We’re joyful to report that Wild Tomorrow Fund has efficiently accomplished our annual ecological burn at The Higher Ukuwela Nature Reserve! It’s the dry winter season in southern Africa, which is the perfect time and circumstances for managed fires, however provided that the temperature and wind circumstances are excellent. This 12 months, the timing and climate got here collectively permitting our Reserve Supervisor, Kevin Jolliffe, to make the decision for the burn to go forward.
When excited about nurturing biodiversity, restoring ecosystems, and mitigating local weather change, the usage of fireplace appears somewhat counterintuitive. Nonetheless, fires are a pure and obligatory prevalence which have formed ecosystems for 400 million years. Pure fires are the important thing drivers liable for shaping savanna ecosystems and limiting the distribution of closed forests notably within the Godwana continents (South America, Africa, Australia and India). Hearth clears out lifeless vegetation, encroaching bush, and non-native alien crops. It additionally stimulates new progress and seed germination, whereas sustaining the steadiness of varied plant and animal populations. For hundreds of years, indigenous communities with profound understanding and connection to the land have used managed burns to handle ecosystems and improve the productiveness of their territories. Equally, wildlife reserves function sanctuaries for numerous species of wildlife, and the usage of managed and strategic fireplace administration is important to the well being and sustainability of habitats.