Cape Town - Nature and conservation institutions celebrated International Plant Appreciation Day on Wednesday by informing members of the public about the importance of plants and encouraging them to plant indigenous trees and other plant species at the right time of the year and in the right conditions.
“Let us recognise and celebrate the role of plants in our lives on this special day. They provide oxygen, raw materials, medicine, food, beautify the environment and are an important link in the ecosystem,” CapeNature CEO Razeena Omar said.
This year, CapeNature highlighted special attributes of plants and the unique climate of the Western Cape as it said understanding the climate was key to ensuring successful planting.
“The Western Cape’s topography and climate is extremely diverse, with most of the province considered to have a typical Mediterranean climate that includes mild, wet winters and dry, warm summers. For this reason, planting in the Western Cape is encouraged in the cooler, wetter months,” CapeNature general manager Petro van Rhyn said.
SANParks global change scientist Nicola van Wilgen agreed, saying winter was perfect to plant trees in the Western Cape because they would have enough water from winter rains which allowed them to establish.
“Make sure that you get the best advice about what trees are local to your area so that you plant the right type of tree,” Van Wilgen said.
CapeNature also highlighted that the Western Cape had two biodiversity hot spots within its borders, the Cape Floral Region, which has more than 9600 plant species, and the Succulent Karoo, which was one of only two arid hot spots in the world.
Omar believed residents of the Western Cape were very fortunate to live among such rich biodiversity and encouraged them to plant indigenous trees and other plant species.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za