June 6, 2006
By Lucille Davie
THE island in the middle of Zoo Lake in Parkview - the favourite nesting and resting place of hundreds of birds for over 40 years - has been rehabilitated.
On Monday, 5 June, World Environment Day, several dozen people gathered on the south side of the popular lake and parkland to celebrate the unveiling of two commemoratory plaques, together with a list of the birds which frequent the island.
Zoo Lake is the city's flagship park, dating back 100 years.
The plaques were unveiled by Mike Moriarty, Johannesburg's Democratic Alliance leader and also the chairperson of the rehabilitation co-ordinators Zoo Lake Users' Committee, and David Singer, a local resident who donated money for the rehabilitation.
After years of neglect, trees on the island were stripped and almost destroyed by the weight of birds and nests. Their nitrogen-rich droppings fouled the foliage and upset the soil balance, causing trees to die or be stunted. As a result, space for the birds - a mix of Egyptian geese, ibises, cormorants, darters and herons - diminished.
Now the island boasts newly planted trees and five new wooden roosting towers or bird gyms, as well as papyrus planted on the island perimeter.
"On the island, we have treated the soil to counteract the high nitrogen levels and planted a number of new trees to augment those still growing. These new plantings will initially be protected by shadecloth shelters to prevent birds from damaging them before they become established," said ornithologist and consultant Geoff Lockwood.
"The public have been encouraged to reduce the feeding of the remaining Egyptian Geese as a way of lessening the artificial support that has allowed the numbers of these birds to reach unsustainable levels," said Lockwood.
Before the work on the island could start, many birds had to be relocated. The numbers of Egyptian Geese, in particular, have caused the grass around the lake to become patchy. Over 40 geese have been relocated to other parks in the city.
Lockwood indicated that the island contained one of the biggest and most important heronries in Gauteng, and recommended that the herons be encouraged to keep coming to the island.
Lucy Taylor, co-ordinator of the Zoo Lake Users' Committee, with David Singer and Mike Moriarty
Following a suggestion put forward two years ago by Mike Griffiths, senior manager of street trees for Johannesburg City Parks, the island was cleared of rubbish and holes were dug for the new trees.
Poles were floated across the water and gyms erected, and trees planted inside them. Grids on the top of the towers will prevent the birds from stripping these new trees and covering them with droppings. A second phase will see more tree planting, the erection of smaller gyms and the relocation of more geese.
The project is a collaboration between City Parks and the committee, and came about as a result of a R40 000 donation by Singer, attorney and environmentalist and one of the original founders five years ago of the committee.
City Parks staff did the work and Jenny Moodley, marketing manager of City Parks, standing in for managing director Luther Williamson, said at the unveiling: "May we all remain committed – greening is a shared responsibility."
Singer said he had always been involved in the Johannesburg Zoo and Zoo Lake and had done a lot of work for the latter. "I have lived around here all my life. The people of Johannesburg deserve a good park that is well-maintained."
A group of birders from the St Francis Anglican Church in Parkview will be undertaking two-monthly counts of the birds at the lake to ensure that the eco-balance is maintained.
Moriarty thanked the many people who had made donations to the project, from Sigma Coatings, who donated paint for the fountain in the lake, to Moyo restaurant, who supplied the spread in the restaurant after the event.
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