An enormous number of farms along the Garden Route drylands have over time become barren due to drought, over grazing, climate change and historical negative land use practices.
Persistent drought is forcing farmers off the land as it is no longer feasible to farm in dry areas. Degraded soils and large scale sheet erosion have had a massive impacts on the carrying capacity and water security on farms in the Klein-and Groot Karoo over past decades, and it is on the increase.
On a positive note, many farmers are using tried and tested methods of land restoration to great effect.
“One of the most effective ways to bring back life to barren soil is through a practice named ponding,” said Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).
Strategies to aid land restoration
Shallow ponds scattered throughout barren zones where no grass nor plants can take root, forms very effective water and soil retention traps. Multiple ponds allows plant recovery and surface water to soak into the earth and replenish the water table below.
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“In the rain shadow of the Outeniqua and Swartberg Mountains, land restoration is a painfully slow process, but eventually it does yield positive results from a resilient environment and nature bounces back spectacularly.
“Thunderstorms and floods over the Garden Route and Karoo interior presents much relief to farmers and towns alike. Still, episodic rains inflict much harm to the land where degraded surface areas cannot retain top soil and run-off water, leaving behind ever more erosion and further degradation,” he said.
According to Meiring, through interventions such as ponding these rainfall events can make a huge difference in land restoration and water security.
“As the changing climate brings about uncertainty in terms of rainfall and rainfall patterns, it is more important than ever that land managers adapt and allow land recovery initiatives to their own benefit and in the process create a high quality environment,” he said.
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