OVERBERG RENOSTERVELD CONSERVATION TRUST NEWS
Newsletter 34 | August 2024
by Dr Odette Curtis-Scott
Get ready for a rip-roaring renosterveld spring
Renosterveld doesn’t follow a calendar. This year our renosterveld landscapes in the Overberg seemed convinced that spring had already arrived early in August. It’s likely linked to the very wet winter season in the Overberg – including another flooding event in June.
For the ORCT, it means we’ve had to jump into action a little earlier, to start our spring botanising. And I’m excited about what I’m already seeing. So far it’s promising to be a very special spring for renosterveld indeed.
A bit of a change…
We’ve heard over the course of many years that our name, the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust, is a bit too long and complicated. So we’re making a small change – we’re becoming the Overberg Renosterveld Trust.
That doesn’t mean that conservation doesn’t remain at the heart of what we do. But it simply means that our name is easier to remember. And you’ll start to see the changes to our platforms over the coming weeks.
Tracking young Black Harriers reveals a harsh reality
Every young Black Harrier that leaves the nest faces an uncertain future. For this endangered raptor, the first year of life is the most dangerous – a time when hunger, predators and wildfire can all prove fatal.
Quartz islands in renosterveld: Small, specialised – and under threat
When walking through renosterveld, your eye may suddenly catch bright white patches shimmering among the green-grey vegetation. These patches look like small islands surrounded by typical renosterveld vegetation – and that is exactly why they are called quartz islands.
A birding weekend not to be missed
Bird lovers and conservation enthusiasts, eager to deepen their birding knowledge and bird with a purpose, converged on our Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve in November, to learn from one of the country’s top conservation biologists.
Latest Renosterveld News
It’s truly awe-inspiring to see what happens when like-minded people come together around a cause that touches their hearts. When that collective energy fuels efforts to protect our natural world, it carries even more meaning.