Alien Appeal

Long description

Cape Town is a biodiversity hotspot and provides a natural habitat for many plant and animal species. The Cape Floral Kingdom is the smallest of the six floral kingdoms on earth and is restricted entirely to South Africa. However, it has exceptional diversity, with about 9000 known species, most of which are found nowhere else. On Table Mountain alone there are more plant species than in the whole of the UK. While animal diversity is lower, there are a number of insect and bird species that pollinate these plants which are found nowhere else. One of the biggest threats to biodiversity on Table Mountain is the presence of alien invasive tree species, such as Port Jackson, Rooikrans, Wattle, Hakea, Pine and Blue Gum. Free from their native pests and pathogens, these have spread uncontrollably in many areas of the Western Cape. Alien species use up precious water supplies, destabilise river banks, destroy the balance of habitats and consequently impact negatively on indigenous fauna. In addition, they are very flammable and cause frequent and very hot fires, like the one that wreaked havoc at the University of Cape Town and burned the slopes of Table Mountain and surrounding suburbs in mid-April 2021. In addition to the horrific destruction, these fires release CO2 into the atmosphere. My idea is to use the roots from Port Jackson willow (Acacia saligna) to make lamps, furniture and baskets. This is plant creates a monoculture and is a massive threat to biodiversity.

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