BLYDE RESTORATION MAKES A DIFFERNECE – Dimakatso Nonyane

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Since October 2018 the Blyde Restoration Custodianship (BRC) team has been hard at work clearing alien invasive trees in Mariepskop that suck up our water and displace natural plants and animals. The role of the team is to support the restoration of the grasslands, forests and wetland back to its natural state thus contributing to water security for people in the Lowveld. The team has managed to clear over 150 ha of Alien Invasive Plants over the past year. This is a big achievement for the team because they work in challenging terrain at high elevation areas and they encounter many challenges form the unpredictable weather conditions to the dangerous slopes. “Our job is challenging, but the reward at the end is so beautiful because we get to see the beautiful view of the forest that no one else has seen before” said Pontsho Phale, one of the team members.
The project not only supports current efforts on invasive alien plant (IAP) control and Ecosystem restoration in the larger Blyde area but also support the capacity development of the Team members. Over the last few months the team has attended training on Climate Change adaptation and computer literacy. 
The team is also exposed to additional opportunities and on the 26th of August 2019 the BRC team joined the Working on Fire High Altitude Team and camped for two weeks in highly inaccessible areas to assist them with their tasks of clearing AIP. “It was a good exchange learning opportunity for us because we met with a different team with specialized equipment that allowed them to access really difficult areas and we were able to learn a lot from them” said Khutso Pebane, the team leader. 
The team has really worked hard and are passionate about the work they do to help minimize the impact alien plants have on the water we all rely on. 
The BRC team is sponsored by USAID as part of a sub grant through The RESLIM O project implemented by AWARD.


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