The Harold Porter National Botan ical Garden in the

Kogel berg Biosphere Reserve lead the way with thei r

innovative community environmental education programmes

ABOVE LEFT: Inspirational rock art from the Linton plate at the iZiko South African Museum.

help of the WWF-SA, at KirstenboschNBG. Work started in 2004 on a simi-lar garden at Harold Porter NBG, withplants that were used by the KhoiKhoijKhoekhoe and SanjSoaQuan people

who earlier inhabited the area. (Theterm KhoiSan is a collective term usedfor both groups by anthropologists).

The KhoiSan Useful Plants Garden(KUPG) at Harold Porter NBG is usedas an educational tool for a variety ofprogrammes for schools and local resi-dents including unemployed membersof historically disadvantaged commu-nities. The garden has certainly made

ABOVE RIGHT: A drawing on one of the storyboards in the KhoiSan Useful Plants Garden at Harold Porter NBGshowing a KhoiSan man making string from Struthiola myrsinites. Drawing: Chris Burlock.

ABOVE RIGHT, TOP: The landscape plan of the KhoiSan Useful Plants Garden at Harold Porter NBG.Picture courtesy of iZiko.

Greening Programme in the Overbergand the planting of indigenous streettrees on Kleinmond Main Road.

The KhoiSan Useful Plants GardenThe first SANBI Useful Plants Garden

began as a muthi garden (medicinalplants garden) at the KwaZulu-NatalNBG and was then expanded into afully fledged, traditional useful indige-nous plants garden with plants used byrural Nguni people for crafts, weaving,medicine, food and recreation (includ-ing beer). The concept was then devel-oped on a much larger scale, with the

by Phakamani M' Afrika Xaba, Harold

Porter Garden National Botanical Garden,

South African National Biodiversity Institute,

Betty's Bay

Two and half years ago the thenNational Botanical Institute (NBI) boardapproved a community-focused pilotproject, the Overberg Useful IndigenousPlants Project (OUPP). Initially the projectfell under the South African NationalBiodiversity Institute's (SANBI's) UrbanConservation Programme and it waslater moved to the EnvironmentalEducation Directorate. Based in thefynbos biodiversity 'hot spot', theKogelberg Biosphere Reserve WorldHeritage Site (which was also the firstUNESCO Biosphere Reserve in SouthAfrica), our project operates from theonly coastal botanical garden in SouthAfrica: SANBI's Harold Porter NationalBotanical Garden (NBG). This ambi-tious pilot project is aimed at securingthe sustained and meaningful involve-ment of historically disadvantaged com-munities in the conservation of theexceptionally rich biodiversity of theOverberg area.

The project has expanded into many'sub-projects' all with the common objec-tives of conservation through aware-ness, education, skills training, jobcreation and promoting the sustainableuse of the environment. These includethe KhoiSan Useful Plants Garden atHarold Porter NBG, the EnvironmentalEducation Garden-based School VisitsProgramme, the establishment of theVuk'zenzele Indigenous CommunityNursery in Kleinmond, the develop-ment of indigenous, waterwise, usefulplant gardens in domestic and publicspaces in Kleinmond and Betty's Bay,the initiation of the Schools Outreach

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ABOVE: Lesley-Ann Williams conducting an Environmental Education Garden-based Programme at HaroldPorter NBG. Photo: P. Xaba.

people aware of the fynbos and the needfor its conservation. It has also shownhow plants can be used sustainably for

income generation, and has encouragedwater conservation through the devel-opment of waterwise gardens. RogerOliver, a horticultural student at HaroldPorter NBG at the time, played a piv-otal role in assisting with the research,

planning and implementation of this

project.The landscape design of the useful

plants garden is inspired by the Lintonplate rock art painting which is on dis-

play at the iZiko South African Museumin Cape Town. The organic shapesused in the design continue the over-all Harold Porter NBG theme. Wooden

poles used for bed edging are laid outwith gentle curves that slow the pace ofthe visitors, in order to enrich the visualand educational impact of the demon-

stration garden.Different types of rocks used by the

KhoiSan are arranged in the Garden

to form the shape of the head of theKhoiSan man as designed in the land-scape plan. The paths are arrangedto resemble the body, torso, legs and

arms.The KhoiSan Useful Plants Garden

features plants that were used for food,medicine, craft, construction, toolsand charms. Plants include katstertjie(little eat's tail) Struthiola myrsiniteswhich is used to make string and rope,

water mint Mentha aquatica used tocure colds and flu, oval-leaf buchuAgathosma serratifolia used to alleviatestomach complaints, fever and colds,

and aasbossie (bait bush) Coleonemaalbum the aromatic leaves of which areused for potpourri and by fishermen toremove the smell of bait and fish fromtheir hands, hence the common name.Other popular plants include isiCakathiAgapanthus africanus which is used forpostnatal disorders, Kaapse bergaal-wyn Aloe succotrina used as a purpledye, and the brown wild sage Salviaafricana-Iutea which is used to allevi-ate coughs, colds and fever. The gardenincludes fynbos plants that were usedby the early European settlers, such thewaboom (wagon tree) Protea nitida, theroots of which were used to make ink.Useful indigenous 'filler plants' dem-onstrate how to add colour or shape to

create an aesthetically pleasing garden.Our information on the plants was

sourced from publications and throughinterviews with local people who still usethe plants. Jane Forrester (horticultur-ist and part-time interpretation officer

at Harold Porter NBG) co-ordinated thecollective efforts to develop an interest-ing and informative interpretation of thegarden. There are eleven 'storyboards'with information about biodiversity and

the KhoiSan way of life, delightfullyillustrated by Chris Burlock, a localenvironmental activist. Individual plant

labels also contain information aboutindividual plants, including scientific,family and common names in isiXhosa,Afrikaans and English. The garden also

displays a rusting steel statue of a Sanman done by Simba, a Zimbabweanartist. The interpretation of this garden

was sponsored in memory of Malcolmand Terry-Ann Chapman by their familyand friends.

But beware! Many of the plants are

highly toxic and we highly recommendthat people contact a qualified medi-cal practitioner before using any of theplants.

The Environmental EducationGarden-based ProgrammeThis programme makes use of the

Harold Porter NBG and all its resourcesto inspire and enable people to take

responsibility for their environment.The Harold Porter NBG has three gar-den-based Environmental Education

Learning Programmes: Forest Ecology,Useful Plants and Map Orientation. The2005 April floods delayed the develop-

ment of the programme, but all threeare up and running now and fur-

ther programmes are being developed.Admirably assisted by the GoldfieldsEnvironmental Education Centre staffat Kirstenbosch NBG, we are also train-ing assistant education officers, all

recruited from the local community,who will be able to run the programmes

in three local languages: isiXhosa,Afrikaans and English.

Our two-year intern Lesley-Ann

Williams is currently developing a newlearning programme for the KhoiSanUseful Plants Garden as part of herstudies with Rhodes University's

Environmental Education ParticipatoryCertificate Course.

The Vuk'zenzele IndigenousCommunity NurseryA partnership between the Kleinmond

community, Overstrand municipality

and SANBI was forged to establish acommunity indigenous nursery in thehistorically disadvantaged communityof Kleinmond. This project hopes toexpose the community to the rich fyn-bos biodiversity on their doorstep, and

December 2006 Veld&Flora 199

to help unemployed people, throughskills development and training, todevelop a viable nursery business.

From the beginning the communitynursery was designed and implement-ed by staff members chosen by theVuk'zenzele development committee.All facilities in the nursery were con-structed with the help of staff membersas part of the training and empow-erment process. The nursery is theproud owner of a potting shed, pottingbench, a 'hardening-off shade struc-ture, a large cold frame (for cuttings)and media storage bays. The project isfunded by SANBI's Greening the NationProgramme*.

SANBI staff mentor project partici-pants, from teaching them to identifyplants, passing on horticultural skillsand assisting with marketing, to generalexposure in the horticultural industry.

LEFT TOP: Members of the Vuk'zenzele CommunityNursery. From left to right: Neziswa Tiwana, LulekaBooi, Nonyaniso Sineli, Nontembeko Snell, NoludweNdzandzeka, Xolelwa Bebe, Mzwadile Sono, partiallyhidden at the back: SikhumbuZQ Phete, not in thephoto: Ronny ZilindileTabana.

LEFT ABOVE: Before the Vuk'zenzele CommunityNursery development.

LEFT: After the development of the Vuk'zenzeleCommunity Nursery.Photos: P. Xaba.

ABOVE: June Adonis and Percy Solomons attending one of our hands-on community horticultural workshopsat Mooiuitsig in Betty's Bay.

BELOW: Community participants planting a waterwise garden at the Community Hall at Mooiuitsig, Betty'sBay. Photos: P. Xaba.

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The Durban University of Technology(DIT) provides structured and accred-ited horticultural and business skillstraining for project participants. BeLandscaping is also providing furtherhorticultural training.

The Vuk'zenzele committee haveregistered a Section 21 Company tofacilitate management and administra-tion and eventually the Vuk'zenzeleteam hopes to support sustainable eco-nomic initiatives that also conserve theenvironment.

Plants cultivated by Vuk'zenzele aresold to Harold Porter NBG's sales nurs-ery, schools in the Outreach GreeningProgramme and to commercial andprivate organisations and individuals.The nursery also produces vegetablesand seedlings for sale at low prices tothe community. Some of the plantsthey grow include the cancer bushor uNwele Lessertia jrutescens, pigsears Cotyledon orbiculata, broad-leaffeatherbush Aulax umbellata, bietoubosChrysanthemoides monilifera, iPhahlaBrachylaena discolor, Euryops virgineusand bloublommetiesalie Salvia cha-melaeagnea. Most of the plants propa-gated are useful plants and link upwith the plant list of the KhoiSan UsefulPlants Garden at Harold Porter NBG.For more information contact us atRonnie Tabane 072 231 3827 or emailxaba@sanbLorg.

Community and Domestic GardensThe Community and Domestic

Gardens Project is aimed at raisingawareness of the diversity of indigenousplants in the natural environment of the

Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve and thetransferring of practical horticulturalskills. This project is run in Mooiuitsigin Betty's Bay and Protea Village inKleinmond. Interested communitymem-bers can attend hands-on horticulturalworkshops that culminate in the devel-opment of an indigenous waterwiseand useful plants garden. Participatingcommunity members choose to eitherestablish their own demonstration gar-dens at home or to assist in greening apublic area. This project was supportedby the World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF-SA) and the Roland and Leta HillTrust administered by BOE bank.

Schools Greening ProgrammeFive schools in the Overberg have been

participating in the Schools GreeningProgramme: Kathleen Murray Primaryin Grabouw, Kleinmond Primary,Hawston Primary, Lokhanyo Primary in

Hermanus and Masakhane Primary inGansbaai. The schools' environmentalclubs, learners, teachers, school care-takers and temporary community work-ers all attended five hands-on horticul-tural workshops and went on to estab-lish their own indigenous waterwise,useful plant gardens at their schools.The Greening the Nation Programme*sponsored the initial labour, plants,compost, mulch and tools to enableschools to start their gardens.

Planting trees in Kleinmond MainRoadAnother exciting project for the resi-

dents of Kleinmond is the street treeplanting. SANBI and the Overstrandmunicipality identified two indig-enous tree species, the wild plumHarpephyllum caffrum and the Capeash Ekebergia capensis, as suitablestreet trees as they are hardy and welladapted to local conditions. The treeswere planted along the main road, theR44 through the town of Kleinmondand in Protea Village and Overhills.As the street trees grow, the town'smain road will be transformed from ahard, grey thoroughfare to a welcomingmain street where people participate inmaintaining a green environment. Thisproject is also part of the Greening theNation* Programme.

A socially relevant conservationethicSouth Africa, like many developing

countries, needs to alter (both concep-tually and practically) the economicperceptions of biodiversity and the needto conserve it. There is an urgent needto alleviate poverty and create jobs, andan equally urgent need to conserve ourrich and highly threatened biodiver-sity, especially within the Cape FloralKingdom. Many innovative environmen-tal conservation methods and strategiesare evolving in response to these needs.Conservation must be socially andeconomically relevant to all, especial-ly amongst historically disadvantagedcommunities. No longer do we conservefor the people, we are now learning toconserve with the people for a sustain-able future. Through our programmesat the Harold Porter NBG, we promoteenvironmental awareness, educationand the value and importance of ourindigenous biodiversity, and transferpractical horticultural skills to enablemarginalized communities to realizethe economic and social benefits of ahealthy environment. @

ABOVE: Mr Z. Thobela from Lukhanyo Primary in Hermanus, with visiting pupils and teachers from Overbergschools attending a hands-on horticultural workshop at Kleinmond Primary School. The schools all estab-lished their own indigenous waterwise, useful plants gardens soon after. Photo: P. Xaba.

AcknowledgementsThis project would have not been possible without the support of the following organisa-tions and people: the staff of Harold Porter NBG, the Overstrand Municipality especially MikeBaartman and Cecelia Jonkheid, Monique van Wyk (Working for Water Programme), theKogelberg Branch of the Botanical Society, KOBIO, from SANBI: Dr. George Davis, DonavanFullad, Alice Notten, Christopher Wills, Malta Qwathekana and Wiston Coe, the GoldfieldEnvironmental Education team at Kirstenbosch NBG, Alison Coughlam (Hangklip-KlienmondTourism bureau), Ronny Zilindile Tabane, Pricilla Erasmus of the Grail Programme(Klienmond), Jan Voster (TABITA), Sean Privet (Green Futures Horticultural College), EPWPimplementer: Lukholo Training Development Services, Graham Avery of iZiko SA Museum,Cape Town, WWF-SA and the Roland and Leta Hill Trust administered by BOE bank. Thankyou to Prof. M. Jadezweni of Stellenbosch University, Mrs Alida and Prof. Johan Bekker ofBetty's Bay and to Ms Emsie du Plessis of SANBI, Pretoria for help with translations.

*SANBl's Greening the Nation Programme is part of the Department of EnvironmentalAffairs and Tourism (DEAT) Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP), a poverty reliefprogramme that creates short-term employment and skills training.

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