La Source: A project with a splash of paint!

Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve has launched its latest project to create awareness of Biosphere Reserves in South Africa (and internationally). The work they, and their partners, do in much needed conservation and development. The idea for the painting came together while discussing art, conservation, CWBR, and an artists’ desire to reach for the paint brush. This is how it is being carried out…

The awareness

By breaking a Guinness World Record, one of the biggest publications in the world, for the “World’s largest oil painting done by a single artist”, this Berg River project hopes to reach a huge number of people locally and worldwide. The painting is longer than a Southern Right whale!

The medium: The Berg River

The theme for the painting is inspired by all the life that surrounds the river, now and in the past, by the source of the Berg River - in the Jonkershoek mountains in Franschhoek, passing through towns and then leading out into the Atlantic Ocean through Velddrif, a coastal fishing town in the West Coast. The painting gives a natural and cultural depiction of the biodiversity that it supports.  

The importance of the Berg River

The Berg River and its catchment area are the life blood to all communities, businesses, and agriculture from the Franschhoek Mountains to Velddrift.

The Artist

Charl Frank is an environmentalist at heart. Charl has worked with both clay and paint, water has always been a constant theme in his art. In 2014, Charl sculpted the Knysna seahorse as part of the official launch of Knysna Estuary being proclaimed an official international Hope Spot on 7 and 8 December. He also painted a large painting, under water, nicknamed ‘WaterBirth’ which is not at Del Vera, on the way to Stellenbosch.

Available to view

The painting will be available to view at Haut Espoir, a biodynamic farm in the Franschhoek Valley, in their wine cellar on the 15th – 16th September during the Uncorked Festival. Opening time 11h00. The majority of the farm dedicated to fynbos restoration and a riverine ecosystem, hosts a beautiful abundance of indigenous plant, animal life, and farming. The paint used for this project is from Dala, a company who stay on top of science and technology, with nature and conservation in mind. 

What's next

This is only the beginning of the project. Keep an eye out for the exciting plans for the painting.

... and the projects that this painting has inspired.  

‘The painting is an expression of the importance of the river to all of us’ 

On the 23rd of July 2018, Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve set up an exhibition showing all of the ongoing projects of CWBR at Stellenbosch Town Hall, alongside other organisations including ChangeAbility, Badisa, Winelands Fire Protection and more.  The event, to mark the hand-over of funds from Cape Winelands District Municipality to the mentioned organizations as well as CWBR for the new year.

Cape Winelands District Municipality, were the initiators and the funders of creating Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve. It has been a wonderful parent! A huge thank you to CWD for the ongoing support from the beginning.

Another very exciting development within the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve, which has now gained international recognition: The University of Stellenbosch Botanical Garden.

The garden has been recognised by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). The first garden to be recognised in South Africa, and the second in Africa.

With the vast diversity of indigenous plants to Africa, and from all over the world, that the garden holds it has become critically important to conservation efforts and world wide research. 

Follow the link to read the article and find out more.

“Stellenbosch Botanical Garden gains international acclaim” an article by Lucinda Dordley.

http://www.capetownetc.com/cape-town/stellenbosch-botanical-garden-gains-international-acclaim/

Biosphere team and volunteers

Our planet is in urgent need to develop sustainable methodologies and emission-reduction programs for food production, energy production, wastewater treatment... you name it! Often emission-reduction programs lack the ability to boost economic growth, which is the first priority for most of the developing countries. However, societies and communities are increasingly moving from conventional methods to produce and discharge goods to more into resource recovery -based models and waste-to-energy type of systems to avoid and reduce negative impacts of the changing climates. Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve as an environmental organisation tackles both, climate change adaptation, and mitigation measures.

In my studies I mainly focus on water management and treatment, so once I heard about Cape Town’s water crisis I knew I would have to go see how the situation is and what I could do for helping the locals. One student from my University had done his research internship at Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve the previous year, so I quickly emailed the organisation and got a positive response. Soon we skyped about the topic of my research and thought that I could work with a Swedish wastewater treatment technology, called Aquatron, and test it in South African conditions. The CEO had done some background research on the technology for years and this created a perfect opportunity to start to examine the system.

Soon after moving to South Africa I found out, that problems with the existing South Africa’s wastewater treatment system are diverse. The wastewater treatment plants are lacking capacity due to the growing population, as well as lack of financial support and maintenance. Another serious problem in South Africa is the vast amount of untreated wastewater that is discharged into the environment, especially wastewater effluent from townships and informal settlements. Many of the areas are not connected to the sewage system, which causes pollution and eutrophication in the majority of the rivers and other water reservoirs. Thus, the goal of the research was mainly to build an alternative sanitation system to the current water crisis in Western Cape to reduce pollution and overall water quality risks.

In addition to this, we also decided to expand the system with a greenhouse, aquaponics, and a vertical garden. First, the wastewater from a toilet, kitchen, and shower flows into the greenhouse, where Aquatron is placed. From there it continues first to aquaponics, and finally to the vertical garden. Furthermore, a constant flow vertical garden was built to offer a solution for local food production, especially in high density areas. Aquaponics in different sizes can be used for food production, but also as storage tanks for treated wastewater. With solar water pumps, the constant water flow system prevents eutrophication and other unwanted nutrient accumulation and bacterial growth.

The first order for 100 Aquatrons was made this year and a video of a panel discussion with various experts will be published soon! Aquatron program offers a solution to the current water crisis, and it will make a huge contribution to the CWBR and other community projects and generate regular income. Instead of relying on emission-reduction efforts, this alternative proposes a technology that locally treats wastewater and can increase economic and social development.

I want to thank CWBR for making it possible for me to visit South Africa, learn about the beautiful nature and cultures there and most importantly conduct a research that has a great potential to help to mitigate the drought. Here is a short video of my stay and the Aquatron project:

Aquatron briefly

Aquatron separates liquids from solids without any moving parts or chemicals. This is accepted worldwide as the most sustainable water toilet principle.

The toilet is connected to Aquatron, which separates the excrement and treats liquids with UV light. The water further continues to aquaponics where the water is organically post-treated, and plants use the nutrients as fertilizers to grow food and feed local citizens. The water is then pumped up to a vertical garden to maximise food production. After this the water flows back to the aquaponics. Once the circular system is fully functional, the system will be removed from the municipal grid, and the system works as closed, constant flow system.

To prove the system functionality, water quality analysis were made at Stellenbosch University WA lab, where Heterotrophic P/C per 1ml at 35°C, Total coliforms per 100ml, Faecal coliforms per 100ml, and E.coli per 100ml, as the general water quality indicators, were examined.

Once the separator and the UV unit were perfectly levelled, and the pipes’ inclinations were checked properly, this resulted in drinkable water quality. The wastewater treatment system was proved to work in South African conditions if properly installed and is a recommendable solution for the current toilet systems in informal settlements, mid- to high-income households, and companies.

Introduction by Guy Palmer

This article sets out very clearly the situation with regard to water supply and the management of the upper catchments and the problems related there to.

The principle management authority for the upper catchments, CapeNature, has the data to plan and execute this exercise properly given the correct financial and physical support. The top down approach to catchment management has been advocated for years but, as explained in the article, logic and finances do not always talk the same language. The core of the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve forms part of the extensive upper mountain catchment of the Western Cape and is strategically placed to above some of the major dams supplying water to the Cape metropole and further.

These catchments are also part of the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas World Heritage Site.

Follow this link to read the article: 'Aliens are greatest threat to Cape Town’s water security'

Written by jasper Singsby and Mark Botha

https://www.groundup.org.za/article/aliens-are-greatest-threat-cape-towns-water-security/

(Oceans of Contract): The South African coastline is bathed by mighty oceans (Image credit: Coastcare Fact Sheet Series produced by the former Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 2006. Used with permission).

An Introduction:

The Marine and Guiding course has started and is in full swing at De Hoop Nature Reserve. De Hoop Collections have kindly sponsored accommodation, and the students have stayed at Mellkkammer, one of the original estates in the Reserve. A unique opportunity.

Gavin Maneveldt, a biodiversity and conservation professor at University of the Western Cape, gave two days of dynamic lectures on marine life and hands-on live experiences on the beach - watching anemones, octopuses, whelks, and many other living organisms on the rocky shores of De Hoop. An interactive walk for adrenaline junkies of a different type.

The rich marine diversity

of the Cape

By Gavin W. Maneveldt

Department of Biodiversity & Conservation Biology

University of the Western Cape

(Marine Diversity): Rocky intertidal shores of the Cape Peninsula are rich in diversity of various marine organisms.

South Africa lies in a unique geographical location and as a consequence boasts an astonishingly high biodiversity.  Its nearly 3000km of coastline (less than 1% of the total length of coastline in the world) is bathed by three oceans (Atlantic, Indian and Southern oceans) and is home to roughly 16% of all the known coastal marine species.  As a consequence of the varied sea surface temperatures South Africa (flanked on its west by the northward flowing, cold Benguela Current and on its east by the south-westward flowing, warm Agulhas Current) has three (a cool temperate west coast, a warm temperate south coast, a subtropical east coast) broad biogeographic marine coastal environments or provinces.  Bordering these provinces are biogeographic transition zones in which there is a mingling of the biodiversity of the two neighbouring regions.  Generally speaking, the western transition zone is located roughly between the Cape Peninsula at Cape Point and that area just east of Cape Agulhas.  The eastern transition zone is located roughly between the area around the Kei River mouth and the Eastern Cape border with KwaZulu-Natal.  Biogeographic transition zones are unique in that they not only contain marine organisms from each of the neighbouring regions, but they often also contain endemic species specifically adapted to only the conditions of that transition zone.  For this reason, biogeographic transition zones are areas of particularly high diversity, with high levels of endemism.

The western biogeographic transition zone (along the south Western Cape) between the temperate regions is most fascinating.  This stretch of coastline represents the greatest change in marine species composition for South Africa.  This is so largely because of the high number of range-restricted endemics that are found only along a very narrow section of the coast.  Within the western transition zone, False Bay and the surrounding Peninsula (at the western edge of the transition zone) have been reported to have the greatest number of range-restricted endemics.  At the eastern edge of the western transition zone lies Cape Agulhas.  New research is showing that this region is similarly rich in range-restricted endemics.    

The meeting of the cold Benguela and warm Agulhas currents at the southern edge of the Agulhas Bank (roughly 250 km offshore of Cape Agulhas) fuels the nutrient cycle for much of the marine life in the area, making this region one of the most productive areas in South Africa.  Also, the greatest calcite (the most stable form of calcium carbonate) gradient exists between the Agulhas Bank and Antarctica.  This makes the region an area rich in calcium (an essential component of the shells and skeletons of many marine organisms) dependent organisms.

(coralline mosaic): The intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of the Agulhas region are rich in diversity of encrusting coralline algae that often form a mosaic of pink encrusting mats.

One such group of organisms is the coralline red algae.  These calcified seaweeds are the only marine plants in which almost all vegetative cell walls are impregnated with calcite, making them hard as rock.  While coralline algae are ignored by most marine biologists and even specialist phycologists (people who study algae and seaweeds), they are ecologically very important.  Not only do these organisms help cement reefs together, they are important sources of primary production (taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen) and food for very many other marine organisms.  Recent evidence has even suggested that coralline algae may be one of the largest stores of carbon in the biosphere, making them globally very important organisms considering the impacts of increased carbon emissions and its subsequent effects (through ocean acidification) on the oceans. 

New research (incorporating DNA sequencing) has shown that we have highly underestimated the diversity of the coralline algae (by as much as 2-4 times that which is currently recognised) and that the Agulhas region is particularly rich.  More interestingly, this new research is showing that marine species are generally not widely distributed across ocean basins and are in fact more endemic than previously thought.  Two range-restricted endemic species of encrusting coralline algae, new to science, have recently been documented for the area.  Both species have been found to occur in an area no greater than about 10 km (the shortest range of any known marine species) of coastline at the southernmost tip of the African continent.  Similar findings are more than likely to surface for other groups of marine organisms as new research methodologies (such as DNA sequencing) becomes increasingly more popular.

Figure Captions (all images except, Fig. 1, was taken by Gavin W. Maneveldt)