Happy New Year, everyone. What a year it was. For many, ourselves included, 2020 brought challenges unlike anything experienced before. And while we welcome the new beginning – 2021 is a blank canvas rather than a solution. What we make of it is entirely up to us.
In November last year we introduced you to Princess. Together, with the help of your Sauvignon Blanc orders, we were able to hire her and her team for 12 weeks.
In this time they cleared thousands of alien plants that had all but won the fight with the indigenous fynbos. Today, 12 of the 16 hectare, high-priority section on Lomond has been saved.
A quick walk through the cleared area makes it clear why these efforts are so critical. Within 20 minutes of exploration, 8 different indigenous fynbos species ranging from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable were identified. Every one of them is facing decreasing populations with the #1 reason the same: habitat loss due to alien plant species.
Protea subulifolia – Status: Threatened, Population: Decreasing
Leucospermum hypophyllocarpodendron – Status: Vulnerable, Population: Decreasing
With 4 more hectares still to go, the fight doesn’t stop there. All of these sections now need to be revisited several times to stop any new alien growth or risk falling right back into the dire conditions they were in just a few months ago.
The fight against aliens is daunting. It is thankless. And it is hard work. However, it’s worth it. Our goal is to keep Princess and her team employed and fighting into 2021.
If you are able, we ask that you join us in this fight and help us protect South Africa’s beautiful fynbos for generations to come.
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