The Annual City Nature Challenge 2023
On Friday, 28th April, a team of residents, staff, external subject experts and members of our conservation staff participated in the Annual City Nature Challenge under guidance of The Hawaan Forest Conservation Trust.
The team explored the forest and the surrounding grassland and made numerous interesting observations that were logged onto the iNaturalist App, thus contributing valuable knowledge of our local environment to this global nature database.
Amongst the many interesting observations were mammals such as bushbuck and duiker. Bird sightings, under the guidance of Bob Rickards (former head of Birds Africa Tours), included a sighting of the rare Green Malkoha and other favourites such as African Fish Eagles, Kingfishers and the Purple-crested Turaco. Bernard Chatikoba (WESSA Volunteer Guide) enhanced our knowledge of the amazing and diverse plant life that thrives on our doorstep in this ancient coastal sand forest. Of particular interest was the information on plant adaptations, medicinal value and the place plants have in traditional folklore.
The HFCT has plans for future expert-guided recreational nature walks for residents with the aim of creating awareness of the importance of this wonderful natural resource.
A selective list of fauna and flora identified follows:
