So many Grahamstonians are planting spekboom at the moment that a Pepper Grove Mall supermarket has had to replenish its stock twice in two weeks.
So many Grahamstonians are planting spekboom at the moment that a Pepper Grove Mall supermarket has had to replenish its stock twice in two weeks.
Even the Cathedral’s Youth Group has launched a project to plant the small succulents in Church Square.
Spekboom is a quite remarkable plant: native to the Eastern Cape, it can be seen abundantly in the Addo Elephant National Park, outside Port Elizabeth, but it once covered hundreds of thousands of hectares. The current replanting and re-establishing of the humble spekboom is largely influenced by its ability to capture carbon, restore natural ecosystems and alleviate poverty.
From government restoration programmes to schoolyard educational projects, spekboom has become a symbol for carbon emission reduction and climate change awareness.
It even has its own Facebook page!
Dr Anthony Mills from the Research Restoration Group has been investigating how the plant manages to store more than four tons of carbon per hectare. This creates what is known as a 'carbon sink' in large plantations. In other words, 10 hectares of spekboom is equivalent to taking 26 cars off the road for a year.
Mills says his goal is to see the barren, brown desert landscapes that have been created in the Eastern Cape return to lush, green forests full of bees making lots of honey. Spekboom is very productive for honey.
“I want the spekboom forests to survive and in doing so, one will hopefully be able to restore the functioning of many different ecosystems. The river systems would start working more effectively, because water would infiltrate into the soil faster than what it would in a desert where it would just run off the surface,” Mills said.
He hopes for the ecosystem to becomes a sponge again, able to absorb water and slowly release it into the rivers instead of just falling victim to flash floods and extreme erosion. “Even the climate might alter by returning vegetation cover over a million hectares,” he said. “One could well alter the local climate and make it cooler for one and possibly generate more rain.”
The spekboom's ability to mop up carbon from the atmosphere and reduce greenhouse gas emissions could also allow South African farmers to tap into controversial carbon trading markets worth tens of billions of dollars.
Scientists are excited about the potential to generate carbon credits for South Africa.
The carbon market allows businesses to trade and sell carbon allowances to attain compliance with their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency records that its income surged by 300% within nine months of starting the implementation of a spekboom rehabilitation strategy in provincial reserves.
Some criticise carbon trading as “green cover” for corporations to continue polluting while creating the appearance of progress. Others, like acting head of authority at the EC Parks and Tourism Agency, Sybert Liebenberg, have said that “we can use our parks and infrastructure to deliver ecological services.
“Payment for these services can lead to a huge economic injection in the province. In South Africa, this has not been done before on this scale.”
Spekboom is also known as igwanishe, olifantskos or by its Latin name, Porticularia afra.
It is also known to improve soil quality, reduce erosion and stimulate a return of biodiversity to the area because of its soil-binding and shading nature.
Furthermore, the replanting of spekboom is labour-intensive and can create tens of thousands of jobs and a new source of income for rural communities.
The plant has a unique ability in that it is able to switch its photosynthetic mechanism from that of a rainforest plant in wet conditions to that of a desert cactus in semi-arid conditions. This makes it highly efficient for its environment.
Importantly, when 2.5m high, it can survive on 250-350mm of rain per year. If planted in your garden, this means it is thoroughly water wise.
Sources: Indigenous Flora, Spekboom.com and Times Live.
