Fascinated by news of Johannesburg being the largest urban man-made forest in the world?
Factually, Johannesburg shares this top spot with Brazil’s Tjuca National Park, in Rio de Jainero, measured at 3,953 hectares.
Adelaide Chokoe, Arboriculture Advisor, for City Parks and Zoo, said Joburg has about 3 million trees in the City, across 7 regions in open public spaces (street trees and parks).
A large portion of trees are in private residents.
It is estimated that there are more than 6 million trees in private residents.
“In older affluent suburbs, the most dominant species are the Jacaranda mimosifolia (the Blue Jacaranda) and Platanus spp (Platanus x acerifolia (Southern Woods or London plane), Platanus wrightii (Arizona Sycamore), Platanus racemosa (Western Sycamore).
In newly planted areas, the most dominant species is Combretum erythrophyllum (River Bushwillow) and Celtis spp, Celtis African (White Stinkwood), C. sinensis (Chinese nettle tree) and Celtis sinensis (Chinese Hackberry)” said Chokoe.
While trees are the City’s green lungs, removing carbon dioxide, preventing soil erosion, the City has active wildlife, very few know about.
There are genets, mangoose, bush babies, dasies, frogs and toads, as well as snakes such as the puff adders, living and thriving in Joburg’s urban forests.
According to the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), biodiversity is the variety of life on earth that allows humanity to thrive.
It is the very foundation of our economy and lives.
But we’re losing this biodiversity at an alarming rate, threatening life as we know it.
Cover Picture: Peter M. Mwesiga, World Bank Mac Scholar
Picture of City Centre: Ted Lord, Founder and CEO of Lord Advisors