Author: Buyisiwe

Gary Smith of Gauteng was the latest in a string of winners from outside the Province to take the exclusive and popular Powerade and Verbolt sponsored 50km Mont-aux-Sources Challenge at the RNNP on Saturday 10 September.  His time was 5:04:37

Second was multiple Comrades runner Wayne Scott in 5:08:44 and third was JP Vorster in 5:09:20.  First lady home was Bergville runner Tracey Zunkel in 6:03:38 followed by Judith Geldenhuys in 6:45:44 and Michelle Badenhorst in 6:55:18.

The event, is both a challenge to test runners’ endurance and a fundraiser for the Wildlands Conservation Trust. It is organized by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff together with a number of volunteer groups including the Mountain Club of SA. A total of 253 runners, including no less than 70 women, finished in the 10 hour time limit.

Once again a hugely successful Mini-Challenge was held on the preceding Friday for local primary school children.  Sponsored by the main event sponsors together with SASKO, this event promotes conservation awareness in the community.

Runners interested in participating in next year’s event should send in their details to Event Secretary, Kim Faure at 072 329 9829 or e-mail  montauxsources@yahoo.com. Or visit the Mont aux Sources Challenge website.

Being chased by elephants, and having to climb trees to get away from rhino, were just some of the adventures experienced by 16 young professional people from Germany, who have just spent three weeks in the Mkhuze Game Reserve, tracking wild animals and helping with game counts under the auspices of Wildlands Conservation Trust.

All 16 visitors are employees of DaimlerChrysler and Lufthansa in Germany. They paid their own way and also contributed extra to help sponsor the research work that they were doing.

For Michael Pflugfelder, an engine technician from outside Stuttgart, the most remarkable experience was being a few feet away from wild animals in their own environment. Dominic Fiess, a development engineer, can’t wait to come back and bring his family with him.

‘This has changed my life,’ he said. ‘It was quite rough and the food was unusual, but I have had an experience that not even many South Africans get to have.’

These ‘summer camps’ – which is an ironical name as they take place in our winter – have several great benefits,’ says Wildlands’ co-ordinator, Sam Terblanche. ‘The volunteers help field staff in the game reserve with important research. They also interact with local people, building international relationships.’

‘They will go back to Germany enthusing about South African conservation, which helps us with international assistance for conservation in future. And of course, there’s the spin-off for tourism. Every single one of these visitors say they want to come back!’

A group of young entrepreneurs from a village in Zululand have just earned themselves a six-figure sponsorship – through innovative thinking and hard work.

Global motor-car manufacturer Daimler-Chrysler has agreed to grant R100 000 towards the work done by the Khula Enviro Group. Comprising six school-leavers with little hope of finding employment, but an interest in the environment, the group approached Wildlands Conservation Trust project manager, Charmaine Veldman, and offered their services voluntarily.

‘We taught them about alien plants and the damage they do to the ecology,’ says Charmaine, ‘and they began removing the aliens and replanting indigenous vegetation.’ The group also began recycling refuse and offered their services as garden landscapers.

‘The most remarkable thing about this group,’ continues Charmaine, ‘is that they are not only doing this to make money. They are really passionate about the environment. Everything they have achieved has been as a result of their own efforts.’

The success of the initial responsible tourism project at Khula Village encouraged Daimler-Chrysler to support the ‘green team. Tina Buys, who heads up the Corporate Social Responsibility department at Daimler-Chrysler South Africa was most impressed. ‘These six youngsters could become poster-children for unemployed youth who want to make money whilst also contributing something to their surroundings,’ she said.

Despite looking like a tangle of very old string with some pretty white flowers, the recent discovery of the Bootlace Lily in Kloof, just outside Durban, has excited botanists in the area – because exhaustive research has proved that this lily occurs in the Kranzkloof Reserve and absolutely nowhere else in the world.

Rod Edwards, a member of the Krantzkloof Flora Project, noticed the rather unusual plant while taking a walk through the Kranzkloof Nature Reserve, but it took three years before botanists could categorically state that the Bootlace Lily (Drimia flagellaris) is a plant species new to science.

The plant grows in a small area on spectacular cliff faces in the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, just inland of Durban. The Bootlace Lily has long cylindrical leaves that hang from the cliff faces and a spray of pretty white flowers in spring.

EKZN Wildlife’s reserve manager, Johan Vermeulen, says this new discovery again underlines the conservation importance of the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve. “These gorges comprise one of the city’s largest remaining natural areas,” he said.

“The reserve is a life raft for many plant and some animal species. Many of the plants in this reserve are rare. Fortunately the Bootlace Lily grows in habitat that is inaccessible and unsuitable for development. The small population therefore seems secure for
the foreseeable future.”

At the tenth Living Lakes conference, held recently in Manila, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo acknowledged that environmental protection was a prerequisite for economic development in her country.

According to Dr Andrew Venter, CEO of Wildlands Conservation Trust and a keynote speaker at the conference, South Africa faces similar environmental challenges to the Philippines. Venter has called on members of the South African government to get personally involved in conservation issues.

‘Our government sees issues of delivery as more important than environmental protection,’ he said. ‘The perception is that environmental degradation does not directly affect the man in the street. However, it is becoming increasingly clear all over the world, that without due consideration to the environment, economic growth and delivery can become counter-productive.’

Wildlands Conservation Trust was one of the key participants in the Living Lakes Conference. ‘We shared valuable lessons with other countries and there was significant interest in our projects,’ said Venter. ‘We were able to introduce the concept of Responsible Tourism – where local communities enjoy a stake in environmentally-friendly tourism development. Our Trees for School Fees project was also highly regarded.’

More information on Living Lakes