Human Flower Project

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Fynbos and Fire

The rare plants of South Africa’s Cape Floral Kingdom are getting far too much of a good thing: fire.

Fynbos biome, South Africa (teal blue)
Map: National Botanical Institute

Along the arrowpoint-edge of the African Continent (commonly known as the Cape) lies the smallest and most diverse floral kingdom on earth. The soil is poor but the landscape is rich:  600 species of ericas or heaths, an abundance of Restionaceae (reeds), more than 600 species of endemic daisies, glorious bulbs, and most famously the flamboyant proteas—South Africa’s national flower. The “fynbos,” or “fine brush” country, is home to 7700 plants, 70% of them found nowhere else in the world.

But since wildfires broke out January 23, much of the region has been charred. Four thousand workers employed on the fynbos flower farms have no plants to pick, and authorities say it may take as long as five years for the landscape to bear flowers again. A major exporter in the region said, “We have lost over 100,000 hectares of field. In monetary value that is a loss of R60 million ($9.7 million USD) in income a year over the next five years.”

Common Pagoda (Mimetes cuculatus)
one of 69 fynbos proteas
Photo: Protea Atlas Project

Actually, the fynbos only flourishes thanks to an intricate relationship with fire. Some of the most gloriously shaped flowers produced here are in fact wearing fire-proof gear, giant cones that serve as botanical safes, protecting the seeds inside. “Others have ant-fruits which induce ants to bury the seeds, and yet others resprout after fire from bulbs, boles or stems. Without fire fynbos would not have its high plant diversity.”

The biosphere needs fires every 10-30 years, to kill off domineering invaders and senescent (aging) natives, but in recent years, and especially in the past month the region has experienced far too much heat. This article by Cornelius De Ronde explains the delicate balance and its current disruption. Strong wildfires in 1998-99 burned most of the mountain ranges and some adjoining farms, killing a number of residents. More fires in 2000 destroyed not only landscape but vineyards and houses.

Fire in the fynbos
Photo: Silverhill Seeds

De Ronde writes that with delays of controlled-burns, vegetation of invasive species had multiplied into dangerous quantities of fire-fuel. “Fynbos in certain catchments was allowed to become too old, making it therefore impossible to apply fuel reduction by means of prescribed burning because this would now be too hazardous. The accumulation of fuels increased further by the spread of alien weeds such as Hakea sericae, Acacia longifolia and Pinus pinaster....”

So what now? Local farmers say the first step is political: for South Africa to declare the region a disaster area and thus shore up the flower industry here. Rudi Visser, of Flora Land, said that in the time it will take for these proteas, bulbs, and other fynbos plants to regenerate, Indian and Chinese producers may crack the market, making it hard for South African growers to get back in.

Fynbos landscape
Photo: Encounter South Africa

The fires will also cramp the area’s tourist industry.  “No one wants to come to see a lunar landscape that’s just soot and ash,” said one official.

This site contains further explanation of the subtleties of fynbos plants and fire, including serotiny (seed strong-boxes). Gavin W. Maneveldt’s excellent Guide to the Fynbos contains much more information and many recommendations for how human projects can nurture this precious ecosystem. Feel in a joining mood today? The Protea Atlas Project and the Botanical Society of South Africa both want you.