Editor's note

As editor I enjoy finding themes to challenge our authors on their chosen species and the tougher the challenge the more positively they respond! Sometimes they have to research far and wide to come up with sensible explanations to the subject matter and for this edition the theme was “How long do the species that you write about live?” I suspected this was going to be reasonably difficult given that butterflies, birds and reptiles in the wild don’t stand still and must be extremely difficult to keep a track of even with today’s microchip technology. Records of species in captivity are reasonably available but generally not statistically valid and certainly not applicable to species in the wild. Steve Woodhall, Pat McKrill and Nicky Forbes gave it their best and have produced some fascinating insights using whatever data is available combined with their own significant personal experience. I am sure you will find their articles very enjoyable.

Intrepid snake rescuer Nick Evans is tasked with describing one reptile species and in this edition, he covers his favourite, the Black Mamba. Those of you that follow Nick on Facebook or have watched the Snake Season series on DSTV will know that Durban is never short of mambas, so Nick had plenty of material to work with. Most of us who live in the Durban area will have inevitably, had one or more encounters with a Black Mamba and they are always adrenalin generating occasions but watching Nick nonchalantly approaching a 3m mamba in flip-flops does give a different perspective!

Arend Hoogervorst is a highly experienced environmental scientist and in many ways has almost “seen it all”, so his insights are always very perceptive and as always, he looks at individual perspectives and individuals’ approach and respond to environmental issues. Often some of the points or questions he raises make us all feel a bit uncomfortable but that is the often essence of a good article!

In the previous edition of The Leopard’s Echo, Robin Lamplough delved into the history of the area around Bridle Road and one of the interesting points he raised was how most of the area in what is now Kloof was open grassland even as recently as the late 1950’s. In this edition Robin did some research on the areas around Ronald’s Kloof Ext. and more specifically the role of the many Indian Market Gardeners that inhabited that area prior to 1950. Although reliable information is difficult to come by Robin has provided us with sufficient material to enable us to reflect not only on the environmental changes but the social changes of the area as well.

I am pleased that in this edition we have been able to include an article by Suvarna Parbhoo Mohan who manages the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) for SANBI in KZN. She was given the somewhat daunting task of organising Durban’s participation in the global City Nature Challenge. In this edition we include an article by her on what this event is all about and how the city of Durban performed including the support of some of our very own Kloof Conservancy members. It is planned to repeat this event every year so I hope this article will inspire more readers to participate in future events and help boost eThekwini up the leaderboard of global cities.

Ecological restoration is a key activity for the Kloof Conservancy and over the years we have run and supported numerous projects that have helped to restore our local environment to healthier conditions. Currently our M13 and Msinsi Grassland Projects are good examples of ecological restoration. In this context Bheka Nxele and Lungi Dlulane have written an article for us which takes a look at ecological restoration in a very holistic way and particularly its impact on our disadvantaged communities.

Our Eco-Impi interview in this edition is with Crispin Hemson who spent much of his early childhood in Kloof but in more recent years has been the driver behind the Friends of Pigeon Valley who provide support to the Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve close to the heart of Durban. Crispin is an educator best known developing leaders in conflict areas with a goal of developing a culture of non-violence. He has however been able, somewhat uniquely, to combine his leadership processes with sound environmental practices so his views and experience should be of interest to all who seek sound environmental leadership.

I trust you will enjoy this edition and as always, your feedback will be much appreciated.

Paolo Candotti
July 2021