CREW Workshop 2016

The summer rainfall CREW Workshop was held at the Amphitheatre Backpackers venue near Bergville in the Northern Drakensberg area of KwaZulu-Natal. The view of the Amphitheatre from the lodge is pretty special.

Late afternoon light on the Amphitheatre foothills

The program started on the Friday afternoon with Benny Bytebier, curator of the BEWS Herbarium at the University of KZN, who gave a talk on South African orchid families, followed by a very stimulating practical session of looking at orchid flowers under the microscope.

Benny demonstrating how to dissect a flower

Elsa Pooley then gave a talk on the flora of the Drakensberg as an introduction to what we might be lucky enough to see on the field trips planned for the Sunday and Monday.

The following morning was dedicated to background to CREW and the SANBI Red List, CREW KZN and CFR highlights, and report back sessions from the various CREW groups present, as well as a presentation on that troublesome genus, Ledebouria, from Andrew Hankey. The afternoon session included the balance of CREW group reports, a presentation on the genus Schizoglossum by Pieter Bester, and a talk on field experience with propagating and attempts to reintroduce the critically endangered orchid, Disa barbata to a nature reserve near Malmesbury in the Western Cape.

Once again we had been treated to a stimulating day and a half of CREW Workshop.

Delegates at the 2016 CREW Summer Rainfall Workshop

The workshop wrapped up after an evaluation session and this left delegates free to participate in the field trips planned for the following two days. These will be covered in separate posts.