World Environment Day is traditionally celebrated on June 5, but SANParks and the City of Cape Town extended it to a full week by running a volunteer exchange programme on Friday and Saturday June 10 and 11.
The City and SANParks volunteers learnt everything there is to know about a nature reserve and a national park.
Field ranger Nicole Bauer-Schmidt took volunteer rangers from SANParks, Friends of Silvermine and City volunteers on an alien-hack in the Silvermine Valley, and Bronwen Amayo, a False Bay Nature Reserve conservation officer, helped SANParks volunteers explore the Rondevlei section of the reserve.
Afterwards, the volunteers and the programme organisers enjoyed lunch and a brief presentation on alien clearing by Ms Bauer-Schmidt, followed by Rob Erasmus from Enviro Wildfire services who gave a presenta- tion on wildfires in the Cape Peninsula.