Renosterveld in dire straits... conservation of the world's richest plant kingdom. скачать в хорошем качестве

Renosterveld in dire straits... conservation of the world's richest plant kingdom.

The Cape Floristic Region of South Africa comprises a unique Biome and biodiversity hotspot: Fynbos. One of the most threatened vegetation types with the Fynbos Biome is Renosterveld, which is most renowned for being the richest bulb habitat on earth. Like many lowland systems globally, due to its fertile nature, significant tracts of renosterveld have been ploughed and it is estimated that only 4-6% of the original extent of renosterveld remains. Moreover, this lowland habitat is continuously threatened by a suite of variables, including heavy degradation through inappropriate grazing, the incorrect use of fire and further (illegal) ploughing of virgin land. There is a very real chance that renosterveld could become functionally extinct in the near-future. The Overberg Lowlands Conservation Trust (OLCT) was established in early 2012 for the sole purpose of conserving the threatened and neglected Renosterveld remnants of the Overberg, through a process that engages landowners. The Trust was started by Dr Odette Curtis (who conducted her PhD on renosterveld management) who realized, after several years of research and stewardship work in renosterveld remnants of the Overberg, that if we do not address the critical state of renosterveld urgently, we will lose it forever. Please visit www.overbergrenosterveld.org.za to see more about important work this NGO is doing and consider supporting our efforts.