Farming in harmony with nature is what Johan van Biljoen, from Waverley Hills Organic Wine Estate, is passionate about. He also tries his best to give back to the community by educating learners from local schools about the need to take care of the planet, reports Cindy Mathys from WWF.
Situated in Wolseley, Waverley Hills not only provides visitors with excellent organic wine, but also the opportunity to experience nature and learn a few things about the importance of protecting it. Waverley Hills has incorporated changes in its farming practices that enhance the suitability of vineyards as a habitat for biodiversity, maintain functioning natural systems and promote adaptation to climate change. It is for this reason that the estate has attained the WWF Biodiversity and Wine Initiative champion status.
BWI commitments form part of van Biljon’s portfolio as the estate’s environmental officer. He came across Waverley Hills in 2006 while working for a landscaping company when he was contracted to design a fynbos garden for the estate and, after seeing what he could do, was asked to join the team.
Since then, he has created a fynbos garden using local plant species, has done a biodiversity survey to see what plant, bird and insect species are found on the farm, and, more recently, he has created a medicinal garden. Each garden has information boards providing visitors with a brief overview of the types of plants found in the area as well as their conservation status.
‘There used to be a lot more fynbos species, but due to our tendency to destroy nature, many species have been lost forever.’ Waverley Hills has thus declared a portion of its land containing natural vegetation as a conservation area in partnership with CapeNature. The critically-endangered Breede alluvial fynbos can be found in this area and if we do not protect it, we will lose it.’
Van Biljoen’s main goal is to educate people and provide them with information which will get them to ask questions and assist in protecting the environment. This includes providing them with local saplings from the estate’s nursery – which van Biljon initiated – and inviting them to take a walk along the estate’s hiking trails and learn something new about the species found there.
‘There is so much to learn about nature and the only way we can share the knowledge is to provide people with information and show them why it is important to conserve it.
He is not only targeting adults; he believes that educating the youth about nature will instil within them a passion to conserve it for future generations. His vision is thus to create an environmental centre, similar to the Gold Fields Centre based at Kirstenbosch Gardens.
Since 2008, in partnership with CapeNature, van Biljon has been running the Green Fingers project which is aimed at providing learners with the skills to create their own gardens. This phased approach starts by showing learners how take care of their plants until they are planted in the garden.
‘This gives us the opportunity to talk to learners about the plants that are found in the area, what they can be used for, why it is important to take care of the plants, and how they can start their own gardens. When they come to the estate we also show them what plants were used centuries ago by the Khoisan.’
In future, he hopes to incorporate this project within the local school curriculum and provide teachers with the opportunity to use the estate as an outside classroom.
Even though his plate is already quite full, van Biljon assists neighbouring estates with clearing alien invasives and rehabilitating their eroding riverbeds.
So why does he do all of this? ‘I got this gift from God and he is the one who tells me what I need to do. This is part of my life’s plan and I will continue to do what I can to save this beautiful planet which has been lent to us.’
