Indigenous Nursery
Wild Rescue has committed to taking an active role in the regeneration of indigenous landscapes & habitats within our region. Although much of this work involves in situ management of existing vegetation, the usefulness of an on-site nursery cannot be overstated.
Our nursery is still small but as it grows, so will our capacity for ecosystem restoration.
We thank Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve for seeing the value of this project and for providing us with the micro grant we needed to kickstart it.
The work we do through our Indigenous Nursery can be divided into four categories:
Collection, Preservation, Restoration & Education.
COLLECT
The collection of wild Seeds & Cuttings is an important tool for restoring resilient, diverse ecosystems and for the safeguarding of vulnerable species. Donor plants are carefully selected to ensure excellent starting-stock and our harvesting protocols are designed to prevent any damage to, or decline of, existing plant communities. We employ multi-year harvest cycles and whole plants are never removed from a viable environment.
Occasionally we are able to assist with the removal of sensitive plants from proposed development sites. Through this effort we not only rescue & rehome individual plants, but are also able to impress on those involved in development the value & importance of these plants.
The collection of in-field data is crucial for our ability to plan future projects and assess the progress of existing ones. Species Distribution Mapping is an ongoing but invaluable process for our work, and that of researchers & naturalists worldwide.
PRESERVE
Once harvested seeds are sorted and prepared for storage. Many of these seeds will be used in our restoration projects however a reasonable number of high-quality specimens are designated to our seed bank. In this way, we play a small role in protecting a large variety of plant species from existential disaster resulting from habitat destruction or disease.
Propagation from carefully selected cuttings & seeds, ensures that we have a viable stock of healthy plants for our restoration projects. These purpose-grown individuals can be used to reinstate species into suitable, historical habitats; or to increase the diversity of small, genetically depleted populations.
RESTORE
Our veld restoration work, to date, has primarily been focussed within the borders of the nature reserve, with a few small exceptions. Here we are able to carefully monitor the impact of our interventions and have had the opportunity to work on a variety of problems – from alien infestation to earth-scorching fires, from human-induced erosion to intensive predation by herbivores.
We share our integrated approach and hands-on experience by consulting or advising on other veld restoration projects – whether it be a rewilding initiative or native landscaping for a new development. Get in touch if you have a project you would like to collaborate on.
Although we are not a commercial nursery we are, at times, able to offer a select number of plants, seeds and cuttings for sale.
EDUCATE
Participants in our Indigenous Nursery volunteer programme will be trained on all aspects of running our nursery as well as our associated projects. Whenever possible, volunteers are presented with external learning opportunities – encouraging knowledge sharing and giving volunteers a more (g)rounded experience.
Wild Rescue regularly hosts workshops that explore the wonders of our indigenous plants.
Our occasional participatory events are a unique opportunity to learn from really knowledgeable people whilst physically contributing to an existing project.
