Neil and Ragnhild Crawford who hail from Kärna, Sweden, had stayed with me in September 2006 and toured the southern and western areas of the Cape in search of elusive plant species and were indeed rewarded for their diligence.
It was thanks to their stopover at Dolphin B&B+S/C that good friends Lars and Kerstin Peterson, through referral, spent two nights exploring the West coast and although their sights were set on flora, it extended also to avifauna, Lars being particularly pleased with species he could tick off on his 'life' list.
I was struck by the observations that Lars had made through their travels in South Africa so far: "European Union citizens and white citizens in South Africa are in many cases in a similar situation. Farmer political and economical dominance is broken" He went on to encourage us to "continue to protect the biological diversity" of our country, adding that "Ecotourism is a growing market" and that "managing nature reserves is good investment". I can relate to that, Lars.
From here to Cape Town, then via the southern Cape (Knysna etc.) to Prince Albert where they've been put in touch with Sue Milton-Dean (PhD) who, with her husband Richard Dean (PhD), manage RENU-KAROO Veld Restoration cc and are deeply involved in and committed to Karoo veld assessment, vegetation surveys, indigenous seed and plants for Karoo restoration and landscaping. Three years ago I spent two of the most enlightening hours in Sue's company as she led a small group of us through her 'patch of perfection' - a small holding that she and Richard have left pristine and where lithops compete with gymnosperms and Khoi middens give us a glimse into an era long gone. Highly recommended.
It was thanks to their stopover at Dolphin B&B+S/C that good friends Lars and Kerstin Peterson, through referral, spent two nights exploring the West coast and although their sights were set on flora, it extended also to avifauna, Lars being particularly pleased with species he could tick off on his 'life' list.
I was struck by the observations that Lars had made through their travels in South Africa so far: "European Union citizens and white citizens in South Africa are in many cases in a similar situation. Farmer political and economical dominance is broken" He went on to encourage us to "continue to protect the biological diversity" of our country, adding that "Ecotourism is a growing market" and that "managing nature reserves is good investment". I can relate to that, Lars.
From here to Cape Town, then via the southern Cape (Knysna etc.) to Prince Albert where they've been put in touch with Sue Milton-Dean (PhD) who, with her husband Richard Dean (PhD), manage RENU-KAROO Veld Restoration cc and are deeply involved in and committed to Karoo veld assessment, vegetation surveys, indigenous seed and plants for Karoo restoration and landscaping. Three years ago I spent two of the most enlightening hours in Sue's company as she led a small group of us through her 'patch of perfection' - a small holding that she and Richard have left pristine and where lithops compete with gymnosperms and Khoi middens give us a glimse into an era long gone. Highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment