Alien plant infestation is a major problem in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape along watercourses. The alien plants have many negative impacts, most
important biodiversity, and water loss. Combined with that comes a long legacy of neglecting and overtly disturbing riparian zones in agricultural areas, where it was
common practice to establish orchards as close to the river reaches as possible, hemming in and steepening riverbanks beyond their natural state. Due to overt
manipulation of riverbanks, the invasion of woody alien plants, and the subsequent unnatural fire regimes, the majority of riparians show signs of ecological
degradation. The ecosystems are not functioning as they are supposed to and there are multiple interventions required. The clearing of alien vegetation is the first step
towards addressing this and this activity has been ongoing in the upper Breede Basin for years. This clearing is supported by a host of partners as outlined below. The
second is a setup of a multi-year weeding follow-up program, as the cleared alien trees leave behind a seedbed from which new aliens can sprout.

Through past alien clearing initiatives in the area, there have been some important lessons learned over the last few years. Sometimes riparian stretches cannot recover
on their own after alien clearing. In some parts, rehabilitation is required. Many of the majestic indigenous trees that first populated the forested banks of the Breede
River such as the Breede River Yellow Wood (Podocarpus elongatus), Wild Olive (Olea europaea subsp. Africana ), and Wild Almond Brabejum stellatifolium ), have
almost disappeared from the system. The reintroduction of these indigenous trees provides a level of competition against returning alien plants and it improves the
functional diversity of the riparian zone. Without this active intervention in key places, the system will not be able to reach the level of ecological resilience required to
persevere on its own. Replanting the woody indigenous component is key in the rehabilitation process. Since 2020, there are n ewl y funded initiatives that support the
propagation and planting of indigenous woody vegetation along riverbanks, supported by farmers who take over the responsibility of irrigating the seedlings until they
are fully established. The last step is still required that the partners in this area would like to initiate. For full stabilize of the riverbanks, the re-establishment of the
herbaceous layer and the wet zones is important to make the system more functional. There are very important plants that need to be reintroduced in order for the
system to function as it should, such as Palmiet ( Prionium serratum ) a water plant that stabilizes riverbanks and plays a vital role in succession. This plant together
which many shrubs, grasses, and geophytes need to be reintroduced, and partners believe that these 4 steps are key to restore the upper Breede riparian zones in a
working, agricultural landscape.