Grootbos Foundation Monthly Update | June 2024

23 July

Foundation

Grootbos Foundation June Update

Although the cold of June has arrived, it has not slowed the dedicated teams at the Grootbos Foundation. This month has been a testament to their resilience and commitment, with significant progress in our various projects.

From vibrant student drum circles that bring communities together, to innovative techniques for smoking fynbos to enhance its sustainability, our initiatives are advancing with passion and purpose. 

Flower Safari

The Green Futures Students experienced Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and the Cape Floral Kingdom in a new way by going on a Flower Safari.

The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of the most diverse of the six floral kingdoms in the world. The landscape is dominated by shrub-like plants, similar in appearance to European heath, but is far more abundant in plant species diversity. The shrubbery is made up of ericas and proteas, a diversity of flowering plants, and the hidden gems of geophytes (bulbs).

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve celebrates the small things like the delicate fynbos plants and insects and pollinators that support the production of these plants. The Grootbos Foundation Conservation unit works extensively to survey, research and understand the ecology of this landscape; the Grootbos Florilegium showcases the relationships between plants and pollinators through the detailed depiction of botanical artworks; and the students at the Green Futures College study indigenous plants to successfully work as landscapers,  and specially trained specialist fynbos gardeners. 

Guests at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve can experience the Cape Floral Kingdom through a flower safari where expert guides take them on a botanical drive to share the fascinating stories and heritage of this magnificent floral landscape.

It was a special treat for the students at Green Futures College to also experience fynbos in this way. The students spend every day at the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, but the simple, joyful experience of fynbos is a good reminder of why we should care and protect our fynbos. 

Time To Play

Throughout the year Grootbos Foundation’s Sports Programme is a safe place for children to gather, socialise and play sports in the afternoons. Children who are kept busy and have a constructive space to direct their energy are less likely to ‘’get into trouble with boys’’ or make risky life choices as teenagers around the world often do. Teenage drug use, alcohol use and unprotected sex can change a teenager's life path forever. Our Sports Programme means that our students are influenced by safe adult role models, have daily meals at every sports practice, and pick up the associated positive habits that sports promote.

During the school holidays, the Sports Development programme offers specialised holiday programmes to keep the children from our programmes engaged during the holidays. These programmes mean parents can be sure that their children are engaged and cared for while schools are closed and parents might continue to work over the school holidays. 

The holiday programmes are also a chance for our students to engage in an array of different cultural activities, a fun deviation from their usual sports routine.  This holiday, a drumming workshop was facilitated by visiting drummers who use a djembe drum circle to celebrate rhythm, song and African cultures. 

Grootbos Is Home To 106 Bee Species And 1,128 Plant Species

We are delighted to announce that Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is home to 106 different bee species and 1 128 different plant species. Grootbos Foundation has been collecting insect specimens since 2019. The entirety of the bee specimen collection was sent to African Bee specialist, Dr Connal Eardley.

Dr Eardley was able to confirm the total number of bee species at 106 distinct species, meaning approximately 10% of all bee species in South Africa can be found on Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. This number is a validation of years of hard work and quality scientific research. 

Our conservation team also did a review of all plant species recorded on the popular survey app called iNaturalist. This cell phone application allows amateurs and professionals to share their faunal and floral sightings and allows fellow botanists to confirm plant and animal species. This review revealed an additional 74 plant species on Grootbos which our team had not previously recorded, bringing the total number of fynbos species found on Grootbos to 1 028 species! 

The Grootbos Foundation Conservation Research Unit is responsible for gathering baseline data on Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. That information can be used for a variety of research projects such as identifying new plant species, tracking the change in insect abundance and investigating the ecological relationships between plant species and insects.

The Transformative Power of Smoking.

Fynbos is highly specialised and very specific, with a high level of endemic species, meaning that some species will only grow in specific regions and nowhere else. Because of this, components such as soil type and the acidity of the water can affect the plant's ability to grow. One of the key elements which affect fynbos propagation is fire. Fynbos is fire-adapted and many species will only propagate in the season after a summer wildfire. 

Fynbos propagation for commercial use needs to mimic the natural conditions of fynbos to produce plants, which is why it is necessary to ‘smoke’ fynbos seeds to stimulate seed growth. This is one of the skills that the indigenous Horticulture students learn at Green Futures College. These specialized skills will make our graduates stand out from other workers who plan to work in horticulture, landscaping and gardening in the Overberg. 

Not Just a Number: Escaping the 60% Youth Unemployment in South Africa

Grootbos Foundation’s Enterprise Development Programme supports unemployed youth as they attempt to find work despite South Africa’s employment crisis; 60% of South Africa’s under 25s are currently unemployed.

Only 34% of South African adults have a matric certificate with a significant school dropout rate of between 42% and 56%, which radically reduces the opportunities available for young people. The employability programme gives young people a step up, which can give them the confidence to find their first job, ensuring that they can at least enter the workforce with some knowledge of the application process and confidence in their well-presented CV, and interview skills. Sometimes the hardest part is getting a foot in the door.

The Enterprise Development team is currently working one-on-one with these young hopeful people to prepare them for two weeks of work experience at local small businesses.