African Wildlife and Environment Issue 72

FRIENDS & CLUBS

T he first of these is to complete the fencing of the reserve. Owing to the poor performance of a contractor, some 4.4 kilometres on the north-western boundary remains unfenced. Without proper fencing, the game on the reserve can stray, and cattle from neighbouring properties can come into the reserve. We have provided equipment and fencing materials for this project, which is now nearing completion. A second important challenge is that the reserve is traversed by a public gravel road which cuts through a notable orchid hotspot and wetland area. A lack of maintenance over many years means the road is virtually impassable and, more important, is causing large amounts of sand and stone to wash off into the wetland. Working for Wetlands and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Authority are helping us to interact with the roads department and to obtain funding for the necessary planning and impact studies. The Friends also participated in two workshops with Eco Africa, the consultants charged with creating the Integrated and Tourism Management Plans for the Reserve. We are particularly happy that our recommendation (that the whole Reserve be zoned as ‘remote’) was accepted, which should provide adequate protection for what is an extremely fragile ecosystem. Because Verloren Valei is a closed reserve, it is vitally important that there are ways for the public to visit it in a responsible manner. To that end, the Friends of Verloren Valei are working with the Reserve Manager to upskill the environmental monitors onsite. Recently, two of them attended a birding course run by the Escarpment Birding Club. The Friends group contributed to the fees and to buying binoculars and bird books for the monitors. In tandem, the Friends group is busy developing a programme of field trips led by specialist guides. We have run the orchid field trips for some years, and late last year the Lepidopterists’ Society led a field trip at Verloren Valei looking for butterflies, including the ‘Warren’s Blue’ which is only found here. We hope they will run another outing this year. Other possible field trips include a geology and a wetlands field trip. The Friends group of Verloren Valei looks forward to the coming year with some optimism as the reserve has a new Reserve Manager, who is committed, has a good vision for the Reserve and, best of all, has expressed her eagerness to work with us.

Verloren Valei is a small but very important wetland reserve, just north-east of Dullstroom in Mpumalanga. Despite its small size, it is a Ramsar site, which means it is recognised as an internationally important wetland. During the past year, the Friends of Verloren Valei have played a role in helping the reserve management tackle two important problems. The small but important wetland reserve of VERLOREN VALEI

James van den Heever Photographs by Gerrit van Ede

James van den Heever Secretary: Friends of Verloren Valei jamesh@tiscali.co.za

Mass flowering of the Zigzag Crocosmia Crocosmia paniculata at the end of January 2018

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