Cape Town - In the fight to mitigate the impact of climate change, the Worcester Veld Reserve Indigenous Tree Nursery was launched by Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer.
The nursery was set up in collaboration with a group of organisations including Breedekloof Wine & Tourism and the Change Makers Rehab Centre NGO.
Meyer said that climate change was a ministerial priority and establishing the nursery was one of their department’s interventions to reduce the effect of climate change.
“The nursery will directly contribute to the restoration of ecological infrastructure in our landscapes that plays a vital role to support agriculture,” said Meyer.
Agricultural director for sustainable resource use and management, Ashia Petersen, said there would be a variety of ecological services provided to farmers, rural communities and downstream economic centres from functioning ecosystems such as this nursery.
“Water quality and quantity, the regulation of streamflow, and the prevention of soil erosion are some of the major benefits of healthy ecosystems.
“Moreover, the sequestration of carbon in biomass and soils are enabled and supported to regulate climate change,” said Petersen.
Meyer said the restoration of ecological infrastructure has been a cost-effective means of adapting to climate change and there is the great potential for employment opportunities.
“This is especially the case during the clearing of invasive alien trees along our rivers and the restoration of these areas with indigenous trees.”
“My department’s investment in ecological infrastructure’s alien clearing projects created 1000 jobs and rehabilitated 15 000 hectares of agricultural land last year,'' said Meyer.