Veld fire threatens biodiversity in the Cederberg

A large veld fire broke out in the Algeria area in the central Cederberg a few weeks ago. It had no impact on our farming region in the Northern Cederberg but is a reminder of the veld fire risks in our region. It's very difficult to tackle these fires in the mountains due to the terrain. Preventing them from being ignited in the first place is definitely the way to go. The following article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times (http://www.iol.co.za) on February 10, 2009 . The journalist is Melanie Gosling:

A wildfire, thought to have been started by buchu poachers, that swept through farms and the Algeria forest station in the Cederberg at the weekend, has destroyed orchards and buildings and caused around R27-million in damage.

CapeNature described the fire as an "ecological disaster" as it destroyed about 6 000ha of fynbos that had been burnt only eight years earlier.

Some of the fynbos species, such as proteas, don't reach reproductive maturity until 12 or even 15 years old.

Frequent burning could lead to plant extinctions.

The fire began in the early hours of Friday and burned for two days, destroying thousands of citrus and mango trees and 150ha of pine trees, and gutting the historic office at the Algeria forest station.

The fire was one of 14 that have burned in protected conservation areas across the Western Cape in the past seven days.

CapeNature suspects many of them broke out because of human negligence.

CapeNature is to call in an independent fire investigator to determine the cause and origin of the Cederberg fire.

Jaco Rheeder, CapeNature business unit manager for Cederberg Megapark, said on Monday that the fire had swept across eight or nine kilometres of veld in 30 minutes.

"It went through the 150ha of pine plantations at Algeria in about five minutes. The wind was unbelievable," he said.

"The office building, which was built in the 1930s and had old cedar floors and ceilings - that's gone.

"The fire burned in a V up the valley and stopped only at the burnt bit at Uitkyk Pass. This fynbos was burnt eight years ago, so to have such young veld burn again is an ecological disaster," Rheeder said.

"We're sitting here now with no water, no electricity, no telephones."

Fanie Bekker, CapeNature executive director of operations, said an estimated R21-million had been lost in damage to infrastructure and tourism income.

Jannie Nieuwoudt, owner of Jamaka Organic Farm near Algeria, said he had lost about R3-million.

"The fire was on CapeNature land in the buchu lands about 300 metres above our fence. There is no firebreak," he said.

"We're pretty sure buchu poachers started it.

"We grabbed all our fighting gear and tried to keep it from the orchards.

"The Clanwilliam fire brigade helped us a lot, but in the end we couldn't stop it from jumping the road. When it got into the orchards, they were just gone.

"I had 10 000 citrus trees. I've got 700 left.

"About 2 000 mango trees were destroyed, and that's a very valuable crop because it ripens out of the normal season of the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal mangoes."

Dale Morgan, disaster manager for Clanwilliam, said there had been about R6-million damage to farms and outbuildings.

"At least we saved the farm houses. We got it under control at one point, but then the wind picked up and there was basically nothing we could do," Morgan said.

"But there's still a God and that little bit of rain on Saturday night helped us."

Rooibos fights cancer
Article By: africa.com
Wed, 04 Feb 2009

Statistics show that one in four South Africans will be affected by cancer in his or her lifetime, and according to the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), this disease will be the leading cause of death globally in 2010.

With 12 million new cases of cancer diagnosed last year alone, the pressure is mounting to better understand the development of cancer and ways in which you could protect yourself against it. Rooibos, a tea grown exclusively in South Africa, may just hold some of the answers.

"We have been investigating the effect of Rooibos on various kinds of cancer for years and have been able to prove the benefits of Rooibos in preventing or slowing down different kinds of cancer," says Dr Jeanine Marnewick of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology who also worked on Rooibos and cancer at the Medical Research Council (MRC) for many years.

Inhibits the growth of cancer cells

"We have found that Green Rooibos, the unfermented version of the tea, significantly inhibits the growth of cancer cells, and that traditional Rooibos also achieves this effect, albeit at a slightly lower rate."

Dr Wentzel Gelderblom, an authority on cancer chemoprevention using herbal teas, continues to lead this research effort at the MRC.

In 2008 a leading, international research journal (the Journal of Ethnopharmacology) published a 37-page review of more than fifty years of Rooibos research. It confirms that Rooibos is a great source of flavonoid antioxidants which have many positive effects.

"Oxidative stress plays a role in the development of a whole range of diseases, including cancer, strokes, heart and liver disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's," explains Dr Marnewick.

Dr Carl Albrecht, Head of Research at Cansa, says that Cansa is impressed with the ongoing Rooibos research which it supports financially.

"We believe that there is a strong case to be made that Rooibos could help to prevent cancer. This has been shown in animals and we look forward to similar work in humans in the future. In this regard it is very promising that it has been shown that six cups of Rooibos per day have significantly increased the body's own anti-oxidant, called glutathione, in humans. Glutathione is known to prevent cancer."

Cancer develops in different stages. When a living cell is excessively exposed to external factors like cigarette smoke, alcohol, the sun, pesticides, chemicals, viruses or even a high fat or high salt diet, its DNA may be damaged. These external factors are known as mutagens, and the process is called mutagenesis.

With even more exposure to these external factors, the cell may lose its ability to control the growth process and thus becomes a cancer cell. If the exposure continues, the cancer cell can start to multiply and form a mass of cells, called a tumor.

Dr Marnewick explains that Rooibos protects against cancer in different ways:

* 1. Rooibos reduces cancer-associated changes in cells by protecting them against DNA damage or mutagenesis. Rooibos contains quercetin, luteolin and orientin — potent anti-oxidants that scavenge free radicals that damage the DNA of the cells. Rooibos' anti-oxidants bind to the free radicals and inactivate them before they can cause damage.

* 2. Rooibos may prevent a cell with damaged DNA from becoming a cancerous cell.

* 3. Rooibos may prevent cancerous cells from multiplying into masses and creating cancerous tumors.

* 4. Rooibos increases the level of natural anti-oxidants in the liver, which means that the liver's anti-oxidant status is improved.

* 5. Rooibos also helps the liver to get rid of compounds that can cause cancer.

Cancer is one of the most feared diseases of our time. It is therefore excellent news that a uniquely South African Rooibos, a product that is widely available and very affordable, can play such an important role in cancer prevention. On top of its cancer-fighting properties, Rooibos also helps to fight heart disease, skin irritations, irritability and many more ailments.

For more information visit http://www.sarooibos.org.za or http://www.iafrica.com