Latest update from the Lomond Servitude Controlled Burn Area

From charred earth to pure magic again in the course of 12 months – the resilience of fynbos is truly spectacular.

Below is a complete report by the Grootbos Foundation:

Lomond Wine Estate

Post fire alien clearing in the conservation servitude site May 2023

Plate 1

Project Manager: Grootbos Foundation
Contracting Team: Wesh Construction
Project: Follow up removal of invasive alien plant species in endangered Elim Ferricrete Fynbos and Overberg Sandstone Fynbos, after a controlled ecological burn which was implemented in April 2022.

The Grootbos Foundation received a small grant from the Table Mountain fund to facilitate the follow up alien clearing efforts on Lomond Wine Farm in an area of fynbos which has been signed into a conservation servitude. The site contains both endangered Elim Ferricrete Fynbos and endangered Overberg Sandstone Fynbos and is home to some spectacular botanical diversity (as displayed in Plate 1).

The 17 hectare site was burnt in a controlled ecological burn in April 2022, and had significant regrowth of invasive species such as Acacia saligna (Port Jackson) and Leptospermum laevigatum (Australian Myrtle). The invasive alien plant regrowth within the site had not yet flowered and set seeds, and was still able to be hand-pulled across the majority of the site, therefore not requiring significant herbicide application. The objective of this project was to remove the invasive species to ensure the survival and restoration of the unique fynbos.

The restoration of this site is a conservation priority within the landscape as it is one of the last remnant areas of Elim Ferricrete Fynbos within the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy. Restoration efforts have been conducted within the site over the last five years and include the removal of alien invasive plant species, implementing a controlled ecological burn, and active planting of keystone Elim Fynbos species after the fire.

Joyce, from Wesh Construction, and her team of incredible ladies form part of an alien clearing team which works within the Walker Bay Protected Environment. They have been upskilled to expand their scope of work beyond the removal of alien invasive plant species and have been involved in ecological burns, propagation of fynbos and forest species, trail development and restoration initiatives. The team was deployed in the field on the 25th of April 2023, and spent 10 days in the field conducting follow up clearing efforts. The follow-up alien clearing was conducted using manual removal techniques such as cutting and pulling, in combination with the use of herbicides for more stubborn species. The team worked systematically, clearing the area in a grid pattern to ensure that all invasive species were removed. All alien invasive plant species were eradicated, leaving the site in a pristine condition. The landowner will ensure that annual sweeps are conducted to ensure that the site remains in this condition.

The Grootbos Foundation and the landowners of Lomond Wine Estate would like to thank the Table Mountain Fund and Conservation at Work for the small grant which was able to facilitate the clearing of invasive plant species on the farm. The removal of alien plant species is costly and ongoing, requiring regular follow up. This project has made it possible to support a team of women from the local community, while preserving an area of endangered fynbos, ensuring the conservation of our biodiversity while uplifting local communities.

We are privileged to be named a Social Responsibility and an Environment Champion by UK importer, Hallgarten. Find their full article below:

“Few of Hallgarten’s suppliers are as committed to sustainable practices as Lomond. It is an accredited WWF Conservation Champion. It is a member of South Africa’s Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) and the Wine & Agricultural Ethical Trade Association (WIETA).

Lomond has been one of the leading lights of the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy (WBFC) since 2005. The WBFC has a membership who work together to conserve over 20,000 hectares of threatened lowland Fynbos. Walker Bay, a region of exceptional beauty, lies within the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom (CFK) of South Africa. The CFK is a global biodiversity asset, and is the smallest of the world’s six floral kingdoms as well as the only one that can be found entirely within one country. It is the most threatened kingdom in the world. It is home to more types of indigenous plants than any similar- sized area on Earth.

Lomond is the first South African Wine Farm to enter into a Conservation Servitude with Fauna and Flora International to ensure the long-term preservation of the critically endangered Elim Ferricrete Fynbos and Overberg Sandstone Fynbos, which occur on the slopes of Ben Lomond. This includes ensuring the conservation of natural biodiversity through proactive conservation management of the site and adjoining area.

With use of renewable sources (solar panels, windmills), Lomond are effectively off grid on the farm outside harvest. During harvest, the peak usage has been 60% on solar, but that is now closer to 80%, with the aim of 90% in the near future as they invest in more effective cooling solutions.

Everything that can be is recycled; skins and aliens are composted; packaging and plastic waste is recycled at the municipality; all tractors are tracked via GPS to ensure no wasted time.

To offset their carbon emissions, Lomond have partnered with Grootbos Foundation to join their carbon credit program.”

With harvest behind us and the winter rains moving in, it is an ideal time to safely provide fynbos with a critical element of its survival: fire.

Despite making up less than 1% of Africa, the Cape Floral Kingdom makes up over 20% of the continents flora species. There are over 9600 plant species here with 70% of them being found nowhere else in the world.

Last year around this time we orchestrated the first controlled burn on the Lomond Servitude area of the farm. This 18 hectares just above our Sugarbush and Pincushion Sauvignon Blanc vineyards was the first parcel of land from a South African wine farm to ever be entered into a Conservation Servitude with Fauna and Flora International. Because of this, even if Lomond was sold tomorrow this piece of land and the very rare fynbos within it would still be safe from development.

Most fynbos is fire-dependent. This means it requires fire to be able to release its seeds and reproduce. Fires that are too frequent can prevent plants from reaching maturity and therefore germination. Whereas a lack of fire can also deplete seed reserves as the plants eventually succumb to old age.

Therefore, the best reproductive and genetic success for fynbos can be aided by a fire every 10-15 years.

Further, one of the greatest threats to our indigenous fynbos is the invasion of alien plant species. This years burn, just behind the cellar on the eastern portion of the farm, takes place on a boundary of the farm where thousands of alien plants have began to infiltrate.

This burn will act as the first phase of eliminating all aliens in this section and providing the fynbos a fighting chance at reclaiming this section.

Alien plants are tricky to deal with, however. This is where the invaluable efforts of Princess and her business Siyanda Alien Clearing come into play. For the next several seasons this area will need to be patrolled and managed manually. As alien species regain live or begin to sprout, they will be pulled out while the fynbos continues to reclaim the ground.