Initiatives In The Reserve

Environmental studies commissioned to assist in the establishment of the reserve confirmed that much of the Reserve´s 265 hectares had been severely overrun by alien vegetation. An intensive alien vegetation removal programme is now underway…

Indigenous trees and shrubs are being planted to replace alien vegetation in the reserve. A large number of indigenous trees (about 15 – 20 different species) have been planted on the Reserve, with more to come.  Trees have been labelled and numbered, both for monitoring purposes and for visitor information…

School children celebrate Earth Day at Modderfontein Reserve. Earth Day is observed annually on 22 April and events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year…

The Reserve is home to a number of animals including steenbok, reedbuck, duiker, black-backed jackals, Cape clawless otter, hedgehogs, and four varieties of mongoose.

For any management plan to be successful it is essential that regular monitoring of vegetation is conducted. Such monitoring informs as to the ecological status of your veld, informs what management activities need to take place and confirms whether objectives are being met. Monitoring serves…

Areas within a development district that give it a character of its own become core to development activities that are structured around it. In Modderfontein, the focus has been on safeguarding the open space that defines the locale as the company approached the…

While alien vegetation is the primary ecological threat in the reserve, there are other matters that are of significant concern. Modderfontein Reserve is located in an urban area and so is subject to a fair amount of water pollution from surrounding human activities.The water quality is thus not of a very high standard…

The Modderfontein area and Reserve have been subjected to veld fires for many years. Occurring inside an urban area the management of veld fires is very important and difficult. The impact of fire can be devastating to small animals as well as removing food for larger animals.