Clearing Undergrowth
The undergrowth along the Sandspruit river has not been cleared for many years, resulting in large areas that have become largely overgrown and impenetrable; except for the odd squatter camp.
The undergrowth along the Sandspruit river has not been cleared for many years, resulting in large areas that have become largely overgrown and impenetrable; except for the odd squatter camp.
The cutting back may look excessive but this is for good reason. The undergrowth has been allowed to grow without any form of control for many years and now forms an impenetrable barrier in many places. This barrier harbours litter including glass, rusty tins, razor wire and so on that needs to be cleared. The only way to clear this is to cut this undergrowth down to ground level.
Clearing the undergrowth also opens up the area to clear the alien invasive plants that have also been allowed to prosper unchecked (see "Clearing Alien Invasives"). Clearing larger trees and shrubs is a difficult enough job on its own, but trying to clear the hundreds of saplings and seedlings in thick undergrowth is nearly impossible.
Lastly, the clearing of certain patches of undergrowth has made life for camps of squatters a lot more difficult and many of them have moved on to new areas. This often cuts down on the litter problems, faeces, fire risks and in many cases has improved security immensely. Clearing these areas generally reduces the number of places where people can hide to either attack passers-by or to hide from police and security guards who often end up chasing suspected burglars - or worse - here.
We will be keeping many areas completely free of undergrowth to open views of the river and help with security, however our main aim is to have a wildlife friendly environment that is safe for everyone to use. For this reason we will be dedicating large areas to wildlife zones in the future that will allow animals, birds and insects to breed, rest and feed in relative peace from human and dog traffic (see "Wildlife Areas").
Please help... This worthwhile community project needs your help to keep it alive. We cannot provide the labour, equipment and consumables without your assistance. Please help us where you can...
Thank you to these people, organisations and companies that have helped to finance or assist on this project:
When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.