Nobody wanted to miss out on the trip to Grootvadersbosch today. This Cape Nature reserve of 250ha of forest is unique in the Southern Western Cape and the largest remaining example in the Langeberg. The forest was named after one of the original owners, Roelof Oelofse, whose nickname was Groot Vader and who received this property in 1723.
Situated adjacent to the forest is a large fynbos area where most of the scientists aimed for.
Prof Eric Holm identified the largest cockroach of its kind who keeps in the fynbos. He explained why the cockroaches will always survive. Being generalist, they thrive on anything, as we know, and have no special diet, habitat or any natural enemies. Only the 4 house cockroach species are aliens.
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| Prof Erik Holm ready for action |
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| Aptera Sp or Fynbos Cockroach endemic and can be winged or apterous. The female is the largest in SA and is apterous and burroughs |
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| Botanist team heading out into Grootvadersbosch |
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| Erica Blenna or Riversdale Heath |
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| Prof Charles Whitehead of University of Johannesburg came to visit |
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| Finally lunch break! |
Dr Stephen Boatwright is a botanist working at Kirstenbosch in the Compton Herbarium with special field of interest in alien plants.
He works closely with the Early Detection and Rapid Response Unit for alien plants and he also work with Working for Water.
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| Dr. Stephen Boatwright of SANBI |
The Early Detection and Rapid Response Programme were started in 2008 by the Natural Resources Management Programmes of the Department of Environmental Affairs and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
This program, as the name says, focuses on the detection and control or eradication of emerging alien species that have the potential to become problematic in the country. The SANBI is mandated to conserve South Africa’s biodiversity and monitor and report on invasive species.
The EDRR programme is currently involved in a project on the barcoding of invasive plant and animal species in South Africa. This project is a collaborative effort between the EDRR and the African Centre for DNA Barcoding (ACDB) at the University of Johannesburg. It aims to slot in with the International Barcoding of Life Project (iBOL) by building a DNA barcoding database of invasive plant and animal species in South Africa, also including native species that are invasive in other countries around the world.
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| Onycophora of Velvet worm, eldest land living athropods, spits glue that entagles all their enemies. |
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| Fungi |
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