By Dr Sarah Venter

Climate change and baobabs: what’s the real story?

As global temperatures continue to rise millions of life-forms around the globe are under threat. Plants and animals differ in their ability to cope with variable climate conditions with many being sensitive to the slightest change and thus may be the first to die.  In contrast, baobabs are well adapted to changes in temperature and rainfall as can be seen [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Learning from Ratho – how to protect riverine forests

Baobabs are not the only species being destroyed by elephants.  Many species of trees along the Limpopo River are disappearing at an alarming rate.  Ratho, a citrus farm situated west of Pont Drift and opposite the Tuli Block of Botswana took action before it was too late.  They have used electric fencing to protect riverine forests and where the forests [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Another baobab gone – do we need more proof?

Three large baobabs form an avenue on either side of the track leading up to Schroda Dam view in Mapungubwe National Park.  These trees have stood on this hillside for hundreds of years.  Last month one of them died as a result of elephant damage as many other trees in this National Park. Fortunately, the other two trees were meshed [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Equipment for protecting baobabs donated to SANParks

Protecting baobabs from elephants is an ongoing effort.  There are over 600 baobabs on Mapungubwe National Park.  Every few moths a baobab collapses and dies from elephant damage in the park.  Mapungubwe National Park has limited resources and is unable to dedicate equipment solely to the protection of baobabs.  The Baobab Foundation has put together a pamphlet on How-to-mesh-a-baobab, which [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Keeping an eye on Greens Baobab

Greens baobab is a historic tree found in the Magadikgadi area of Botswana.  The intrepid Green brothers were one of the many early traders, hunters and explorers to carve their names here, leaving “Green’s Expedition 1858–1859” scrawled into the tree’s bark and giving the tree its name. Greens tree is found on the Gweta-Orapa track, 27 km south of Gweta.  [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Three more baobab seedlings to ready to grow into adult trees

Baobab trees in Dambale village were measured as scheduled in April 2024.  Three more trees have reached their target height of 3 meters.  This brings the total number to five of the nine trees in the village that no longer need to be protected from goats.  The trees in Dambale village were planted as small seedlings in December 2020.  The [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Plantation-style baobabs

Young baobabs are being planted in “plantation-style” in seven homesteads in Mabvete village in northern Venda.  This method is being used to boost the young baobabs growth so that they reach a “safe” height before wild planting.  See post here. Newly planted baobabs in plantation-style This week we visited the trees to see how they were doing.  We tagged each [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Wild planting baobabs at Nthakeni

Nthakeni is a lovely spot on the Mutale River in communal land situated near the northern Pafuri gate of the Kruger National Park.  The area is leased from the Nkotswi community and has been fenced allowing the natural vegetation to grow and seedlings to recruit without disturbance of domestic animals.  Nthakeni is thus one of the few places where baobabs [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

The challenge of wild planting baobabs

Young baobabs are delicious especially to goats, impala and baboons.  So a multipronged approach is needed.  One is to identify areas that don’t have these animals and use their absence to successfully establish baobabs (watch this space) or where these animals are plentiful to find creative solutions. The first approach was to simply protect the young trees with wire cages, [...] Continue Reading