Consol Head Office visit 28 November 2016.

The next Conservation Committee visit to the Consol Glass Head Office site was arranged for 28 November 2016. We were again represented by Gavin Lawson, Simon Fogarty together with Clifford and Suretha Dorse. Also invited along was Dalton Gibbs and Pat Holmes from the City of Cape Town Biodiversity Dept. Again we met the Manager William Lily on site and he accompanied us around the site as on the previous occasion filling in information and answering questions asked of him. Something very encouraging to see was all the area with invasive plant species were cleared as per our suggestion on the previous visit a month ago. This was quite some work achieved.

The heronry and breeding area in the reed beds was still in full swing and all remarked about it that it was very encouraging.

We went to the southern shore and spent some time there looking around and discussing levels, slopes, vegetation types for the banks and where suitable plant material could be grown. William said they could possibly set up a small nursery in site to develop the plants. There were very experienced “rehabilitation heads” in the group with the correct advice. They have the equipment on site to do the bank reshaping, they just need the plan with the gradients and it was possible to do.

So we walked around to see the nesting wall on the northern side of the “conservation area”. Something we noted as this was a mining area it was devoid of insect life which always abounds in natural areas as a comparison. In the eastern section there is good opportunity to create bird wader areas in a shallow area where the return slurry from the works is pumped back into the main waterbody.

Conclusion

William wanted from us a report or recommendation he could give the UWC students to use in their study. This would include plant species for the various levels of the banks to be created to form the right habitats for the various bird, insect, amphibian and animal species prevalent in wetlands on the Cape Flats.

In the walk around about the same number of bird species was recorded as the visit last month.

Here is a copy of the recommendation sent to Consol.

Gavin Lawson.