CapeNature celebrated Heritage Day on 24 September by taking conservation beyond its boundaries to the people of the Paarl and Wellington communities with the launch of an exciting new community initiative.

For many years communities have been at loggerheads with conservation authorities over the use of protected areas for ancestral and cultural purposes. CapeNature acknowledges the cultural and spiritual significance of our land and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the traditional healers and Rastafari of the Drakenstein Municipal Area.

The agreement stipulates these groups will have free access to the Limietberg Nature Reserve to perform cultural and spiritual ceremonies such as praying and fasting. As agreed by both parties, the arrangement is subject to conditions that will not compromise the integrity of the environment in any way.

In addition, the agreement does not provide blanket access but rather access to specific areas that have been identified by the parties. This agreement precludes the harvesting of indigenous plants, however, plans are underway for the establishment of an indigenous nursery in the community of Embekweni outside of Paarl.

This is a pilot project that CapeNature is looking to roll out into other protected areas under its management.

The Limietberg Nature Reserve is part of the Boland Mountain Complex, one of the eight, separate protected areas that make up the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) World Heritage Site. This site is unique in that it is a serial nomination (future protected areas may be added on) and it spans two provinces. The other protected areas are Baviaanskloof in the Eastern Cape, Table Mountain National Park, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Swartberg Mountain Complex and the Cederberg, Groot Winterhoek and Boosmansbos Wilderness Areas.

Sindiswa Mnukwa, representing the Traditional Healers of Paarl and Wellington, was very excited at the event on Saturday and said, “ We are pleased to have a relationship with CapeNature that allows us access to perform our cultural ceremonies. We are now free!”

Mr Daniel Bastiaan, who represented the Rastafari Herbal Council, also expressed gratitude at the partnership and added that we must instill in our young a respect for nature.

“This is one of the first tangible examples of CapeNature’s new vision to ensure that we provide the necessary access to all our reserves for local communities to celebrate their cultural and spiritual ceremonies” says Fanie Bekker, acting CEO of CapeNature. “We are also committed to ensure that the necessary platforms are established to allow for the sustainable utilisation of our natural resources within the framework of IUCN (World Conservation Union) regulations” he adds further. Bekker also believes that by making conservation relevant to the surrounding communities, we encourage the responsibility for co-managing these areas as well as instil a sense of ownership.

For more info call project manager: Mandisa Mdala
Tel: 021 850 5267
Cell: 082 490 9124
Email: mdalam@kingsley.co.za

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