Love for earth instils lifelong work ethic

Pieter van Wyk, curator of the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park and Desert Botanical Garden and Nursery, has cultivated his love for nature in this area since childhood.

Apart from recently discovering a new palargonium species in this area, he also scooped an international prestigious award this year.

Born and bred in small towns of the Richtersveld, Van Wyk developed a love for nature and specifically plants in his backyard.

Pieter van Wyk

Photo: Supplied

The Richtersveld is largely known for its rocky mountains that are left virtually naked for the privileged few to see the earth’s geological patterns in intricate minute detail and the valleys filled with desert flora like no other on this planet.

His journey with the South African National Parks (SANParks) commenced in 2013 as an environmental monitor at the Sendelingsdrift Rest Camp, where he quickly showed the magic residing in him by starting the nursery from scratch and building it up to the showpiece it is today.

Since 2013, Van Wyk showed that his love for nature and hard work pays off, as he become one of three in the world to win and scoop the prestigious Future for Nature Award during March 2023.

A new pelargonium species has been discovered in the Richtersveld by Pieter van Wyk, who is the curator of the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park and Desert Botanical Garden and Nursery. It is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. Van Wyk says the flowers of the newly discovered species are giant, “the largest in the genus I have ever seen in the Richtersveld region”. This species grows in deep red dune sand about 30 km south of Alexander Bay. Van Wyk has collected cuttings for ex situ conservation purposes to grow at the transfrontier park’s nursery. Genevieve Maasdorp, communications manager for Arid Parks at SANParks, says the species is not named yet as it was only recently found.

Photo: Supplied

His love for nature is inspired by his grandmother and mother who imbued the love and respect for nature into him from a young age.

He was fascinated about the natural life around him and wanted to know since his pre-school days how everything on the planet is connected.

“Hard work pays off; you need to be part of the organisation to make a significant difference and that will allow you to become stronger, as well as making your organisation stronger,” is Van Wyk’s advice to others who want to take the same path as him, specifically at SANParks.

He still has many plans for his beloved Richtersveld, and SANParks, as an organisation, cannot wait to see what wonders he brings next to this mountain desert, said Genevieve Maasdorp, communications manager for Arid Parks.