Looking over the experimental site at Elandsberq Private Nature Reserve. In the1oregroond 1s a plougbed pasture and in the background, ttle dark green renosterveld vegetation is visible. Photo: Cornelia Krug.

The Renosterveld Restoration Project

Understanding and restoring West Coast renosterveld

by Cornelia B. Krug, Conservation Ecology Department, University of Stellenbosch

Renosterveld is one of the most threatened habitat types in the Renosterveld Restoration Project. Funded by the Table the Cape Floral Kingdom with less than 10% of its original Mountain Fund of WWF-SA, the project aims to understand extent remaining. As it is generally associated with fertile what aspects of renosterveld ecology are important for soils, where there was once lowland renosterveld we now find restoration, and will try out different restoration strategies in wheatfields, vineyards, pastures, olive groves and fruit order to provide guidelines for farmers who want to achieve orchards. The natural remnants are restricted to the koppies fast recovery of renosterveld on their lands. (in West Coast renosterveld in the Boland and Swartland) or Experience shows that natural vegetation usually recovers to steep slopes (in South Coast renosterveld, mainly on the slowly on abandoned fields, and with this in mind we Agulhas Plain). Remnants are further threatened by invasive embarked on the project. The main study site is located on alien plants, by fertilizers (which benefit alien grasses) and the farm Bartholomeusklip at the foot of the Elandskloof pesticides from the surrounding agricultural areas. Genetic Mountains north of Wellington. Here the late Dale Parker and exchange between the fragmented remnants is limited, and his wife Elizabeth established a private nature reserve in smaller populations of plants and animals inhabiting frag­ 1973, initially intended to save the endangered geometric ments are more likely to become extinct. tortoise Psammobates geometricus. Dale Parker, a great con­ But it is n~t all doom and gloom. Many farmers take an servationist, warmly welcomed researchers on his property, interest in the natural vegetation on their property (as Sue among them the students working on the Renosterveld Winter of the Botanical Society has documented in her recent Restoration Project. Bartholomeusklip not only encompasses research) and there is an increased demand to revert aban­ one of the largest remaining patches of West Coast renoster­ doned or marginal lands to indigenous vegetation for game veld (1 600 hal. but also stocks a number of game species, farming and ecotourism - the flower display in renosterveld among them eland, red hartebeest, plains zebra and bonte­ in spring is spectacular. bok. This allows for a glimpse back in time when large herds The Project and the people of game, including the extinct blue antelope and quagga, There is a general lack of understanding of renosterveld roamed the Western Cape. ecology, so it is difficult to inform interested farmers about Four graduate students and one researcher are working how to restore their natural renosterveld vegetation. Because on different aspects of renosterveld ecology and restoration of this shortcoming, Sue Milton of the Conservation Ecology within the Renosterveld Restoration Project, and another, Department of the University of Stellenbosch, with her expe­ Ndafuda Shiponeni, completed her M.Sc. on seed dispersal in rience in the field of restoration and rehabilitation, initiated renosterveld earlier this year (see her article in the March

68 June 2004 Veld&Flora ABOVE: Natural renosterveld vegetation opposite the experimental site. Photo: S. J. Milton.

LEFT: A burned renosterbos Elytropappus rhinocerotis is all that is left after a plot was burned for restoration trials. Photo: Cornelia Krug.

2003 Veld & Flora). Benjamin Walton is Newton (University of the Western Ndafuda's results (in Veld & Flora investigating plant species composition Cape) has recently completed a map of 89(1), 32-33) show that most of the and floral diversity to understand the all remaining renosterveld fragments species found in West Coast role of fire and grazing in vegetation on the West Coast using satellite Renosterveld are adapted to dispersal succession in renosterveld. Nicola images, Gwen Raitt and Suretha van by wind or in the dung of large herbi­ Farley is making monthly observation Rooyen (University of Stellenbosch) vores, while in fynbos most species are of the use of various habitats by game have been sampling vegetation in adapted to dispersal after fire or by species, while I study the small mam­ burned, grazed and protected areas to ants. The seeds of the shrubs and tus­ mals (such as the four-striped field reveal the effects of disturbance on the sock grasses are equipped with plumes mouse, pygmy mouse or musk shrew) indigenous rooigras Themeda triandra to be carried by the wind, whereas that use the old fields, and burned, and unwanted grasses from Europe. some geophytes produce large round grazed and spared renosterveld vegeta­ Habitat studies by Chavoux Luyt from seeds that tumble on the ground, and tion fragments in this area. Graduate the University of Stellenbosch will pro­ the grasses and forb species (woody student, Donald lponga Midoko, is con­ vide guidelines for use of fire for habi­ plants found in grasslands) have seeds ducting experiments to improve our tat management for the renosterveld that survive the passage in the gut of understanding of renosterveld vegeta­ specialist antelope, the bontebok. large herbivores. These seeds are then tion recovery on old fields. He is moni­ Ruther Parker (University of Cape deposited with 'fertilizer', giving them a toring the influence of grazing and Town) in collaboration with Mark good chance to establish successfully. grass on the growth and survival of Botha (BotSoc), is investigating poten­ Many of the bulbous species found in indigenous shrub species that he has tial incentives for landowners to con­ renosterveld have bulbils (small bulbs introduced, as well as testing restora­ serve renosterveld remnants as most surrounding the larger main bulb) that tion strategies by examining the sur­ renosterveld is on privately owned land break off and disperse when the main vival of indigenous species after burn­ and conservation management can be bulb is disturbed - pulled down by mol­ ing, brush cutting and herbicide appli­ costly to the land-owner. erats, dug up by porcupines or dis­ cation. Doctoral student, Rainer Krug, Renosterveld ecology turbed by hooves. Other geophytes is <;ollating all the field data collected By looking at seed dispersal, moni­ found in renosterveld, like amaryllids, by his colleagues (and gleaned from toring plant survival and the responses flower after fire and carry seeds in publications) into an ecological model of plants and animals to certain distur­ flower heads that tumble over bare to understand the processes that lead bances (like fire and grazing), we learn ground (see Veld & Flora 82(2), 70-71), to renosterveld restoration. He has about processes shaping this ecosys­ while various Iris and Oxalis species essentially turned his computer in a tem. It is often assumed, as renoster­ have seeds that fall or jump from the virtual study site, conducting and veld is closely related to fynbos, that flower heads and do not appear to rely monitoring simulated experiments that fire is one of the main driving factors, on wind or animals for dispersal. would otherwise take generations to but is this true? What role did the large In his shrub transplanting experi­ conduct. herbivores play? Has renosterveld ments Donald Iponga Midoko found Funding from the National Research always been dominated by asteraceous that the renosterveld shrub species he Foundation has extended renosterveld shrubs, as we see it today, or was it planted grew better in patches where research and is supporting a number of once a grassland with shrubs instead grazing animals reduced grass cover, students investigating various other of acacia trees? What do the results tell as this limited competition for the aspects of renosterveld ecology. Ian us so far? growing plants. Seedlings of the wild learn which are the 'appropriate distur­ LEFT: Project members bances' to kick-start the restoration t;::;~~:;::===~~~:;:~;;::;;:;:::=~--:~-;:: Rainer Krug, Donald Iponga Midoko and process on an abandoned field or in a Ndafuda Shiponeni dis­ degraded piece of natural veld. The cussing the experimental study on seed dispersal has shown set up for the her­ that, despite seed movement by ani­ bivory/grass competition project. The cage mals and wind, seeds of only a few protects the plants from species return naturally. After years of being grazed, and grass agricultural use, the soil's seed bank is competition is excluded also severely depleted. Moreover, com­ by regularly weeding the plot. petition by grasses or alien vegetation Photo: Cornelia Krug prevents many of the germinating seeds from establishing. Therefore, large-scale restoration trials, where patches of abandoned field are burned, mowed or treated with herbicides, and where seeds of renosterveld species are sown, were conducted. The results pro­ olive, in contrast, were damaged by study site are mainly grazers or mixed vide insight on what the farmer can do antelope which browsed their leaves feeders (animals that both graze and to 'kick-start' their restoration of and stems, and grew best in areas were browse). The grazers, like Burchell's indigenous vegetation. they were surrounded by grasses. In zebra and the red hartebeest, favour Knowledge of which plant and animal renosterveld, olives are restricted to the old fields, which can be likened to species are associated with the differ­ heuweltjies (extinct terrnitaria) where natural grazing lawns made up from ent disturbance regimes helps the the soil is nutrient enriched, and Cynodon dactylon, or kweek grass. farmer, for example, game farming plants grow in high densities. Natural grazing lawns are created by requires extensive patches of lawn Therefore, the species must be able to the animals through dung deposits, grass within the shrubby vegetation, or withstand competition from other which contain grass seeds, and on wal­ if a farmer wants to encourage geo­ plants. Shrub growth is greater when low sites. phyte species, small patches under­ the grass is removed by grazing, or, in The animals return, over and over neath the shrubby vegetation need to this case, by weeding. again, to these patches, and as shrub be kept open and grass patches limited. We therefore assume that seedlings species are susceptible to competition From the simulation experiments we of shrub species establish in patches from grasses, the lawn patches keep learn what size a patches of natural opened up by grazing, or trampling, growing in diameter. Eland, a mixed vegetation should be in order to supply and where there is very little competi­ feeder, is found on the old fields and in the surrounding vegetation with tion from other species. Fire might also the natural renosterveld vegetation. By enough seeds to ensure the establish­ create openings but at this stage of the browsing on the shrub species, eland ment of natural vegetation, and how research we cannot say which species also create gaps in the shrubby vegeta­ plants influence each other during establish in the plant communities tion, where grazing lawns can develop. seedling establishment. Every day, after fire, and what influence grazing Restoring renosterveld individual projects yield new and inter­ has on the establishment of plant By documenting plant and animal esting results, so watch out for more species. species and community response to information on the Renosterveld The game species present at the disturbances, like fire or grazing, we Restoration Project.

Further reading Johnson, S. D. & Snijman, D.A. 1996. Amaryllis belladonna, the Cape's fairest lily is adapted for life In afire-prone environment. Veld & Flora, 82(2), 70-71. Kemper, J, COWling, R.M. & Richardson, D.M. 1999. Fragmentation of South African renosterveld shrublands. Biological Conservation 90, 103-111. Parker, D. 1982. The Western Cape Lowland Fynbos: what is there left to conserve? Veld & Flora 68, 98-101. Shiponeni, N. 2003. Seed dispersal and banking in renosterveld. Veld & Flora, 89(1), 32-33. Winter, S. & Hanks; K. 2002. Understanding a farmer's position. Veld & Flora, 88(4), 140-141.

Acknowledgements The Renosterveld Restoration Project thanks Mike Gregor, the farm manager of Elandsberg/Bartholomeusklip for his enthusiastic support and willingness to transform the old fields into an experimental site. Western Cape Nature Conservation and Voelvlei Water Treatment allow access to Voelvlei Nature Reserve. Sue Milton, Charlie Boucher, Karen Esler, David Ward (UStell), Richard Knight (UWC), Jane Turpie (UCT), Annelise Ie Roux (WCNCB), Lawrence Watson (PE Technikon), Mark Botha (BotSoc), John Donaldson (NBI) and Thorsten Wiegand (UFZ, Germany) have all provided encouragement and scientific input. The project is sponsored by athree-year grant from WWF­ SA/TMF (ZA5035) which covers running costs and provides bursaries to R.M. Krug, N.N. Shiponeni, 0.1. Midoko, N. Farley and B.A. Walton. C.B. Krug, B.A. Walton, G. Raitt, S. van Rooyen, C. Luyt, I. Newton and R, Parker are also supported by the NRF (GUN 2053674) grant-holder bursaries to Sue Milton.

The author Dr C.B. (Connie) Krug is a postdoctoral researcher at the Conservation Ecology Department at the University of Stellenbosch, and has been co-ordinating the Renosterveld Restoration Project since 2001. She is a member of the Renosterveld Forum Committee that organizes workshops and meetings on renosterveld. For more information on the Renosterveld Restoration Project, please contact her at [email protected].