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By Murray Williams
Pressure groups say they are dismayed by the decision of the Table Mountain National Park to allow the felling of the Cecilia and Tokai forest plantations.
The Table Mountain National Park's head, Brett Myrdal, submitted the park's plan for the areas on Thursday - confirming that the 90-year-old pine trees in the 600-hectare forests will be removed by forestry company MTO over the next 20 years.
He gave the assurance that all public amenities would remain for the public to enjoy, that the Arboretum and Afromontane forests would remain untouched and that shade would be provided in future by indigenous trees.
| 'It's been very cunning and devious of South African National Parks' |
But Mark Schlesinger, a member of the Urban Forests Protection Group, said: "Most people feel that it's a David against Goliath battle, that we're barking against thunder. People are disillusioned, upset and angry."
He said that when the park took over 1&bsp;000hectares of the forests from the department of water affairs and forestry on April 2005, it had spoken about "continuation of routine harvesting" - or words to that effect.
"But only now, in this final hour, do we realise that we're about to lose our treasured forests that we've had for almost a century," Schlesinger said.
"It's been very cunning and devious of South African National Parks. They didn't spell it out - they confused the public. Most people can't believe it's happening."
Geraldine Goncalves, of Friends of the Dog Walkers, said: "Though Tokai and lower Cecilia are to remain as designated dog-walking areas, as harvesting of trees progresses the lack of shade will render these former forests less and less hospitable for dogs whose internal cooling systems are much less efficient than those of humans.
| 'These forests have been a public amenity for the better part of a century' |
"Friends of the Dog Walkers understand the ecological imperatives of getting rid of pine plantations in such a water-hungry part of our country.
"But if TMNP is to fulfil its objective to provide adequate recreational facilities for the local community, it needs to provide plenty of shaded areas for walkers with and without dogs," Goncalves said.
Among the most hard-hitting opposition to the destruction of the forests has come from the internationally acclaimed academic, Professor George Ellis of the University of Cape Town.
He wrote recently: "These forests have been a public amenity for the better part of a century, and are increasingly used by people from the townships of Cape Town.
"There is virtually no shade in these townships; having access to shaded picnic spots may not be a big deal to the privileged few who live in leafy suburbs like Constantia but it is a major benefit for those who do not."
Ellis described the decision to fell the forest as "extraordinarily extremist. These forests are long-term part of our cultural heritage, adding greatly to the beauty and amenity of the area".
Myrdal said on Thursday that the pines would be harvested from the higher reaches downwards, in stages.
Next among the pines to go will be those in riverine kloofs.
These will be cleared of pines up to 25-metres on both sides of the streams - encouraging the recovery of riverine eco-systems.
Myrdal said this would attract more natural life - including "symphonies of birds" - to these arteries, attracted by the growth of fynbos species.
As pines are removed, efforts would be made to encourage the growth of indigenous trees, he said.
More than 40 000 saplings had already been planted in the park in the past four years - yellow-woods, stinkwoods, assegaaibos trees, saffrons, wild pears, rooi els and wit els trees, Myrdal said.
"We all love trees, but we must embrace diversity and not only think of European trees," he argued.
There would always be shaded areas - whether alien or indigenous.
Of the overall plan, Myrdal said: "The vision is for this area to remain a recreational and natural asset for the people of Cape Town and South Africa."
The public has until mid-November to comment on the plans. TMNP will then publish these, along with its final report, by December 16.
The full report is available on www.tmnp.co.za.
- This article was originally published on page 9 of Cape Argus on October 20, 2006
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