African Wildlife & Environment Issue 84 2023

& ENVIRONMENT

ISSUE 84 (2023)

Is it wise to remove HYACINTH from eutrophic dams?

Wildlife Chronicles LISA AND HER CUBS

Investing in conservation SOBBE CONSERVANCY, NAMIBIA

THE MAGAZINE OF THE WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA

CONTENTS

The content below is hyperlinked to the article Just click and read

1 Editorial 2 Good Reads FWF Newsletter 9 Ford Wildlife Foundation Newsletter 5 (2023) Conservation 13 Is it wise to remove hyacinth from eutrophic dams?

Lisa and her Cubs

Wildlife Chronicles 17 Lisa and her Cubs Fauna, Flora & Wildlife

21 Foraging Wild Sesame from the veld 24 Tales of endemism - trees of the Cape 33 The GOSCARS 2023 34 Investing in conservation - Sobbe Conservancy, Namibia Gardening for Biodiversity 41 Coral gems in the garden Birding 50 Firefinches 53 Launch of the Birds of the Magaliesberg Biosphere Destinations 55 Pretoriuskop Camp - Kruger National Park Eco Hero 64 Marion Mengell Kids Corner 72 Water and health

Coral gems in the garden

Firefinches

Subscriptions / General 84 WESSA membership 85 Leaving a legacy 86 Region, area office, branch & centre contacts 87 Publication details

Pretoriuskop Camp

Copyright © African Wildlife & Environment. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by and means, electronic or mechanical without the prior written permission of the publisher. African Wildlife & Environment retains the right to make alterations to any material submitted. The publisher, while exercising due care, cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to material submitted. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of WESSA. Copyright on all content belongs to WESSA and the individual contributors.

Cover photograph: John Wesson Female Collared Sunbird often found feeding on Cape Honeysuckle

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL

weather observations were captured from 1652 through to 1791, with remarkable consistency. Results show extreme weather and climate variability in Cape Town during the mid- to late 1780s including 1787 when it rained a lot. The year saw 121 rain days, and at one point it rained for 16 solid days. That June, VOC scribes wrote of ‘continual, copious rains’, and in July they wrote that ‘accumulated rainfall has exceeded that noted during all previous winter seasons’. Later in the month hail covered all of Table Mountain. ‘It cannot be recalled in human memory, at least not since a long time in years, of such excessive rains that have almost flooded the countryside, and of such cold northwest winds’ one scribe wrote. The extreme weather and climate variation in the mid to late 1780s seen in the Cape Town records may be linked to a volcanic eruption in Iceland, and that raises important research questions that require further investigation, such as whether volcanic explosions in the north could have impacted midlatitude climates. (Grab & Williams, 2022). And lest we forget, this place was initially called the Cape of Storms, Cabo Tormentoso by Bartolomeu Dias who first reached it in 1488. Also known as the ‘Graveyard of ships’ the Cape’s treacherous and violent storms have accounted for nearly 3,000 sunken ships. So what’s new about the Cape weather in 2023? Thankfully, this issue of your magazine is full of interesting and informative news about the wonderful world we live in. Enjoy the read! The media (as usual) are full of bad news around the hardy headline-grabbing mainstays of war and weather. The conflict in Ukraine saw our President visit there to seek some kind of solution; nothing of the sort seems to be on the table. The Russians are certainly not going to appreciate their soldiers being killed by Ukrainians driving Abrahams tanks made in the USA. But what are they doing in Ukraine anyway? I had long thought that Ukrainians were also ‘Russians’. But it’s all a real tragedy of human suffering, loss of life and terrible destruction of buildings and infrastructure.

Dr John Ledger

We have been bombarded with reports of high temperatures and fires in the Middle East and Europe. A devastating earthquake in Morocco left many dead, injured and displaced people in its wake. In Libya, the coastal city of Derna was partly washed into the sea, along with thousands of people who had been asleep when two dams (poorly designed and maintained, by all accounts) collapsed after heavy rains. Closer to home, the southern parts of the country were lashed by vicious storms and torrential rains that caused loss of life, damage to property and general devastation and despair. Thanks to modern communications and the millions of mobile phones all around the globe, the sounds and sights of an unhappy world stream into our homes as we reluctantly share the misfortunes of those impacted by war and weather. The media seldom provide any kind of historical perspective on extreme weather events and mislead us into thinking we are experiencing something unprecedented . We have only a short historical record of past weather events. We did not have thermometers until the German physicist Fahrenheit invented the alcohol thermometer in 1709 and the mercury thermometer in 1714. In 1724, he introduced the temperature scale that bears his name. Later scientists called Celsius and Kelvin introduced other scales that perpetuate their names. Meanwhile, down at the southern tip of Africa, scribes working for the Dutch East India Company ( Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC ) were carefully filling in their ‘day registers’ ( daghregisters ) which comprise one of the world’s longest-known chronicles containing near-continuous, systematic, non-instrumental daily weather information, providing insights into the late-eighteenth-century weather and climate of Cape Town (Grab & Williams 2022, https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/ bams/103/8/BAMS-D-21-0127.1.xml. ) It seems Jan van Riebeeck took a personal interest in understanding the Cape climate and its implications for local shipping, and required weather data to be included in the registers. As a result,

Dr John Ledger Consulting Editor john.ledger@wol.co.za 083 650 1768

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GOOD READS

Book reviews by Dr John Ledger GOOD READS

REMEMBER... CHRISTMAS IS COMING SOON

A Masterpiece - Field Guide to Scorpions

Engelbrecht, Ian (2023) . Field Guide to Scorpions of South Africa Soft cover, 15 x 21 cm, 292 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs and maps. ISBN 978-1-77584-574 -4. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. RRP R400. Scorpions have been around for 420 million years and are among the world’s most remarkable living fossils. South Africa is home to an astonishing variety, with 108 species in three families, spanning the country’s biomes, from desert and grassland to

worked on this book for ten years, to produce something very special. His interest began when the late Martin Filmer, Chairman of the Spider Club of Southern Africa, showed young Ian (then 14) his copy of Lamoral’s Scorpions of Namibia. “As I flipped it open to page 712, the photograph of an adult male Giant Burrowing Scorpion left me awestruck and cemented my fascination. It has been a privilege to work so deeply with these wondrous animals.” The first eighteen years of my own eclectic career were spent in the Department of Medical Entomology at the

South African Institute for Medical Research. Scorpions and spiders were on our agenda because of their potential threats to human well being and lives. Our in-house expert was Gerry Newlands, and once he imported cutting-edge technology in the form of a portable ultra violet lamp prior to departing on a field trip into the remote depths of South West Africa (later Namibia). Proudly showing off his new toy in the tea room, he told us that it had been discovered that scorpions glow brightly under UV light and this would help him collect specimens in the arid wastes he was going to visit. During a debriefing after his return, Gerry told us that he would NEVER, EVER sleep on the ground again on his field trips. After setting up camp and enjoying a few sundowners, he and his companions waited until dark before switching on the new UV lamp. They were shocked to find that they were surrounded by hordes of large scorpions, moving over the ground, in cracks in the rocks and climbing all over the scrubby bushes around their camp site!

fynbos, forest and savanna. Scorpions are even found in urban gardens and (sometimes) in urban homes (small ones!). This book is the first comprehensive guide to describe and illustrate all the species in the country. The clear and detailed species accounts cover appearance, habitat and behaviour, and discuss the variation within species according to region. Distribution maps are included for all species, and exceptional photographs, carefully worked to show astounding detail, bring to life the intricate patterning and colours of the different species. Illustrations of both males and females are provided, as well as a variety of colour forms, facilitating accurate identification in the field. The Introduction deals with classification, anatomy, biology, behaviour and habitats, as well as venom potency and the treatment of stings. Tips on where to find scorpions and how to contribute to their conservation as citizen scientists are also included. One has to marvel at the scholarship, skills, knowledge and tenacity of Ian Englebrecht who

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GOOD READS

I have personally slept on the ground on numerous occasions and in many locations all over southern Africa, luckily without suffering any mishaps with scorpions. Others have been less fortunate, as some scorpions stings can be fatal, and this Field Guide specifically advises against sleeping on the ground to avoid being stung. Paging through this wonderful book I was delighted to find Newlands’s Rock Scorpion Hadogenes newlandsi Prendini, 2001 on page 164, named in Gerry’s honour for the significant contributions he made to the taxonomy of the genus Hadogenes in the 1970s and 80s.A few pages later I found the Orange River Rock Scorpion, Hadogenes zumpti Newlands & Cantrell, 1985, named in honour of our boss in the Entomology Department, Professor Fritz Zumpt. The latter often used to joke that one way to achieve immortality was to have a species named after you. So his name is now immortalised and his memory lives on in the rock-dwelling denizens of

the Orange River Valley west of Upington to the Richtersveld…maybe they will prosper there for a few more million years! In compiling this field guide Ian Engelbrecht has travelled to the furthest corners of South Africa and visited all its biomes in pursuit of scorpions. The vast majority of the outstanding photographs were taken by him, and he must have spent thousands of hours working on the digital images that grace the pages of this excellent publication. It is an absolute masterpiece, and a model of everything a field guide should be. This book is an invaluable reference for students, researchers, academics, hikers and anyone else with an interest in South Africa’s rich and fascinating fauna. Everyone who derives benefit, knowledge or pleasure from this book owes a huge debt of gratitude to the author. I recommend it unreservedly as a unique and worthy addition to your book collection.

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GOOD READS

Put on your hiking boots!

value both to residents of the Mother City, as well as to visitors to this most attractive of destinations on the African continent. The collection features 40 trails, fanning out from the south coast to the west, mostly involving single-day trips with one overnight option. Ranging in duration from two to seven hours, the hikes cater for all ages and levels of ability. The introductory pages provide expert advice on gear, food and planning. Each hike featured includes an accurate, up to-date route description, a map of the trail, and directions for getting participants to the start. In each case an upfront summary outlines the

Du Plessis, Nina & Willie Olivier (2023). Hiking Beyond Cape Town Soft cover, 15 x 21 cm, 176 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs and maps. ISBN 978-1-77584- 843-1. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. RRP R290. Willie Olivier is the acknowledged doyen of hiking in southern Africa, and has explored its highways and byways on foot, by road and by four-wheel drive over the past 50 years. He is the author of numerous books on hiking and touring in South Africa and Namibia. Daughter Nina is now married and lives in Gordon’s Bay with her husband and two children, She writes:

distance, duration, grade or difficulty, and elevation of the hike, as well as other details.There are also excellent photographs and observations of the scenery, plants and animals that may be seen along the route. I got the sense that Nina has personally walked most, if not all of the trails described. She thanks her ‘hiking buddies’ for ‘turning every trail into an adventure.’ This is a great little book that will add great value to people interested in exploring new places to hike within easy reach of Cape Town.

“From a young age I was encouraged to appreciate the beauty of natural landscapes by my parents. Exploring mountains, forests, shorelines and hidden valleys became a source of joy and discovery, and hiking quickly emerged as my preferred way to experience the world. For me, hiking is not merely a hobby, but a holistic pursuit that encompasses physical, mental and emotional well-being. The health benefits of hiking have played a significant role in my dedication to this pursuit. Amid the tranquil beauty of nature I find respite from the stresses of everyday life. Hiking allows people to unplug from the digital world, immerse themselves in the present moment and revel in the serenity of natural surroundings.” This publication is aimed to introduce the myriad trails and tracks that await hikers, young and old, novice or experienced, beyond the confines of Cape Town. As such, it will be of

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GOOD READS

Discovering Spiders

to spiders. The latter may be accessed at https:// zenodo.org//communities/sansa, and constitute a remarkable resource of which this Field Guide is a product; the South African National Survey of Arachnida . On the subject of photography Ansie says “ The digital camera and macro-photography have opened a new world for science. The beautiful colours, intricate webs and interesting behaviour of spiders are now documented daily. I hope this book will influence and stimulate photographers to record our spider fauna so that we will eventually have an image of every species in the country.” That is going to be a tall order, because to date no less than 72 families and 2,782 species are known from South Africa! Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition remains the most comprehensive guide to South African spiders published to date. It features over 780 of the more common spider species encountered in the field and in homes and gardens, as well as representative species from some of the rarer spider families.These are the highlights of the new Field Guide: • 'Quick Keys' to the 72 South African spider families provide a useful starting point to identification. • Succinct genus and species accounts cover identifying characteristics, breeding, behaviour, distribution and conservation status. • Colour photographs and/or illustrations as well as distribution maps support each entry. • Introductory chapter discusses spider morphology, spider life cycle, the functions of silk, as well as spider collection techniques. • Section on venom identifies species that pose a danger to humans, unpacks neurotoxic and cytotoxic venom, and details the symptoms and treatment of spider bites. Spiders come in a bewildering number of shapes, sizes and lifestyles, but this book will certainly help to demystify the group and should be in the library of everyone interested in natural history and biodiversity. An irrational fear of spiders is very pervasive in most sectors of our society and children are taught to be scared of them from an early age. Nearly all spiders are ‘venomous’ and subdue their prey by injecting them with venom through their sharp hollow fangs.

Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie (2023). Field Guide to the Spiders of South Africa . Soft cover, 15 x 21 cm, 400 pp,illustrated in colour throughout with photographs maps and line drawings. ISBN 978-1-77584-797-7. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. RRP R480. The astonishing, stunning image of a jumping spider (family Salticidae) on the cover is worthy of a poster sized picture on any wall! Until the technology of macro-photography arrived, people have not really been able to appreciate the intricate beauty of these tiny creatures. The photo is by Vida van der Walt who has been documenting Salticids for seven years and has a website dedicated to them at http://jumpingspiders.co.za/ Here is a fine example of citizen science at its best! Ansie is the foremost authority on South African spiders and has been working on them for 55 years! She has published over 300 papers, nine books and 66 photo identification guides

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GOOD READS

A few spiders have venom that is toxic to humans, but spider bites are relatively rare. In my 18 years at the South African Institute for Medical Research we saw very few cases, and most of these were the cytotoxic bites from sac spiders Cheiracanthium furculatum which are commonly found indoors, resting under silk sacs during the day and wandering around looking for food at night. People get bitten when they roll on them in bed or brush them off while sleeping.The bites are painless, and only later develop into a red, swollen lesion that may become secondarily infected. Treatment with antibacterial ointment usually sorts out the problem.The violin spiders also have a potent cytotoxic venom, while button spiders (genus Latrodectus ) have neurotoxic venom. This Field Guide has a useful section on spider bites.

Children can learn not to be afraid of spiders. In our Johannesburg house we often have a visiting House Rain Spider Palystes superciliosus which is quite a formidable-looking creature that lies hunched up in a high corner during the day and wanders around the house at night. We have become very used to its hairy presence and are never bothered by our guest… This is a superb book and another fine natural history publication from the Struik Nature publishing house; we are really privileged to have a publisher of this calibre at the southern tip of Africa. Everyone who appreciates nature and the outdoors will want to have this definitive spider book at hand to look up the identity and habits of those many eight-leggers we encounter in our homes, gardens and wild habitats.

For young birders

Loon, Hélène (2023). Kids’ Birds of Southern Africa . Soft cover, 21.5 x 28 cm, 400 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs and drawings. ISBN 978-1 77584-831-8. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. RRP R480.

The Struik Nature promotion tells us that “this lively, jam-packed book introduces kids to more than 60 bird groups found in southern Africa: long-legged flamingos, speedy falcons, jewel like sunbirds, plucky hornbills and many more. Learn to identify different birds, and discover their intriguing behaviours - how they find food, choose a mate, build a nest, raise their young and avoid predators. A detailed introduction explains birding concepts such as courtship, migration, mobbing and moulting. More than 500 stunning photographs are included, with many annotated to highlight interesting features and traits.” The back cover features a Bokmakierie calling out the rhetorical question “Why do birds sing?”

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GOOD READS

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GOOD READS

My friend and veteran airline pilot, Captain Karl Jensen, has the answer:“Because they can fly!” I got my own first bird book as a Christmas present from my aunt and uncle when I was seven years old. The illustrations were tiny, fuzzy and rather dull, but Leonard Gill’s First Guide to South African Birds ignited an interest that has lasted all my life. By contrast, some of today’s kids may get their lucky hands on this superb new publication that brings the world of birds to life as never before. Hopefully it will also spark a life-long fascination with birds and their incredible world! The author knows a lot about birds, for she has an Honours degree in Ornithology from the University of Cape Town. But she also has a special talent for making birds interesting and accessible to children, and has compiled a beautiful book that is both informative and inspiring. It is full of excellent bird photographs that are enhanced for visual impact and display the incredible colours, shapes and variety of the rich bird fauna of Southern Africa. The introductory chapters deal with habitats, anatomy, feathers, senses, songs and calls, feeding, breeding, eggs, parasites and migration.

We then move on to the different taxonomic groups, starting with seabirds, then freshwater types, ground birds like the ostrich, guineafowls, francolins, cranes and bustards. Next are the raptors and vultures and nocturnal birds, followed by birds of bush and woodlands, rollers, parrots, swallows and swifts. Seed-eaters are next up, then ‘LBJs’, doves and pigeons and a chapter on urban birds. In this last group we find our friends the noisy hadedas, which certainly were not urban birds when gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand. Today they are very much part of our lives. A recent cartoon showed a couple in bed being roused at daybreak by the harsh raucous rasp of a hadeda – the title of the sketch: “The only reliable service left in Johannesburg!” This excellent book will interest and fascinate children and it is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers alike. Perhaps some of those kids will become ornithologists, conservationists and people caring for the planet; perhaps a Minister for the Environment? Thank you to Struik Nature for another terrific building block for our next generation!

THE WONDERS OF DESERT LIFE: A COMPELLING, IN-DEPTH READ THE LIVING DESERTS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA Barry Lovegrove

A DEFINITIVE NEW EDITION OF A CLASSIC AVAILABLE AT LEADING BOOKSTORES NATIONWIDE & ONLINE

Join the Struik Nature Club for online talks and events, special offers, prizes and upcoming natural history publications: www.struiknatureclub.co.za

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FWF NEWSLETTER 5 (2023)

FORD WILDLIFE FOUNDATION Newsletter 5 (2023)

The conservation and preservation of the environment has become a major worldwide issue, dramatically changing the attitudes of consumers and the way large corporations do business. Against this background the Ford Wildlife Foundation (FWF) was announced in September 2014, funded by the Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa and supported by its nationwide network of Ford Dealers. The FWF supports environmental education, research and conservation projects in mainly Southern Africa. The Ford Ranger is used to enable the projects to go further and make a real impact in the communities in which they operate. For further information on the FWF, please email wildlife@ford.com.

Sea Search Research and Conservation 9. Leopard Research Project - Cape Leopard Trust 10. Cheetah Metapopulation Project - Endangered Wildlife Trust 11. Black Rhino Range Expansion Project - World Wildlife Fund (WWF-SA) 12. Coral Reef Programme - Oceanographic Research Institute 13. SA Cranes,Wetlands and Communities Project - Endangered Wildlife Trust 14. Threatened species projects, Landscape Conservation Programme – BirdLife SA 15. Ecology and conservation of vultures in southern Africa and impacts of changing land use - UKZN School of Life Sciences 16. Wildlife & Transport Project - Endangered Wildlife Trust 17. Behaviour and ecology of hippos and their ecological role in aquatic and terrestrial systems - UKZN School of Life Sciences 18. International Schools Programme - WESSA – Gauteng 19. Seabird Rehabilitation Support Project - SANCCOB – PE 20. Tourism Blue Flag - WESSA 21. Spatial Planning and Data Project – BirdLife SA 22. Somkhanda Wildlife ACT Emergency Response - Wildlife ACT Fund Trust 23. The People in Conservation Programme – people thriving alongside wildlife - Endangered Wildlife Trust 24. Drylands Conservation Programme - Endangered Wildlife Trust 25. Tourism Green Coast - WESSA 26. Cape Critical Rivers programme – Freshwater Research Centre 27. Mozambique Wildlife Alliance - Wildlife Veterinary and Human Wildlife Conflict mitigation interventions in Mozambique 28. Freshwater Eel Research – University of Mpumalanga 29. Whitebacked Vulture Project – Vulpro SHORT-TERM LOAN VEHICLE Southern Mozambique Sea Turtle Research Project (Supported annually for six weeks with a loan Ford Ranger) - Pierre Lombard

LIST OF PROJECTS - SEPTEMBER 2023 1. Threatened Amphibian Programme - Endangered Wildlife Trust 2. Capacity Development of LWS Community Outreach Programmes in Limpopo Province - Lapalala Wilderness School 3. Mabula Ground Hornbill Project - MGHP 4. Critically Endangered Renosterveld Conservation Easement Programme - Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust 5. Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds - SANCCOB 6. Carnivore Conservation Programme - Endangered Wildlife Trust 7. Establishment of a National Grassland Park in the Eastern Cape - World Wildlife Fund (WWF - SA) 8. Sea Search Research and Conservation Project -

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F W F N EW ESSLSEAT TLE RA D5 E(R2S0H2 I3P)

FWF RANGER AND THE ‘THUNDERBIRD’ (SOUTHERN GROUND HORNBILL)

Dr Lucy Kemp

We have made the world almost impossible for them to survive in – poison and spent lead ammunition in the veld kills whole groups at a time; as we lose big trees they lose nesting options; as we erect more buildings in their space, they see more enemies in every reflective surface, which results in broken windows and angry people. The MGHP uses science-based tools to slow the decline and then ultimately support the recovery of these birds. As the project has grown the team has worked further afield. Thanks to the Ford Wildlife Foundation the team now has a fleet of three Ford Rangers allowing effective work across a wide area, applying six key conservation strategies. MONITOR: You need to know what you have before making decisions about interventions. Our continent wide citizen science programme using WhatsApp has data streaming in from taxi drivers, cattle herders, traditional leaders, school principals, and teenagers on their way to school. RESEARCH: We need to understand our species that breeds so slowly and lives so long that today’s decisions will only show results in decades to come. MITIGATE: We work on every known threat to find solutions. To address window-breaking we use a perforated vinyl film (Contravision) on windows which cuts reflection but still allows light penetration and a view out. RESTORE: We harvest the second-hatched chicks from wild nests that would naturally die, and rear these to form new groups for reintroduction. EDUCATION: Most people are simply unaware of how endangered this species is and how simple changes can make the savannas and grasslands safer for them. IMPROVE: This includes capacity-building of a new generation of African conservationists, especially focussing on women, embracing technology, working in strong collaborations and building strong partnerships. For more details contact: project@ground-hornbill.org.za

Photograph: John Wesson

The Mabula Ground Hornbill Project (MGHP) started as a small project on a small reserve in Limpopo, but it has grown into an organisation dedicated to conserving Bucorvus leadbeateri throughout its range.This culturally and ecologically iconic species is in dire trouble.

MGHP Ford Ranger 'On the road again...'

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F W F N EW ESSLSEAT TLE RA D5 E(R2S0H2 I3P)

SAVING SANDFISH IN THE CEDERBERG

most of its former range due to predation by alien fish and habitat degradation; now less than 200 migrate up the Biedouw River to spawn. ‘Sandfish Sanctuaries’ are farm dams in the area that have been cleaned of non-native fish like Bass and Bluegill to create safe environments for the young sandfish to live. After a year or two the fish have grown from five to twenty centimetres – rendering them now ‘bass-proof’ and they can then be released back into the wild to boost the dwindling sandfish spawning population in the Biedouw River. To date over 1,500 bass-proof sandfish have been released from the sanctuary dams back to the Biedouw River where they were born. Scientists from the Freshwater Research Centre are using tiny, harmless tags implanted into each fish to track the survival and migrations of these sanctuary-reared fish, and the results thus far look promising. The sandfish rescue-rear-release approach has boosted the adult spawning population in the Biedouw River by 55% - a big step towards preventing sandfish extinction – and this is just the beginning, with plans to ramp up these efforts now that there is proof of concept. The next phase of the project is now working to restore 7 km of the upper Biedouw River by removing invasive species to reclaim critical habitat for the Endangered Sandfish and five other indigenous fish species. The Saving Sandfish project is a collaborative South African freshwater conservation effort, supported by the Ford Wildlife Foundation, National Geographic Society, IUCN Save Our Species, the Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and others. Project partners include the Freshwater Research Centre, the Fynbos Fish Trust, Mount Ceder, Bushman’s Kloof and CapeNature. Find out more about the Saving Sandfish project and how to get involved here .

Text and images by Dr Jeremy Shelton

The Biedouw River is one of the last known spawning tributaries of the Endangered Clanwilliam Sandfish – South Africa’s most threatened migratory freshwater fish. It was once widespread in the Olifants and Doring River systems, with tens of thousands of fish undertaking impressive migrations to their spawning sites in springtime. The species has disappeared from

Transporting fingerlings to the Sandfish sanctuaries

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Driving Change for a Better World

At the Ford Wildlife Foundation, we’re not just observers of nature’s wonders but active guardians, ensuring a wilder, more sustainable future for South Africa. For over 30 years, the Ford Wildlife Foundation has been dedicated to protecting vital habitats, supporting endangered species and engaging local communities through our 29 conservation, research and education projects. With unwavering drive and passion, we will remain committed to preserving the beauty and biodiversity of our nation and generations to come.

2014935

Find out more at Ford.co.za

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CONSERVATION

IS IT WISE TO REMOVE HYACINTH FROM EUTROPHIC DAMS?

aerosolized cyanobacterial toxins causes a significant health risk that is not yet fully understood for humans. The work done by Hu and others published in 2022, concludes that, “BMAA and microcystin are consistently detected in HAB (Harmful Algal Bloom) waters, although their concentrations do not always correlate with the severity of the health impact, suggesting the potential contribution from additional toxins present in the aerosolized HAB water. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the health risk of exposure to aerosolized HABs, and further highlights the critical importance of understanding the toxicity of aerosolized cyanobacteria HAB particles and determining the immediate and long term health impacts of HAB exposure”. This is cause for concern, because the human health risk of aerosolized toxins, originating from HAB waters, is not yet fully understood. For example, a study published in 2022 by Lee and others in the journal Environmental Health , reports a statistical correlation between HAB waters and neurodegenerative disease, within a 5-km radius of the eutrophic water body. A specific finding notes, “(while) the role of toxic HAB in neuropathy is still controversial, the statistical results of this study imply a significant correlation between HAB incidence and the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases”. It recommends additional epidemiological studies to further determine the correlation between a range of toxins found in HAB water, and the range of neurodegenerative disease manifesting within a defined radius of such waterbodies. This cutting-edge research into aerosolised toxins arising from eutrophic water is cause for concern. It suggests that communities living within a defined radius of eutrophic waters, are at greater risk of a There is a growing trend to remove water hyacinth, often driven by enthusiastic members of the public. There are even attempts to destroy the plants by spraying floating mats with herbicide. While undoubtedly well intended, these interventions are generally blind to the basic science underpinning the management of eutrophic waters. This article opens that debate by presenting recently reported human health trends that decision makers might need to consider before authorizing such activities.

Dr Anthony Turton

In 2015, the South African Journal of Science published a paper by Mathews and Bernard that quantified the extent to which South African dams have become eutrophic. This summarized many years of cutting-edge remote sensing research, which has demonstrated the capacity to detect cyanobacterial blooms from satellites located in space. This credible research indicated that two thirds of our large dams are now eutrophic. In 2014 Mathews demonstrated that the gross trophic status through chlorophyll-a quantification can be accurately determined in both eucaryote (DNA-based) and procaryote (cyanobacteria without a distinct nucleus) dominant waters, through a peer reviewed publication in the journal Remote Sensing and the Environment. This means that the space-derived data has real value in informing decisions about the management of eutrophic waters, because it can distinguish different types of algae. This is important, because the depth of our cumulative knowledge on cyanobacterial blooms in South Africa has established that our dominant genera of blue-green algae are Anabaena and Microcystis , both procaryotes. It has been established, with little room for doubt, that these two genera produce potent toxins – anatoxin and microcystin. It has also been established that beta-methylamino L-alanine (BMAA) is the active ingredient of microcystin. Hu and others noted in 2022 that the human health risk arising from exposure to aerosolized algal blooms is poorly understood, but they demonstrated that an animal model, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster , when exposed at an early age, resulted in long-term impact among all age cohorts. Their work demonstrated that once-off exposure to

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CONSERVATION

range of early onset neurodegenerative pathologies. The simple application of the precautionary principle suggests that in the absence of information to the contrary, it is prudent to default to the worst-case scenario, and accept that this is likely, until proven otherwise.This is the position taken by the author in this article.

manifest as a potent desire by members of the public to ‘do something’, yet both are oblivious to the latest research that is reporting a statistical correlation to the prevalence of neurodegenerative pathologies in the population living adjacent to hyacinth infested water bodies.

Floating wetlands can be tethered to the bottom to prevent them from moving, while providing a biodiverse habitat, but also reducing the production of HAB contaminated aerosols

With this as the point of departure, we can now turn our attention to growing efforts to remove floating weed such as water hyacinth from highly eutrophic dams like Hartbeespoort. The dominant narrative seems to be that floating weed is offensive, so it must be removed, with considerable efforts being made to achieve this objective. Two drivers of this public desire seem to be discernable. The first driver is the offensive nature of the contaminated water, covered with a large floating mat of hyacinth. The second driver is the apparent desire to create open waterways for recreational activities, such as skiing and yachting. Both drivers

Is this the most prudent response given the reported results of the peer reviewed research cited in this article? It is the professional opinion of the author that this is not the most prudent response, for the following four reasons:

Reason #1:

The trophic status of any water column is nothing other than the mass balance between nutrients in the water, and the biomass that it can sustain. Stated simply, high levels of nutrients can sustain a

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A view of the water from the Hartbeespoort dam wall

greater biomass than low levels of nutrients. This is an important scientific principle – known as a mass balance – that the reader needs to grasp, because it lies at the heart of the argument being presented that the removal of hyacinth is potentially harmful to human health. The mass balance matters so we all need to understand it better. Noting the fundamental principle of the mass balance in Reason #1, if the nutrient levels are elevated, and the resultant floating biomass is removed, all this does is to eliminate competition for suspended biomass, by enabling direct sunlight to stimulate single celled algae. Therefore, the removal of the floating Reason #2:

biomass by artificial means, merely converts the mass balance in favour of suspended biomass such as single celled algae.

Reason #3:

Knowing that our dominant genera of single celled algae in HAB waters of South Africa are Anabaena and Microcystis , both of which produce potent toxins known to have a range of human health implications, a rational choice would be to tilt the mass balance in favour of floating biomass rather than suspended biomass of an equal quantum.

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Reason #4:

us that we need to do something different. Let us manage the problem by reducing the chance of HAB contaminated aerosol production, until such time as we know more about the exact fate and pathway of the toxins associated with cyanobacterial blooms. Let us embrace nature and adapt, rather than trying to overwhelm nature to conform to our will as a species. REFERENCES Hu, L., Liu, J., Zhu, Y., Diaz-Perez, Z., Sheridan, M., Royer, H., Liebensperger, R., Maizel, D., Brand, L., Popendorf, K., Gaston, C. & Zhai, R. 2020. Exposure to Aerosolised Algal Toxins in South Florida Increases Short- and Long-Term Health Risk in Drosophila Model of Aging. In Toxin , 12(12):787. doi: 10.3390/toxins12120787 Lee, S., Choi, B., Kim, S.J., Kim, J., Kang, D. & Lee, J. 2022. Relationship Between Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms and Neurodegenerative Disease Incidence Rates in South Korea. Environmental Health , 21:116. Matthews, M.W. 2014. Eutrophication and cyanobacteria blooms in South African inland waters: 10 years of MERIS observations. Remote Sensing of the Environment. 155:161–177. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.08.010 Matthews, M.W., & Bernard, S. 2015. Eutrophication and Cyanobacteria in South Africa’s Standing Water Bodies: A View from Space. South African Journal of Science . Vol. 111. No. 5/6.

Water skiing, and powerboat use, both result in what is called a ‘rooster tail’ behind the boat.This plume of water is a generator of aerosols, to which the towed skier would be directly exposed, but the drifting particles of microscopic size would create a defined zone of contamination, dependent on the prevailing wind, potentially up to a 5km radius from the HAB source. Having presented this logic to the reader, but with the limitation of space needed to expand on the issue to the extent needed, the purpose of this article is to open a debate informed by science, involving decision-makers, regulators and persons directly affected by the human health implications of aerosolized HAB water. In the professional opinion of the author, more consideration ought to be given to the establishment of floating wetlands, anchored in three-dimensional space to allow for recreational use of the water, but also covering much of the water. The benefits of this are significant. For starters, this would tilt the mass balance away from the dominance of suspended procaryotes like cyanobacteria. Hyacinth might be unsightly, but its presence will not harm the health of those living next to the dam. It might therefore be prudent to learn to live with hyacinth, rather than constantly trying to unsuccessfully eradicate them. The greater the coverage by floating wetlands, the less is the possibility of producing aerosols containing HAB toxins. This is a benefit until the nutrient inflow into the system can be reduced. When the fundamental principle of the mass balance is applied, it tells us that the only effective way to manage eutrophication, is to reduce (or eliminate) the nutrient loads in the water column. Floating wetlands do just that, by engineering solutions in partnership with nature, rather than constantly fighting with nature. In conclusion, the most prudent approach when confronted by high risk with incomplete information, is to apply the precautionary principle. In the case of our large dams, we know that more than two thirds are eutrophic, and this number is growing. We also know that we have never managed to return a eutrophic system back to its previous status, so our current science, engineering and technology tells

Prof Anthony Turton Centre for Environmental Management

University of the Free State tony@anthonyturton.com

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LISA AND HER CUBS

Ian Whyte

One of the objectives of my Master’s degree research was to estimate the impact that lions were having on the wildebeest population of the Kruger National Park. At that time the wildebeest population was undergoing an ongoing decline, and the causes were rather obscure. It was believed that lions were partly or wholly to blame. In order to quantify their impact, I had fitted radio collars to an adult male and a female in each of ten neighbouring prides in the Sweni River area between Satara and N’wanetsi. Today, this is the area where the Sweni Trails operate.

Those were the good old days when, to get your data, you had to go and find your collared animals using a radio receiver and directional antenna which pointed out the direction of the collar. I will be forever grateful that I was able to do this work at that time, and that I had to get into the bush instead of sitting in an air-conditioned office, with my data delivered to my computer screen via satellite!

I tried to visit each of these collared lions each day to try to locate their kills. While these prides were initially very skittish and wary of me, they soon became completely habituated to my vehicle and to me, and would scarcely raise their heads to acknowledge my arrival. Gradually I was able to recognise all of the members of each pride, and I would keep a log of who was present or absent at

One of Lisa’s four cubs. Fierce at an early age!

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Lisa lying up on the rocks near her new den after she had moved the cubs.

each visit. While the pride structure is usually very stable, members are not always together. They split up temporarily and rejoin again later. In the process, I also got to know the lions as individuals. Lions are not all the same. Like people, dogs, and I suppose most animals, they all have different characters. This shows in their faces when they look at you. Some of them seem surly and withdrawn, while at the other end of the scale, others may even appear to be more benign, rather friendly even! As I got to know them, they also got to know me. I often had the habit of talking to them, much as someone might talk to their dogs. Stuff like, “How are you guys doing?”, “Did you get something to eat last night?”, “I see your tummies are full! Where did you leave the kill?”. So they got to know my voice, my scent, and perhaps also to recognise me. If they had killed a wildebeest, I would collect the skull so as to

get the age and sex of the animal, and also one of the leg bones (usually the femur) which could later be laboratory-tested for fat content of the marrow as an indication of the animal’s condition. If they were at a safe distance, I would carefully get out of my truck and they would often watch me curiously. It became necessary at a stage for me to attend University in Pietermaritzburg to write qualification exams for my MSc degree, which meant I had to be away from my study area for three months. Upon my return, I was needed to assist with aerial census work, which kept me away for another few weeks, so when I finally could return to my study area, I had been away for almost four months. On the first day after my return, I went out to look for the pride whose territory encompassed my camp site.As they were always the closest pride, I got to track them more often than the others. When I

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had first started this project, I had darted all of the adults and, to assist with identification, I had given each one a small hot brand consisting of a single bar which when healed, was unnoticeable to anyone not looking for it.The brand would be either on the rump or shoulder. According to the position of the brand, I initially recorded them as ‘LR’ (left rump) or ‘LS’ (left shoulder). But as I became more familiar with them, LR became ‘Lorn’ (my daughter) and ‘LS’ was ‘Lisa’ my niece. The girls were then still small enough (but old enough) to enjoy having a namesake among the lions! It was ‘Lisa’ who was fitted with the collar. She was always one of my favourite lions - one those who had a lovely benign face, and she was one of the more relaxed and tolerant lionesses. I sometimes felt I could get out and cuddle her! But of course, I never tried! On this first time out again, she was the first lion I tracked. I had two elderly ladies visiting me on that day. One was the mother of an academic at Wits University who worked regularly with us and the other was her friend from Australia. I had promised I would take them to see some lions. I had not seen Lisa for four months, and was particularly keen to check on her. As I was about to find out, a lot can happen in four months! I picked up the first signal from her collar just to the west of my camp. As we moved closer, I realized that the signal was coming from within the Sweni’s river bed. The intensity of the signal tells you when you are getting close – the soft ‘ping’ from the receiver takes on a harder, more urgent tone. We eventually came to a spot directly opposite the source of the signal. Looking towards the spot, it seemed to me that the reeds and sedges were grazed down fairly short. There had been no reaction from Lisa or any other lion and I began to wonder if she was actually there or not. I would have expected a warning growl or some other response indicating that she was aware of our close presence. Perhaps, in the time I had been away, her collar had come off? I moved up and down along the riverbank on foot, listening closely to the intensity of the signal until I felt I had pinpointed her position. There was still no reaction from her, and so eventually I convinced myself that the collar must have come off. I went to fetch my rifle from my truck and with it slung over my shoulder, I moved into the river bed still listening intently to the signal. I realised that the vegetation was taller than I had thought, and although I had a rifle on my shoulder, it was 30.06 calibre and fitted with a telescopic sight – not the ideal weapon for the situation! But as I was sure there were no lions there, I carried it more as a “comfort” than for defense!

I knew that I was very close and was looking around on the ground for the collar when Lisa suddenly stood up right in front of me. I got a terrific shock as I had not been expecting to find her there. But she simply turned and walked quietly away from me. I watched as she went but could not get a good view of her. I wanted to see what her physical condition was like and whether she had recently eaten in case there was a kill nearby, but my view of her was obscured by the vegetation. Right next to where I was standing was a large rock which projected out into the river bed, so I clambered onto it to get a better view of her. I also needed to see if there were any other lions there! I could see her quite well as she walked away, and I watched until she disappeared about 80 metres downstream. There were no other lions there but, to my absolute amazement, as I looked down I could see four tiny cubs right where she had been lying! I jumped down to look at them. They were still almost blind, little blue-grey eyes just opening. They were probably smaller than the average domestic cat. Having established there was no danger, I called the two ladies in, and we were able to admire them at close range. I did not want to touch them as I thought this might leave our scent on them and influence her reaction to them when she returned. I had no way of knowing that she had cubs. Gestation time for lions is three months, so while I had been away, she had mated, conceived and produced the cubs. Looking back on this incident, I can still not make much sense of what had happened. She had been lying there with her cubs, watching me as I walked around on the bank, and as I approached her and the cubs. She had at no stage alerted me to her presence or threatened me in any way. Whenever I think back on this now, I get a little chill considering what could (or perhaps should?) have happened. I was virtually defenseless as I could never have got my rifle cocked and up to my shoulder in time. The textbooks say I should not be here to write this. Why had she not attacked me in the defense of her cubs? Was it possible that after four months absence, she still remembered me from those earlier innocuous interactions? Was this enough to have engendered in her enough trust in me to understand that I posed no threat to her cubs? This all seems a little too melodramatic, but this is what happened. In retrospect I feel that this was perhaps the most profound experience of all my interactions with wild animals. I feel a deep sense of gratitude and pride that she had shown such trust in me that day.

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