In recent years, in South Africa, it has become very fashionable to plant a tree to off-set carbon emissions especially following airtravel and on Arbor day. Green ambassadors are providing indigenous and food trees to green the city, the province and the country. Miracle trees like moringa are planted to combat disease and soil erosion.
The Gripe
It is great to see people getting stuck in but when one considers South Africa has the third richest biodiversity in the world, one has to wonder if tree planting should be such an important focus of our conservation efforts. I also question whether the trees survive the rapacious appetite of goats roaming free or the erratic rainfall that can be confined to a few months of the year.
Big, old trees are felled without a second thought unless they happen to be on the protected trees list and are identified correctly. New roads that could have been bent to accommodate an old tree or areas cleared completely to make way for a new school, mall or housing estate are normal practice. After the buildings go up the remaining area will be landscaped with white stinkwood, bulbine, an acacia or two and some aloes. Then it will be called Eco-Mall or Eco-Estate and claim to consider environmental issues in the planning and operation phase. Its become the standard green look from Johannesburg to Polokwane and none of the original plants are saved and re used but new ones are brought in. South Africa is often applauded for its environmental legislation but in practice Environmental Impact Assessments are not done comprehensively nor are they assessed thoroughly by the authorities.
The Alternative
Mugwazeni Junior Secondary School and many other schools in rural areas of Limpopo Province of South Africa have large indigenous trees on the school property. The WESSA/WWF Eco-Schools programme is currently assisting this and other schools in identifying and labelling these trees so that that they can be used for learning purposes and become a valued asset. The tag is made from anodized aluminium and the scientific, English and northern Sotho name have been printed. Trees are often removed when schools are built or later on to make way for new planted trees, a food garden or sports facilities or because the fallen leaves are “littering the school” or clogging up gutters.
Many school feeding schemes rely on fuelwood and piles of wood waiting to be burnt are a common sight. Fruit trees such as the marula are the most valued and are often kept at schools and homesteads. Few people recognise the nitrogen-fixing service provided by thorn trees which have been referred to in a derogatory manner as “bush trees.”
In a few cases trees such as the silver cluster leaf have a minimal above ground biomass as they are cut back every year. A tag will be attached with wire and hopefully the tree will grow very quickly as it may have an old well-established root system. If this proves correct the hunt for coppicing trees will begin in earnest but the real reward will be if the young people of these schools who will become tomorrow’s road builders, engineers, town planners and politicians can recognise what is truly indigenous and incorporate biodiversity in their planning, operations and decisions. Then South Africa can claim to be a true environmental protector.
Cathy Dzerefos - Cathy Dzerefos has an M.Sc. (Ecology) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
