Cape Town conservation group Friends of Table Mountain (FTM) have written to Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Minister Barbara Creecy, appealing for the return of the management of Table Mountain National Park to the City of Cape Town.
‘We believe that management by the City is the only way that this precious resource will be properly taken care and managed for the benefit of current and future South Africans,’ said Andy Davies, chairperson of FTM.
In 2020, Creecy met with a disgruntled public and created six Ministerial Task teams in order to address the many issues plaguing TMNP – but not much has been achieved since then.
READ: CapeNature proposes taking over Table Mountain National Park
‘The public continues to be disappointed and has lost all faith in SANParks’ ability to effectively manage TMNP. Muggings, poaching, overnight sleeping, industrial-scale bark stripping and other forest destruction continue, and tourists and residents fear for their safety,’ Davies added.
‘Trails, boardwalks and other infrastructure have fallen into disrepair. Invasive alien vegetation continues to grow out of control on this UNESCO world heritage site. It has reached the point where the public has taken on functions themselves such as trail rehabilitation, invasive alien removal and security. But this is not right when SANParks profits out of TMNP and continues to manage TMNP poorly.’
Davies added that in 2019/2020, SANParks only spent R99m on the maintenance of TMNP while making a substantial income of R370m. ‘We are not seeing a tangible effort being made by SANParks management to improve TMNP or to at least commit to a bigger operational budget to provide more resources to address the problems plaguing TMNP. We have seen how other national parks are well managed – why can’t the same be done for TMNP?’
TMNP land is owned by the CoCT and the park was handed over to SANParks under a Heads of Agreement with the express understanding that the park would be managed in the best interests of conservation, recreation and tourism.
‘The conflicting priorities between people and nature, and the fact that SANParks policy is managed from Pretoria mean that the current management structure cannot succeed. The CoCT understands the local context and can respond in a more agile manner to challenges such as land invasions and crime, while it can also effectively leverage opportunities such as tourism and recreation,’ said Davies.
The CoCT already performs many functions on TMNP such as baboon management, significant firefighting support, water catchment management, Metro Police support, the TMNP Emergency call centre, infrastructure and road maintenance and the Air Mercy Helicopter.
Picture: Getaway gallery
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