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| Roger Graham, Chairman of the Friends of Meadowridge Common, with speaker, Dr Charmaine Oxtoby. |
At the AGM of the Friends of Meadowridge Common on 24
February 2020, Dr Charmaine Oxtoby gave a talk on the proposed ecological burn on
Meadowridge Common, an exciting plan to restore the critically endangered
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos that is fast dying out on the Common. This is a
co-operative venture involving The Friends of Meadowridge Common
(represented by the Chairman Roger Graham and Botanical Officer Fiona Watson),
the City of Cape Town Recreation & Parks Department (Sihle Jonas, Luyanda
Mjuleni and Fay Howa), the City of Cape
Town Biodiversity Management Branch (Charmaine Oxtoby and her team),
SANBI’s Millennium Seed Bank and the City Fire and Rescue Services.
Why does the Common need a fire?
There is
just 10% left of the critically endangered veld type, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos,
that only occurs in Cape Town and nowhere else. Like all fynbos – which is
fire-prone and fire-dependent – it needs to burn otherwise it will gradually
die. The ideal time for a burn is every ten to twelve years. Meadowridge
Common contains a small remnant (5,39 hectares) of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos where
some 137 different plant species have been recorded. The Common is a
Biodiversity Agreement Site, but it is degraded due to a long history of pines
and lack of fire – apart from a small wildfire in December 2003. After years of motivating for a fire, the time has finally come
and a restoration burn has been planned.
The
objective of this planned ecological burn is to stimulate the fynbos seed bank.
Because of the long history of pines growing on the common (over 60 years now),
and a 16 year time lapse since the last fire, much of the native seed bank may
have lost viability as it tends to do after 30 years. So some active
restoration of fynbos plants that would have once occurred here will also need
to happen.
Where will
the fire take place?
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Preparation for the fire
On 28 November
2019 the first on-site inspection was conducted, followed by a discussion with
City Fire & Rescue Serves and City Air Quality to book their time, acquire
the relevant permits and determine the method and best time to burn. The hard
work of clearing the site to prepare for a safe and effective burn then has to
take place. The fire will take place towards the end of the summer dry season. The Fire Services will be on standby with plenty of water to dampen down
the burned veld.
What about
the animals?
In fire-driven and fire-dependent ecosystems the survival of plants and animals depends on the veld burning periodically and thus animals that live in fynbos
have adapted to survive the veld burning naturally. Many of them only breed in
the rainy season, or lay eggs deep underground. Birds are able to fly away, and
indeed many birds of prey hunt during a burn. Small animals also use
underground burrows, and insects have a knack of moving to safe areas and quickly
re-colonising the burned veld. A sweep of the area beforehand will however be
conducted.
Meadowridge
Common is home to several wild Cape honeybee colonies, and just prior to the
clearing, a colony moved into an old stone pine. On consultation
with the experts, it was decided to leave the tree standing, and to take care that it
will not burn by removing all vegetation from beneath it and wetting it down
well before the burn. They will be closely monitored as this will be one of the
first opportunities to observe the behaviour of wild bees during a fire.
What kind
of fynbos will grow up after the fire?
Several
people have expressed concern that the Common will become overgrown with tall
protea bushes that may pose a security threat and harbour vagrants, but the
site is quite dry and does not support dense, tall vegetation. The City of Cape Town
will also continue to maintain the Common and cut back overgrowth as the have
done in the past.
When will
the fire take place?
During
March 2020. It will depend on many factors. No burns take place when the Fire
Danger Index shows an orange or red day and no burning takes place on
Fridays, weekends or public holidays. The fire team will also have to wait for
a light north-westerly wind. The date
will be communicated seven days in advance to all affected parties and will be confirmed the day before.
What YOU
can do on the day of the burn
- Keep pets and children indoors.
- Close all windows and doors to keep out embers and smoke.
- Don’t hang out washing.
- Store flammable materials indoors.
- Don’t use water unnecessarily as this reduces the water pressure in the fire-fighters hoses.
- Make sure the roads are clear for fire vehicles to move through.
After the
fire?
The teams
will be there to mop up immediately after the fire. The burned area will be
closed off for a few days and everyone is asked to stay out and keep dogs out
during this time until all danger is over.
As you see in the diagram above, the process of restoration requires co-ordinated planning and management in order to achieve a meaningful result. After the fire, the process of active restoration will be overseen by several experts, and Kamogelo Solly Modimola will be studying the process for his MSc on restoration ecology through the University of Cape Town with help from Victoria Wilman of the Millennium Seed Bank at SANBI. It is hoped that many dormant species will be stimulated to germinate, including bulbs like Moraea lugubris (shown below) which used to flower on the Common but havent been seen for many years. (Photo courtesy of Fiona Watson, Botanical Officer for the Friends of Meadowridge Common.)
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| Moraea lugubris. Photo: Fiona Watson. |
But because the Common's fynbos is degraded, it will also need a bit of help to recover. Seeds have been collected and stored for sowing in late
autumn after the fire. Likewise, cuttings were also taken and have been propagated
and will be planted back during winter. Key species are Diastella proteoides, Serruria glomerata, Leucadendron salignum,
Cliffortia polygonifolia, C. falcata
and Salvia chamelaeagnea.
Recovery is
expected to be fast, as is usually the case with fynbos, and everyone is
looking forward to seeing what will come up on our precious little remnant of
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. Watch this space!
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| Moraea elsiae is another bulb that used to flower on the Common but has long since vanished. It is hoped that it may put in an appearance after the fire. Photo: Fiona Watson. |