Winston Park Primary School took an active part in the Hillcrest Community this month by taking a stand at the Hillcrest Shopping Centre, displaying posters on Alien Invasive Plants and talking to an interested public about ‘aliens’.
Photo: L-R – Keryn Parker, Sashen Thirboan, Mieke van Tienhoven and Alex Cunningham
Several members of the Keep Hillcrest Beautiful Association (KHBA) joined the youngsters but the junior eco-warriors were extremely capable and were able to talk and advise with extreme competence on their own. Mieke van Tienhoven, their trainer on invasive plants, taught them well!
Invasive alien species are species that have been introduced into an area and are able to out-compete and displace indigenous species. They may be plants, animals or microbes, and are considered serious threats to the productive use of land and water, to the ecological functioning of natural ecosystems, to human health and ultimately, the economy.
The cost of removing invasive infestations is extremely high so every effort should be made to control and reduce their spread.
Regulations on alien and invasive species have been effected from 1 October 2014 with a total of 559 alien species being listed as invasive. Of these, 379 are plant species.
In the Upper Highway area, several species are of particular concern. The Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) is a common garden and street tree that spreads easily by seed. The ginger lily species (Hedychium sp.) are ornamental garden plants that can rapidly invade stream beds, while the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) is a common sight on our roadsides.
The next KHBA Rail Reserve Walk will take place on Sunday 2nd November.
For more information please visit www.khba.org.za.