No Balloons allowed in Fernkloof Nature Reserve
While balloons may add some fun to your party, they’ve also become known for wreaking havoc on wildlife and the environment.
As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. And when balloons come down, they don’t find their way into a nearby rubbish bin.
As mentioned, balloons cause problems for our wildlife. One such problem is that birds, turtles and other wildlife can mistake balloons for food, which can cause injuries or even kill the animals. Balloon strings, too, can cause devastating injuries to wildlife when they become stuck or entangled in them, much like fishing lines.
Mylar balloons are not biodegradable and should also never be released. Like latex balloons, Mylar balloons can also cause injuries to wildlife, but they pose another problem as well: power outages.
Mylar balloons are covered in a thin foil. When that foil comes into contact with a power line or other electrical equipment at a substation, it can cause an electrical surge that causes a short circuit resulting in a power outage.
Need another reason to skip the balloons for your next party? Consider that the gas that makes them float — helium — is a finite resource that isn’t renewable. In fact, helium is the only element on Earth that is completely non-renewable.
The problem is that making balloons float is just one of many uses for helium — and by far the least important one. Helium has many more important uses. It has several applications in the medical field, including being used in magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, and for some surgical procedures and treating some lung conditions. Because of its cooling properties, helium is also used in the operation of superconductors. And it’s used in car airbags and also in weather balloons.
There are more sustainable alternatives if you’re looking for a way to commemorate an occasion or celebrate a loved one.
These include streamers, flags, banners, bunting, dancing inflatables, kites, pinwheels, coloured lights, (with property owner permission) etc.
The Overstrand Municipality’s Environmental Management Section under which the Management of Nature Reserves fall (Fernkloof Nature Reserve as well as Kleinmond Nature Reserve) call on the general public to please adhere to the rules. If you see people with balloons in our nature reserves you can contact our control room on 0283138111 who will notify the duty ranger.
-Hermanus Botanical Society & Fernkloof Indigenous Nursery