In the past three years, R13-million has been spent in Kruger on removing these plants through the Working for water project. This effort has brought about creation of industries in neighbouring communities where these plants are used to produce braai wood and charcoal in an economic empowerment project. All Kruger National Park shops will substitute the current stock of indigenous hardwoods with exotic woods that can be used on a much more sustainable basis as well as promoting the use of exotic woods by local carvers. The Working for Water project clears alien plants to help conserve biodiversity, enhance the integrity of rivers, create job opportunities and create the secondary industries needed to help communities survive on their own. Still on Kruger and its alien plant problem, more than 5 300ha of land in the Park has been cleared along the Levuvhu, Letaba, Olifants, Sabie and Crocodile rivers over the past few months.
Teams move along the river banks daily, manually slashing and uprooting alien plants.
The work is intensive and physical but steady progress is being made, according to Llewellyn Foxcroft, Kruger alien biota manager. If you have no navigation at the top of the page, go HERE .