Onrus Peatland Wetland

"The Onrus peatland is dominated by the plant palmiet (Prionium serratum), an endemic plant to Southern Africa and the only species in its family. This unchanneled valley-bottom wetland is 33ha in size and is situated near the coastal town of Hermanus, South Africa. The Onrus wetland is underlain with peat and plays an important role in climate change mitigation. The Onrus catchment is home to the water supply dam of the town of Hermanus. The wetland is situated on the Camphill School’s property, a school for disadvantaged and physically impaired children. The Onrus wetland is upstream of the Onrus estuary—a key nursery ground for fish and recreational activities. A subsurface peat fire has been threatening the wetland since 11 January 2019. After various conventional fire fighting methods; an innovative technique is currently being implemented to extinguish the subsurface fire—with great success. The wetland will be assessed post fire to determine the extent of rehabilitation interventions required to restore functionality to the wetland and protect the intact and undisturbed section of wetland."