The alien invasive plant programme of the Mtunzini Conservancy had its roots in the Arboretum Committee, established in 1993, whose initial focus was clearing the town of extensive alien invasive infestations, including gum trees (Eucalyptus grandis), which had been planted in the 1940s by the Mtunzini Civic Association in the area below the current golf course in order to generate funds to develop the town. With the gum trees cleared, the money from the timber sale was intended for the rehabilitation of the cleared areas and to rid the town of invasive species.

The most prominent invasives included:  syringa (Melia azedarach), Indian Laurel tree (Litsea glutinosa), Barbados gooseberry (Pereskia aculeata), triffid weed (Chromolaena odorata), lantana or tickberry (Lantana camara), bugweed (Solanum mauritianum), inkberry (Cestrum laevigatum) and red sesbania (Sesbania punicea).

It was an uphill battle so Mike Butler proposed a 5-year plan of initial clearance and follow-ups based on the town being divided into management blocks with a regular monitoring and maintenance plan, with the Conservancy training and supervising two municipal staff in ongoing clearance, monitoring and maintenance.

The success achieved by the programme was remarkable, with an estimated 98% clearance of invasives due to the constant monitoring and follow-ups.

However, in the late 2000’s, the municipality said that the Conservancy could no longer supervise the municipal staff who were assigned other tasks. Since then, because there have not been regular follow-ups, alien invasives began to creep back in, through both natural propagation from old seed and plant material, birds and through garden escapes from garden refuse being illegally dumped in our natural areas.

In 2015-16, the municipality commissioned a consulting firm in association with the Conservancy to produce an Alien Invasive Control Plan for the towns of Eshowe, Gingindlovu and Mtunzini.

Unfortunately, while the municipality does have an annual budget for alien invasive control, the funds are spent mostly on short term contractors who are not given the time or budget to follow the plan (initial clearing plus follow-ups). The result is the continued spread of AIPs.

In 2017-18, with funds from the settlement with Tronox over appealing against the mine, the Conservancy employed and trained a team of four people to work primarily on ridding the town of Pereskia. (After the earlier efforts of the Arboretum/Conservancy Committees, only 2-3 sites of Pereskia remained. With the withdrawal of municipal support, 58 sites of Pereskia were identified in 2017) Pereskia hotspots were identified, and clearing of those areas began, taking with them any other AIPS found in the vicinity. An example is one seriously infested area in Cycad Road, with Pereskia already climbed up into the tree canopy, took over a month of work to clear.

We applied to the Department of Environment Affairs in 2017 to become an agent for the Working for Water programme, hoping for the three year funding cycle for AIP control. However, we were not successful.

Currently, private funds donated to the Conservancy have helped to re-employ two people trained during the 2017-18 project to clear the Park Run trail of alien invasive plants.

So, we are working with what funds we have been able to raise, but intend to liaise with the municipality, the Department of Environment Affairs and KZN Conservancies to look at ways in which we can secure longer term funding for AIP control. Short-term contracts are a waste of resources. Consistency of funding and on-the-ground effort is essential if we are to get back to the previous 98% + free of AIPs in Mtunzini

In 1993, the then Mtunzini Town Board, in recognition of the existing attraction and potential of Mtunzini as an eco-tourism destination, appointed a committee, the Arboretum Committee, to advise it on open space policy and use, to establish and arboretum and a network of hiking trails, have the town declared a conservancy and to liaise with the then Natal Parks Board (now Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) based at Umlalazi Nature Reserve. The focus of the Arboretum Committee at that time was to both plant trees as well as to clear the town of alien invasive plants. Along the way, they held meetings, walks and talks to educate the residents about what was being done. Around 1995-1996, the Mtunzini Town Board, developed the network of hiking trails to make its natural beauty more accessible to residents and visitors. In 1998, concrete markers were constructed and placed along the trails and a map linking all the town trails to the Umlalazi Nature Reserve trails was published.

The Arboretum Committee became the  Mtunzini Conservancy in 1995, registering with EKZNW, and in February 1997, it registered as an NPO, updating to become a Non-Profit Company or NPC with Section 18 (tax-exempt) status.  A Constitution was drawn up with the following objectives (summary):

1. Primary Objective:  To promote through sound management the conservation of flora, fauna and natural habitats within the Conservancy thus maintaining the special character of Mtunzini both intrinsically and visually.
2.  To promote public interest and participation in sound environmental practice.
3.  To monitor physical development in the area and participate as interested and affected parties in proposed developments that will impact on our natural areas.
4.  To eradicate alien invasive vegetation and promote the planting of indigenous flora
5.  To develop and maintain a Linked Open Space System
6.  To develop and maintain hiking trails.
7. To comment on matters of environmental concern in the Conservancy area
8. To participate in local, district and possibly provincial strategic planning initiatives.
9. To promote eco-tourism in the Conservancy area and beyond.
10. To promote and encourage public awareness of the work of the Conservancy.
11. To promote interest and participation in environmental education.
12. To raise funds to achieve the above objectives.