by Hannah Lazenby
My time at NVT has harnessed community engagement, research, exploration and a huge admiration for the work, people and environment surrounding me. My focal project whilst here is partnered with the Orca Foundation, whom over the last two years have collected underwater BRUV footage from varying sites around Plettenberg bay and Robberg peninsula. The objective of the project is long-term monitoring of teleost presence, diversity and relative abundance, and for me, a specific focus on fish identification. It has been rewarding to see how species rich the bay is; so far identifying over thirty fish species, many of which hold a red IUCN status. Some of the stand-out species are Redfingers, Evileye blaasops and the White Sea catfish. Species such as Blacktips, White steenbras, Musselcrackers and Rockcods, previously falling under a ‘common’ category, appear to be becoming increasingly less common in the area when comparing footage to past research. Red Romans, Strepies, White stumpnose and Fransmadams appear to be the most prominent species, occuring in shoals larger than 60 at times! This work has proven to be an integral step towards highlighting the abundance shifts in once ‘common’ species as well as identifying species-specific areas. Through analysis, assessing the seasonal shifts and long-term annual changes in the communities will hopefully ensure the conservation and preservation of the Plettenberg Bay marine life in time. It has been super interesting watching this thriving ecosystem in action and taking time to understand and appreciate what is going on below our surrounding seascapes!
Other marine work taking place is our Rocky Shores activity for the Kids In Parks (KIP) programme which has taken place over the past 5 weeks. This has been an interactive, immersive activity focussed on exploring the rock pools along Natures Valley’s coastline. The objective was to expose, educate and familiarise children from surrounding communities with the immense biodiversity of life found along our shores and with the recent upwellings, it has certainly been a memorable experience for everyone! There have been many rewarding highlights surrounding this work and watching the kids sincerely take an interest in something not so familiar for many of them. It is great to actively have the time to appreciate the abundance of flora and fauna found around Blue Rocks (the octopus sitings being a highlight for sure!).
In between project work, helping out with other intern’s projects has been a great way to explore Nature’s valley and has paved way to many little adventures. From Salt River over to the Groot, we have spent time conducting QWACs on kayaks, hiking winding trails down the swaying fynbos to conduct a miniSASS and waking up at the crack of dawn to search hazy beaches for any trace of our African clawless otters. To spend free time laying in dappled sun and wandering the pristine forests of this valley has truly been a privilege. Natures Valley hosts a unique slow-paced life and for a curious conservationist, in its entirety, gives access to a playground of systems to explore first-hand.
