Radio Communication on UmPhafa
In order to improve the safety and security on the reserve, it was decided that radio communication was essential. A radio mast has been erected on the top of the UmPhafa Mountain, Mount Thala, in order to provide a signal to cover all areas of the reserve. UmPhafa staff, such as our game guards and project coordinators, all have radios, as do the UmPhafa vehicles.
Since the radios were installed, they have already proved invaluable to staff. Our game guards are able to call for back up if any poachers or snares are found on the reserve, or if any runaway fires are spotted. The radios will prove vital in the future for managing the reserve to ensure that both the staff and animals remain safe.
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Hides built on UmPhafa
Our project coordinator on UmPhafa, Liam Westall, and our game guards have been working to build hides around UmPhafa for their animal observational work. The hides have been built out of reeds and have been designed to blend in with the surroundings. Natural poles form the main structure and dead reeds have been used to build the walls and roughly thatch the roof. A second layer of grass will be used to waterproof the roof when it is the correct time of year to harvest the grass.
These hides should enable the game guards to study the behaviour of our released animals more accurately without being seen. Two have been constructed to date at two of the reserve’s dams, but in the future, we hope to construct additional hides at further sites
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Erosion Control
Previously UmPhafa was managed as farm land. Due to overgrazing by the cattle, certain areas of the reserve have become eroded. Staff on UmPhafa have used a variety of different methods to control the erosion. Firstly they used tyres to pack out particularly damaged areas on Geluk Farm, but since then our UmPhafa Project Coordinator, Liam Westall, has been conducting experimental control areas on Gevonden Farm.
He has used a variety of methods to control the erosion and has also tried covering the control areas with different materials, such as grass, to prevent rainwater from continuing to erode the area and wash the top soil away. Since he began his work, numerous native plant species have starting to colonise his experimental plots. |
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Alien Plant Control
Over the years, numerous alien plant species have colonised UmPhafa. Our alien plant control team are working to eradicate these exotic species, whilst also working to promote the colonisation of natural plant species.
We have set up a nursery area on Gevonden Farm to grow fruiting tree species, which will eventually be planted out onto the reserve in order to encourage vervet monkeys to come onto the reserve.
We have also been working with biological control agents, called cochineal, to control the spread of prickly pears on the reserve. Cochineal are insect nymphs that burrow into the prickly pear and kill the plant species. We hope in time we can therefore eradicate this species from the reserve. |
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