UWC Nature Reserve on fire

On Friday, 18 November 2016, three uncontrolled fires occurred at the University of the Western Cape of which two were in the Cape Flats Nature Reserve.  Arson is the suspected cause due to protest action happening on the same day.

The two fires close to the station started approximately 11h00, taking 3 hours to extinguish.  Shortly after, another fire started on the railway line along Heide Road. The strong South Easter accelerated it through the nature reserve along Robert Sobukwe road right into the factory grounds. Dense smoke resulted in road closures.  The last fire service vehicles left at only 20h00, leaving behind a scoured reserve, burnt tortoises, but some fortunate survivors. Fortunately the strong wind caused the fire moved fast and was not too intense.

A total of nine fire service vehicles were on site from fire departments as far as Brakenfell and Ottery.

A total of 6ha burnt; 2ha of critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos of which only 16% remains and 1% is conserved, 3ha of endangered Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and 1ha outside of the reserve. 

Fynbos is fire-adapted vegetation that requires regular burning for its survival. In the absence of fire, fynbos is gradually replaced by thicket species. It thrives on infertile soils and fire is the mechanism that recycles precious nutrients from old moribund growth into the soil. 

Fire in fynbos is far from a disaster, but rather a crucial trigger that resets the fynbos ‘successional clock’. It provides the stimulus for dormant seeds to germinate and the opportunity for many annuals, short-lived perennials and bulbs to grow, flower and seed during times of abundant nutrients and sunlight. They complete their short life cycles, returning to the soil as the larger shrubs overwhelm them, and remain dormant until the next fire. The optimal fire cycle for fynbos is between 10-14 years. However, shorter fire cycles (caused accidentally by broken glass, cigarettes, etc) can wipe out species.

The reserve had an accidental fire in 2012; we are fortunate that this fire did not overlap the previously burnt area. To prevent damaging uncontrolled fires in the future, a controlled burn has been planned for 2017.