kasrils, to get the minister's help in saving these exotic trees that the city is well-known for locally and internationally. Min Kasrils has, in turn, written to the minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Thoko Didiza, and requested that the jacaranda tree, in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, be categorised as trees that may be grown in a demarcated area.
Therefore there must be a permit and steps must be taken to prevent their spread. He says this option will be treating the 'urban plantation of jacarandas' in the same way that his department does a forestry plantation of invasive alien plants. He says further in his letter that the clearing of the jacaranda tree outside the demarcated areas must continue in the absence of successful biological control. Cllr Gohl asked Min Kasrils to sign his widely distributed petition wherein the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs is requested to protect the jacaranda character of the capital city.
"I am regrettably unable to sign the petition, but I have written to the minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs on the matter, who has expressed her own disquiet at the prospect of losing the character of Pretoria." "The jacaranda is highly invasive in certain parts of the country and needs to be controlled, particularly from a perspective of biological diversity. "It is a highly valued wood for crafts and furniture and is being utilised in the secondary industry initiative in the Working for Water programme," says Min Kasrils. Cllr Gohl says he appreciates the minister's support in saving the jacarandas of Pretoria. "I have requested a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs to hand over the petition for which I have obtained approximately 3 000 signatures."


MORE.......

CAN TREES RAIN CASH ? They sure can .....if you push the story hard enough ....well ....the sky's the limit....

and that's not even thinking about the collateral damage of the farmer whose only shade and escape from the baking Karoo heat is the gum tree, or the residents of Cape Town who live on the cape flats desert and ues the forests for their weekend escapes and picnics...or people who bought their homes adjacent Newlands for the forest...... or even the average person building a home in SA whose scaffolding in the roof is pine.....or if you live in Pretoria and the jacarandas make it live-able.....Or for that matter you just had a favorite little spot on Table mountain where you happened to rest under a big pine tree on a hot day...one day to find it gone......

...... Working for Water has got a
budget this year of about $US50-million....

Turning the green alien tide
Philippa Garson
Enter chief warrior, Guy Preston. He is Working for Water's national ... The
march of Triffid Weed in the eastern, coastal areas of South Africa is but
one ...
25 July 2002

Thousands of warriors are waging war on an amorphous mass of aliens. The
aliens multiply like wildfire, intent on engulfing everything in their
midst. The warriors' biceps glisten with sweat as they relentlessly hack the
aliens to death but they keep growing, faster and faster, until .

Sounds like the scene of a sci-fi movie? Working for Water, an award-winning
project that employs thousands of people to clear away alien vegetation
every day, may be less glamorous and not quite as racy as the latest
futuristic thriller. It will however leave behind a far greater legacy - a
healthier planet less depleted of water and other natural resources.

Alien species wreak havoc on our world, chomping our natural resources and
destroying our biodiversity. Working for Water is the government's highly
successful response to the multiple problems arising from alien invasions.

The seven-year-old project, under the lead agency of the Department of Water
Affairs and Forestry, continues to grow from strength to strength, employing
18 000 people (who would otherwise be jobless) to chop down and clear
invading alien species, including Wattle, Gums, Pines, Hakea, Triffid Weed .
the list goes on.

Many of these invasive species consume vast quantities of water, thus
depleting our precious supplies. They also fuel devastating fires, which can
destroy our indigenous species, and cause millions of rands in damage.


More..........
INTERVIEW.....

Guy Preston: It has been pretty effective. Working for Water has got a
budget this year of about $US50-million, which translated into our currency
makes it a considerable amount of money. It is the biggest conservation
program that's running in Africa. It employs 18,000 people, it has 350-odd
projects across the country, along with some supplementary programs that we
have on fire, called the Working on Fire program, and on wetlands, called
the Working for Wetlands program.

............
MORE AND PICTURES OF JACARANDAS IN PRETORIA