Restoring a biodiverse thicket ecosystem
Subtropical Thicket is renowned for its outstanding biodiversity, counting 1,588 plant species. Out of these, 20 percent are endemic to South Africa's Eastern Cape alone. One of the native keystone species is Spekboom, a small succulent tree. It is remarkably tolerant of drought and rocky soils, being able to thrive on down to 250 mm of water per year. It can grow up to 5 meters high and live up to 200 years.
The Eastern Cape landscape has suffered from extreme degradation due to intensive agriculture and extended drought periods. This has severely reduced the range of the native thicket ecosystem. Spekboom is highly effective to catalyze thicket restoration through regenerating soils and stimulating biodiversity. It also has a high potential for rapid and permanent carbon removal. Our project will plant 1,050 hectares of native spekboom over a three year period totalling in 2,625,000 new trees. Continuous monitoring and protection will make sure the landscape is restored into a biodiverse thicket ecosystem. Spekboom brings multiple benefits for soil, water household and biodiversity.
Project Standard
The project contributes to the the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
Forests are essential in our lives and are among the planet's most important carbon sinks. Besides providing habitats for wildlife, they filter the air, stabilise and protect soils, store water, and contribute to the balance of our climate. However, global forest areas have declined sharply in recent decades due to increasing settlements, agriculture, illegal logging, and raw material extraction. Afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation activities significantly increase a forest’s carbon storage capacity in both the biomass of the forest and in the soil. The storage capacity varies according to the tree species, age, and location.
Experts distinguish these activities in the following way: Afforestation converts non-forested areas into forest ones. Reforestation restores forest areas that have been damaged or deforested in the past. Revegetation increases the vegetation through planting trees, shrubs, or other plants.
The project aims to contribute to these United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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