Petra Broddle

Special interest in plants, conservation issues, fynbos, renosterveld, strandveld, social justice, views entirely my own.

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

#CapeTown #BeachCleanUp #GreenCoast #WESSA #BlaauwbergNatureReserve #Bloubergstrand #Melkbostrand #beach #litter

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

#Lapeirousia silenoides #Iridaceae #Kamieskroon #Namaqualand #biodiversity #hotspot 24th August 2024

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

https://t.co/t1HZXU1g0Q

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

https://t.co/0tNZV5ZsLt

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

#Colchicaceae #Colchium eucomoides in #Critically #Endangered #Renosterveld #NotAnotherConstructionSite #CoCT #CapeTown

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

#Colchicaceae #Ornithoglossum viride (L.f.) Aiton in #Cape Flats Dune #Strandveld #CapeTown #Endangered Vegetation

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

mid winter #Iridaceae #Gladiolus gracilis in Sand #Fynbos Critically Endangered vegetation type #CoCT #CapeTown #biodiversity #NotAnotherConstructionSite

[Sebastian Hatt @HattSebastian]

https://t.co/Imt9IjdrSS

New monograph of the extraordinary African parasitic plant genus Hydnora - hot off the press! Click here to get up close and personal with probably the WEIRDEST plant in the world ✨🐙
@thorogoodchris1 @ol1grace @dunkie_c @KewAfrica @KewBulletin

[Nick Murray @remotelysense]

The new IUCN Red List of Ecosystems guidelines are now available! Use the guidelines to develop ecosystem status assessments and advance your understanding of the Red List of Ecosystems categories and criteria.

Find them here: https://t.co/Kib9CZJTEy @redlisteco @IUCN

[Guardian Environment @guardianeco]

Londoners should be charged for paving gardens, says climate resilience report https://t.co/QoFO469VnV

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

https://t.co/2dzVVbb09w

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

@RK_ct A problem not unique to SA though.

[Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy]

🔥🔥 Excellent!

“Brexit was definitely a problem for science. We were part of a very successful European funding scheme with very large collaborations… You can’t do the type of science that everyone’s trying to do and make progress in isolation.”

Spot on.

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

How to share a walk across #China that spans deep time as well as 4000 miles?

A) Team up with with the digital mappers at @ArcGISStoryMaps.

B) Use GPS tracks to flip between the ancient & modern landscapes of China. 1/ @outofedenwalk @ArcGISStoryMaps
https://t.co/iswr6cn8wv

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

@JoeySantore ditto #Dimorphotheca pluvialis #Asteraceae

[Premier Alan Winde @alanwinde]

Weather warnings remain on track for wind, snow, rain, storm surges and high waves across the Western Cape, and a high fire danger identified for the Southern Cape.
Issued by the Western Cape Ministry for Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning - Sunday, 7 July 2024

The Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) this morning received feedback after the first of several cold fronts made landfall early on Sunday. Several fronts are expected to impact the weather in the Western Cape until next week Friday, 12 July 2024.

“At this stage, ward 99 in Khayelitsha is our priority, as close to 1 000 structures were destroyed by strong winds on Thursday leaving close to 4 000 people without shelter for the current cold and wet conditions. Humanitarian aid including hot meals, blankets and other support is being offered,” said Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

The @SAWeatherServic (SAWS) highlighted the additional fire danger for the Garden Route district which will be exacerbated by the strong winds in the coming days. According to SAWS several warnings for severe weather remains on track for the coming week:

- A Level 4 for heavy rain and potential flooding over the western parts of the Western Cape on Sunday.
- A Level 8 warning for high winds of between 80 and 90km/h affecting the City of Cape Town, Drakenstein, Stellenbosch and the western Overberg region.
- A level 4 warning for winds of between 50 and 70km/h for the Namakwa district as well as the central and eastern parts of the Western Cape.
- A Level 6 warning for waves along the coastline between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas from Sunday, spreading to Plettenberg Bay by the afternoon.
- A Level 6 warning for disruptive snowfall over the mountains of the Western Cape as well as southern high ground of the Namakwa District on Sunday and Monday.

@Eskom_SA reported line faults affecting Tulbagh, Rawsonville, the Hex River Valley as well as Belhar in the @CityofCT. The faults have all be isolated and teams are working on restoring connectivity in all instances.

The Department of Water and Sanitation said dam levels have not yet seen significant inflows from the rains during the night, but this will change later today as runoff starts filling up our dams. Wemmershoek Dam, managed by the City of Cape Town, is currently at 77.8%, and controlled release of water into the Berg River will be managed carefully only once the dam levels approach 100%.

It was mentioned at the meeting that many false social media posts were doing the rounds about the Wemmershoek Dam’s current level, causing anxiety amongst downstream residents. “Please refrain from spreading inaccurate information, as it might cause unnecessary panic, and it distracts disaster management services from attending to the critical risks at hand especially humanitarian and disaster aid,” Minister Bredell said.

The PDMC will continue to monitor the current weather situation as it develops, and daily operational meetings with all relevant stakeholders are scheduled for the coming week.

Media Enquiries:
Contact:
Wouter Kriel
Spokesperson for Minister Anton Bredell
Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

079 694 3085
[email protected]

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

@KewKeepers Hope the change in government, will allow for a reassessment of the proposed move, obviously bypassing the Trustees....

[Scientists for EU @Scientists4EU]

An actual scientist for Minister of Science?!

It feels as though our nation has just gone up an evolutionary jump. 🙌

[Petra Broddle @PetraCapensis]

#Celastraceae #Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus has 17 common names #fruit like #molars #Latin names rock #strandveld #CapeTown