Haphazard mountain tourist activities in the South African cape folded
mountains facilitated by flawed legislation
Peter Blignaut
Southern African Mountain Environment Consultancy, South Africa
2002
[email protected]
Keywords: mountains, environment, tourism, policies, South Africa.
Images
Pure water and floral diversity, Cape Folded Mountains
Mountain track erosion, Cape Folded Mountains
Mountain and biodiversity, Cape Folded Mountains
Floral diversity, Cape Folded Mountains
Western Cape conservation map
Introduction
Conservation Legislation in South Africa is comprehensive and decrees that
many activities require Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Integrated
Environmental Management controls. Mountains are not seen as a separate
category of land over which specific legislation would apply. Recently new
unrelated legislation has created legislative loopholes that allow the
indiscriminate construction of roads into the Cape's important mountain
catchments for the use of recreational vehicles for tourism.
Biogeographical Background
The Cape folded mountains of the Southern and South Western Cape includes
38 ranges totaling 21 000 sq. km. The sandstone and shale, tilted and folded
formations, create outstanding mountain landscapes and diverse biotic
habitats. These mountains are the source of a limited supply of pure silt-free
water that is the life-blood of human activities in the Cape. They are also the
habitat of about 6000 of the 8800 species of the Cape Floristic Kingdom. The
ranges are narrow and long, which enables the landowners and infrastructural
agencies to easily exploit the mountainous area for their envisaged activity.
The unspoilt mountain landscapes are becoming a significant tourist attraction,
whilst the diversity, beauty and scientific value of the flora attract both
national and international tourists and scientists.
Policy Background
An interdepartmental investigation (Ross Report 1961) into the importance of
South Africa's major mountain catchments informed the Mountain Catchment
Areas Act (MCAA, 1970). A significant recommendation was that the State
purchases and takes title from private landowners of all South Africa's
mountain catchment land. This was carried out for a number of years, but
abandoned due to cost and other priorities these acquisitions resulted in the
establishment of at least some additional protected areas in the mountains, yet
85% of all mountain land in South Africa remains in private or communal
ownership.
A government White Paper on Mountain Policy addressing mountains as a
separate land entity was produced in 1991 after various submissions and
workshops. This has subsequently become lost in the political turmoil of the
1990s. Through socio-ecological zoning it was envisaged that the then relatively
pristine mountain environments would be protected from inappropriate
utilization.
The new Municipal Demarcation Act (1998) and Municipal Structures Act (2000)
decrees that all land including mountains falls within the ambit of local
municipal structure plans, many of which don't currently exist. This means that
mountains are likely to fall prey to spot zoning. They are now merely an entity
to serve the economic needs of a local community - a non-holistic approach to
arguably the country's most important biome.
Specifically these acts have undermined conservation legislation and now the
construction and upgrading of roads on mountains can in many circumstances
fall outside the controls of EIA regulations. For example if a landowner wishes
to establish a tourist resort in the mountains the roads to the site are subject
to EIA. However, if a landowner is making a road for agricultural purposes such
as wild flower harvesting an EIA is not required. Landowners are using this
loophole to make poorly planned, poorly constructed and unmentioned roads
into important mountain catchments and wilderness areas. These roads are in
fact mostly being used for revenue creating tourism in recreational vehicles.
Socio-economic background
The current exploitation of Cape mountain environments is aggravated by
various factors:
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At the hub of the problem is that the majority of mountain land is
privately owned. Traditionally many farmers have considered their
mountain land as "waste land", have not developed a conservation ethic,
and are now being made aware of the economic value of this land for
agrotourism by agricultural authorities who are actively encouraging this
practice. Conservancies are being formed but many landowners have yet
to develop an ethic of stewardship over their mountain properties
(Blignaut 1993).
The unpredictable weather patterns, fluctuating agricultural produce
prices and the abandonment of government subsidies means that
landowners may need to augment their income.
Due to our undervalued currency, foreign tourists who appreciate our
natural environment and good infrastructure are coming in increasing
numbers. The unfavorable exchange rate is also keeping South Africans
in their country causing an increasing demand for recreational activities
in natural areas. All this creates a ready market for the mountain
environment entrepreneur.
In 2001 legislation was promulgated that severely curtails the use of
recreational vehicles on South Africa's coastline. This has immediately
begun to increase pressure for 4x4 trails in mountainous areas.
The exploitation syndrome is heightened by the insecurity of many
farmers. This is caused by the on-going murders of farmers in South
Africa by criminal elements, and the Zimbabwe racial land-grabs
scenario from their own citizens. The tendency is no longer to perceive
the farm as a long-term investment. This justifies short-term gain from
mountain resources.
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There is a lack of adequate funding by central government for effective
catchment and biodiversity management by the conservation authorities.
Consequently, they are attempting to augment their funds by developing
tourist infrastructure in their nature areas, including 4x4 roads in
protected mountains.
Effects of haphazard road construction in the Cape mountains
The Cape Mountains harbor very sensitive habitats with habitat-specific
and highly localized endemic plant and animal species. It is not unusual
to find species that are so extremely localized that all the individuals
are restricted to a single little seepage area, drainage line or small
patch. Any road activities into these mountains could wipe out an entire
species or easily destroy a significant part of the population of a rare
species, and without doubt will cause soil erosion.
- Dr Schutte-Vlok (ecologist)
Probably the most degrading feature of any mountain landscape is a poorly
planned, badly constructed, eroding and non-maintained road. Moreover,
vehicles do not stay on the ill-defined roads. Where they become steep and
rapid erosion occurs, they branch out in all directions substantially increasing
erosion and species destruction.
South Africa has received a substantial GEF grant to carry out the CAPE action
plan for the environment to conserve its exceptional floral biodiversity. The
clearing of invasive alien vegetation is a priority. Also the government is
spending huge sums on the internationally acclaimed Work for Water Program
clearing invasive alien vegetation out of the mountain catchments. Yet
simultaneously vehicles on these new tracks into the heartland of pristine
mountain land and catchments for essential water resources are transporting
seeds.
There is no control on the number of vehicles or people using these tracks on
private land into the source of our water supply. Consequently we can expect a
rapid deterioration in water purity from the accumulative effects of these
practices.
The Cape mountains do not possess a large wilderness core and no buffer
regions. A significant destructive influence of these mountain tracks is the loss
of the limited mountain wilderness. Wilderness is an optimal protective
environment for biodiversity the most sort after need of nature lovers, both
will be very adversely affected by vehicular access to these areas by noisy
picnickers, pollution and ruined landscapes.
Future Scenario
The Cape is fortunate to have sparsely populated pristine mountain areas with
extraordinary biodiversity and pure water. The picture could change adversely
in a few years. The question is whether the politicians appreciate what we
have and whether the relevant authorities will be able to act fast enough to
preserve this unique asset.
References
Ross Report (1961). Report of the interdepartmental committee on the
conservation of mountain catchments in South Africa. Department of
Agriculture and Technical Services. Pretoria.
Mountain Policy White Paper (1991). Proposals for a national policy and
strategy for the conservation and use of mountain areas in South Africa.
Department of Environment Affairs. Pretoria.
Work for Water Program (1995). Government action plan to eliminate alien
invasive vegetation in South Africa's mountain catchments. Department of
Water Affairs.
Cape Action Plan for the Environment (2000). A biodiversity strategy and
action
plan
for
the
Cape
Floral
Kingdom.
Trevor
Sandwith
[email protected]
Blignaut P.E. (1993). Proposals for a Land Heritage Trust for the Mountains.
South African Journal for Surveying and Mapping. August.
Blignaut P.E. (1995). Framework for a socio-ecological zoning management
policy for the conservation and sustainable use of the mountainous areas of
South Africa. PhD Thesis.
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Notes to readers
This paper is a case study on Tourism and the Conservation and Maintenance of
Biological and Cultural Diversity. A Mountain Forum e-consultation for the
UNEP/ Bishkek Global Mountain Summit. 23-28 April 2002.
The author may be reached at:
Peter E. Blignaut Ph. D.
Southern African Mountain Environment Consultancy
14 Kreupelbosch Way
Constantia 7806.
South Africa