We call on SANParks to urgently establish a dedicated 'Strategic Biodiversity Unit' for Table Mountain!

Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) is one of the natural wonders of the world and an incredibly precious piece of the surviving natural world. It is home to some of the very few remaining pockets of old-growth Afromontane forest in the Western Cape. Its importance in terms of biodiversity is almost unparalleled. 

But it is under huge pressure from unscrupulous poachers. Since 2019 there has been an exponential increase in bark stripping and other illegal harvesting of plants, with entire sections of Afromontane forest entering a state of collapse. Despite the occasional arrest, bark stripping and plant poaching continues unabated due to a lack of resources dedicated to the problem.

We applaud the great work being done by the existing SEAMS team. But the SEAMS team have a broad mandate that includes visitor safety and search and rescue operations. We call on SANParks to make the resources available and establish a dedicated 'Strategic Biodiversity Unit' to deal with the specific and complex problem of poaching of natural resources from TMNP.

TMNP is protected under the Protected Areas Act of 2003 and it is illegal to remove or harvest any plant or animal from TMNP - or any National Park in South Africa. Gathering of products from natural areas is a complex issue in South Africa. But it is having a devastating effect on the priceless national asset that is Table Mountain, which belongs to future generations of South Africans.

What is needed is a dedicated and specific unit within the SANParks structures that is focused not only on enforcing the anti-poaching laws, but also on engaging and educating the communities and end-users of these products.

Please sign to show your support, make your voice heard, and to demand that SANParks takes action to save what is left!