Ferndale Arboretum & Bird Sanctuary

The BFRA is the de facto administrator of the Ferndale Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary, a section of riverine bush in our suburb. The association organises community clean-ups of the veld and the river, maintains the fence around the area, and protects the precious wilderness within it.

We would like to make this wilderness area more accessible to members of the community so that it can be used for educational purposes, e.g. to teach people about conservation, highveld ecology, and the local fauna and flora. As a result of being protected as described above, the area has maintained a remarkable diversity of species and ecological features.

We are seeking your approval for us to maintain and improve the area as a community resource by repairing the already existing bird hide, clearing a walking path for small groups of visitors, putting up information signs about plants and other features, and making it easier to cross the river by creating a bridge out of natural, renewable materials.

In all of this, we will be guided by ecologists who stay in our area. We aim to carry out these activities using our own resources (time, money, manpower), so there would be no cost implication for your department. We would, however, appreciate the department’s advice on which indigenous vegetation could be planted to increase species diversity, attract more birds and insects, and stabilise some sections of the river bank.