July 15, 2005
By Buhle Makabane
REEDBUCK and duikers roam wild in the heart of the City at Kloofendal Nature Reserve in Roodepoort, making it a valuable educational centre for city children.
Johannesburg City Parks has made the reserve a flash point of development, undertaking upgrades that include a new guardhouse, a borehole and a concrete palisade fence.
"Kloofendal Nature Reserve's upliftment is a part of the citywide plan to develop regional environmental education centres of excellence," said Jenny Moodley, the City Parks spokesperson.
Located on Galena Road, the 150ha park is a well-hidden nature reserve in the centre of the rolling hills of Roodepoort's suburb of Horison, to the west of Christiaan de Wet Road.
It crosses two major fracture and folding systems that control the morphology of the Witwatersrand's hilly formations.
The upgrades began in March and much of the work has already been completed, with the handover of the various nodes undertaken by different contractors taking place during July and September.
Guardhouse
"Implementation has been completed," Moodley said, adding that the different projects would only be handed over once a comprehensive check of the work had been done.
Changes to the park include a guardhouse and a thatched, boomed entrance built at a cost of R179 000. These will ensure controlled access and improve the reserve's aesthetics.
Concrete palisade fencing has been installed at a cost of R500 000, as part of the ward councillor's allocations for community-prioritised projects.
A new borehole, with solar panels, has been dug, costing R60 000, and a wetland will be developed around the borehole to encourage biodiversity.
Grass block paving has been laid to prevent soil erosion and increase the aesthetics of the facility. This project cost R192 000.
The park was closed seasonally to limit stress on the ecosystem, "specifically around the preservation of the rare red data species found in the reserve", Moodley said. Limiting access was also a measure to contain seasonal fire hazards.
The reserve will reopen in September.
Biodiversity
"The upgrades were scheduled to dovetail with the seasonal closing of the facility," Moodley explained.
At present, access is limited to three monthly nature walks through the reserve.
Music festivals and other high-traffic, noise-related events have been suspended as this may affect the stress levels of the reserve's animals.
Mountain reedbuck and common duikers are found in the reserve, which also has 132 varieties of flowering plants, 53 kinds of indigenous trees and more than 60 species of grass.
The Kloofendal Dam supplies water to the wildlife and vegetation.
An important part of the ecosystem, the reserve has a rich resource in Bakenveldt grass, which encourages bird life and small mammals.
Conservation
"The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is currently focusing on preserving this species against the backdrop of rapid development and threats to ecosystems," Moodley said.
An adjacent park, which has species of the rare silver leaf protea, has been incorporated into the reserve. Plans to fence in this section are in the pipeline.
City Parks will erect signage at the facility, including the necessary by-law signage, such as no smoking signs.
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