The Friends Of the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area (FOBWA) organized a gathering for volunteers willing to help remove exotic and invasive plants. The long weekend event was held at the Rooihoek campsite in the stunning Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve. The aim was to remove stands of Black Wattle, Sesbania and Port Jackson trees/seedlings which are rapidly spreading along banks and channels of the Kouga River.

The weekend was also an ideal chance for students based at the PRESENCE Learning Village (Kouga Dam) to get to know each other better as well as learn more about the Baviaanskloof landscape from the local experts who joined the weekend and took guided the group on guided walks in the surrounding area.

Other participants on the weekend also generously shared their time and insights for research being carried out through the eyes4earth initiative. The aim was to better understand volunteers motivations for joining the weekend as well learning about their experiences and attachment to the Baviaanskloof. Interviewees also share their views for on how we can improve education and awareness toward (the impacts of) alien invasive species. More results from the interviews and questionnaires will be published in coming weeks on eyes4earth.org