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R/£ Close to a bustling suburb there is a place where wildlife is rife
November 26, 2009 Edition 1
Anna Cox
Caution - game. This is a sign one would expect in the bush, not in the middle of a bustling Joburg suburb.
But just a few minutes away from the new Gautrain route, the N3, two busy shopping centres and huge new townhouse complexes, a team of about 20 black wildebeest and 290 bird species have made the Modderfontein Conservation Park (MCP) home.
According to Robbie Vermont of the MCP, the park also has small populations of red hartebeest, springbok, reedbuck, Highveld springbok, blesbok, zebra, steenbok, duiker, reedbuck and genet. Even fallow deer have been seen from time to time, he said.
Leguaan, the Cape clawless otter, four varieties of mongoose, meerkats, hedgehogs and black-backed jackals all live along the Modderfontein Spruit,
But the size of their habitat is going to decrease to 275 hectares next year. At present the park is 899ha in size.
This is because AECI, the explosives company which owns the park, is set to develop it into a mixed-use area with light industry next to the Gautrain railway line.
"The Gautrain goes right through the area. From January next year we will be embarking on a three-year management plan for the reduced area. We will have to sell some of the animals because of space constraints. The train will not affect the animals in the smaller area," Vermont said.
The park was established in 1988. It has a variety of ecosystems, ranging from grasslands, forests and riverine vegetation to wetlands.
It was established by AECI, said Vermont, to demonstrate that industry and nature could coexist. At the heart of the park is a small complex of historic buildings fondly called "isidleke", which means "the nest" in isiZulu, including an old barn that was built in 1900 by a Randlord, Sir Alfred Beit. The latter was once the owner of a hunting lodge in the area.
An attraction of the park has always been the wide variety of birds. About 290 species have been spotted since 1990, said Vermont.
"Birds such as the African fish-eagle, long-crested eagle and crimson-breasted shrike are regular sightings. In addition, a pair of breeding blue cranes has nested here for the last 18 years," he said.
According to Anthony Diepenbroek of Heartlands, which acts for AECI, the Modderfontein Park, even though reduced, will be the second largest urban open space in Gauteng.
"Our vision is of a green sanctuary in a sustainable urban environment, consisting of a core which has been rehabilitated with interlinking wetland areas," Diepenbroek said.
The new developments would have a low negative environmental impact on the animals and birdlife, he noted.
The Modderfontein industrial complex has coexisted with the surrounding communities, dating back to its establishment in 1896.
"Parts of the complex are utilised for core manufacturing processes. Other areas are devoted to accommodation, both for commercial and residential purposes; storage of products and byproducts; extraction of water; and disposal of waste materials," Diepenbroek said.
As far back as the early 1980s there was increased awareness of the environment and heritage, and changes in legislation gave rise to an environmental vision and a conservation policy.
The MCP was given access to about 900ha to conduct recreational and conservation activities to encourage environmental and heritage issues.
"The area continued to be an active chemical complex encumbered by operational requirements such as explosives activities and effluent disposal which would inhibit normal urban development.
"Expert fauna and flora studies identified that the impact of factory operations had been much more significant than originally anticipated," Diepenbroek said.
The curtailment of operational activities, urbanisation and the demand for well-located land close to the centre of economic activity, together with the advent of the Gautrain and Rea Vaya as public transport alternatives, had established Modderfontein as a sought-after location for urban development, he said.
Over time, the MCP activities will be restricted to a park area of 275ha, which has been zoned as private open space.
The land will be developed as mixed use with commercial and residential uses.
Studies show that because of the extensive transformation of the vegetation over a 30-year period, the area is able to sustain only a small number of grazing animals.
All the animals were placed in the area prior to the sustainability studies, said Diepenbroek.
"Detailed studies will guide the decisions for relocation of both the numbers and types of species that will remain in the park area," he said.
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