Volunteers and supporters of Friends of Westville Parks, in partnership with eThekwini Municipality’s Parks and Recreation Department, are aiming to restore and revitalise parks and open spaces.
Susan Smith, a committee member of Westville Conservancy, said the vision is to create places where the whole family can safely enjoy nature and the outdoors while at the same time protecting and enhancing the important biodiversity of the natural areas – streams, riparian zones, wetlands and grasslands – thus providing valuable corridors for nature. “We have created two groups: The Friends of Westville North Parks, encompassing Duncan, Sunnybrae, Fyfe, Strathay and Ocean Lea Parks which form part of the Palmiet River Valley catchment and Nature Reserve and the New Germany Nature Reserve. The second group is Friends of Dawncliffe Parks which includes: Portman or Dawncliffe and Jubilee Parks, the Umbilo Scarp Forest and the Tyburn Way indigenous forest, the Maryvale or Chiselhurst grassland and the ‘Edgebaston’ stream which starts at Dawncliffe Park, feeding into the Umbilo River catchment and is an integral part of the Paradise Valley and Roosfontein Nature Reserves,” she said.
She added that the work they do involves removing and controlling invasive alien plants, demarcating and facilitating the restoration of the wetlands and ensuring the environmental integrity of the drainage lines and streams in and around the parks. They also ensure that there are adequate buffer zones along streams, riparian zones and wetlands. “Wetlands, streams, riverine and riparian zones are protected in terms of our national environmental legislation. We protect and also advance the biological diversity and ecology of the parks and adjoining areas. We also plant local indigenous plants, particularly rare and endangered species and also encourage residents to embrace and practise environmentally friendly practices,” Smith added.
Smith said there are a number of volunteers in Dawncliffe who, since the beginning of June, have spent two to three hours a week in Portman Park working on the invasive plants and trees and picking up litter, and it is exciting and rewarding to watch the transformation evolving. “Another team of volunteers have been working at the end of the cul-de-sac on Tyburn Way, eradicating the invasive and turning this area into natural grassland and in the process they discovered a very rare spider that has only ever been recorded 10 times. Comprehensive invasive alien plant removal and control has been carried out at Fyfe, Sunnybrae and Duncan Parks and for about 2.5km along the Kingfisher stream in Westville North and at the Maryvale or Chiselhurst grassland in Dawncliffe,”
Smith said. She added that residents who wish to join and support this exciting endeavour, either by volunteering their services or with financial support, are welcome. “Funds received will be used towards the removal and control of alien invasive plants and litter, the purchase of local indigenous trees and plants, tree labels, educational or information boards, signage, building trails, outdoor exercise equipment and swings or slides for children,” she concluded. For more information, email info@westville conservancy.co.za
