Alanna Rebelo

Cape Town’s Table Mountain Range, with a view of old plantation blocks on the granite slopes. Alien gum invasions are visible in the ravines. Johan Lourens/Getty Images

March 17, 2025

Lost fynbos seeds from underground ‘time capsules’ in South Africa can grow again – new study

Alanna Rebelo, Agricultural Research Council; Karen Joan Esler, Stellenbosch University; Patricia Holmes, Stellenbosch University, and Tony Rebelo, South African National Biodiversity Institute

Hundreds of ancient fynbos species could regrow and restore a former pine plantation on Cape Town’s Table Mountain, but only if the remaining pine trees are removed.

Alien trees threaten biodiversity, increase the risk of wildfires and also guzzle water. Photo courtesy Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve

May 4, 2022

Removing alien plants can save water: we measured how much

Alanna Rebelo, Agricultural Research Council; Karen Joan Esler, Stellenbosch University; Mark New, University of Cape Town, and Petra Holden, University of Cape Town

Clearing alien trees from mountain catchments is a more cost-effective approach to providing water than building and maintaining desalination plants.

Alien pine trees, which use substantially more water than the native vegetation of the Cape Mountains, reduce river flows to dams that supply the city’s water. Martin Kleynhans

March 14, 2022

Clearing alien trees can help reduce climate change impact on Cape Town’s water supply

Petra Holden, University of Cape Town; Alanna Rebelo, Agricultural Research Council; Joyce Kimutai, University of Cape Town; Kamoru Abiodun Lawal, University of Cape Town; Mark New, University of Cape Town; Piotr Wolski, University of Cape Town; Romaric C. Odoulami, University of Cape Town, and Tiro Nkemelang, University of Cape Town

Clearing alien trees before the drought hit could have reduced the impact of climate change on water supply during the ‘Day Zero’ drought.

A wildfire spread across the slopes of Table Mountain to the University of Cape Town. Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images

April 20, 2021

Why the fire on Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain was particularly devastating

Alanna Rebelo, Stellenbosch University and Karen Joan Esler, Stellenbosch University

Fire hazards are influenced by three factors: weather, an ignition source and fuel loads. The first two are unpredictable. But fuel loads can be managed.

Fynbos, the biodiverse shrubland in Cape Town, is thought to have the third highest carbon stored per square metre for any biome in South Africa. It must be protected. Shutterstock

November 10, 2020

Cape Town’s climate strategy isn’t perfect, but every African city should have one

Alanna Rebelo, Stellenbosch University; Karen Joan Esler, Stellenbosch University; Michael Samways, Stellenbosch University; Patricia Holmes, Stellenbosch University, and Tony Rebelo, South African National Biodiversity Institute

Cape Town’s new climate strategy is a good start. But it falls short when it comes to nature.

A fire rages through wetlands close to Cape Town in February 2017. EPA/Nic Bothma

October 11, 2019

What science tells us about fire hazards facing Cape Town and its surrounds

Alanna Rebelo, Stellenbosch University; David Carlyle Le Maitre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; Mark New, University of Cape Town; Peter Johnston, University of Cape Town; Petra Holden, University of Cape Town; Tiro Nkemelang, University of Cape Town, and Tony Rebelo, South African National Biodiversity Institute

The danger of fires in the Cape region this season is partly dependent on how the Fynbos has been managed over the past few decades.

Shutterstock

June 5, 2019

Financial incentives could spur cities and land owners to protect wetlands

Alanna Rebelo, Stellenbosch University

With partnerships between landowners, the government and businesses, South Africa can invest in its wetlands and boost the country’s potable water reserves.

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