Cape Town - SANParks has responded to calls for a dedicated strategic biodiversity unit to be created for Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) to tackle the alarming increase in bark stripping and poaching.
SANParks noted that bark stripping was not a new challenge, but had escalated in recent months.
This follows a petition started by the Newlands Forest Conservation Group calling on SANParks to create a dedicated “Strategic Biodiversity Unit” to combat the crimes that were leading Newlands Forest to become bark-stripped at an alarming rate.
Supporters said despite repeated appeals, SANParks was failing to take sufficient action.
Megan Taplin, newly appointed manager of TMNP, said they were well aware of the scale of the problem and the fact that bark stripping was taking place in other areas as well.
“SANParks already has a dedicated law-enforcement and anti-poaching unit who conduct operations and patrols as well as our rangers who conduct regular patrols of the area.
“SANParks’ scientists conduct monitoring projects and provide advice on biodiversity matters to allow us to better manage our parks.
“Stripped trees are painted with a special paste which protects the tree from infection and assists recovery.
“Our scientific services has set up a monitoring sequence for the rangers to monitor if the painting of stripped trees is working or not,” she said.
Talpin added that the problem of bark stripping was difficult to manage due to the open access of TMNP – poachers have hundreds of access points to the forest and can masquerade as visitors or local citizens – and the fact that the poachers often conduct activities at night in a vast area.
“Our rangers and anti-poaching unit already conduct regular day and night patrols … We are investigating other methods of preventing this crime, including painting of trees with PVA, as proposed by some of the stakeholder and active volunteer groups with which we work.”
Talpin called on local residents, neighbourhood watches and volunteer groups to work with TMNP to combat this crime.
Newlands Forest Conservation Group co-founders Willem Boshoff and Neil Williamson said there had been an exponential increase in bark-stripping and other illegal harvesting of plants since 2019, with entire sections of Afromontane forest entering a state of collapse.
Boshoff said: “Despite the occasional arrest, bark-stripping and plant poaching continue unabated due to a lack of dedicated resources.”
Alex Lansdowne, City representative on the TMNP Forum, welcomed Taplin as the new manager of TMNP and expressed hope that with a new manager the TMNP parks forum could become operational once again and allow stakeholders and communities to work together with SANParks.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za