Tag Archives: Knysna forests

History of the Overberg and Southern Cape forests (1795-2011)

Mike Hampton Posted on by

1795-1856 Summary of this period: Apart from purely nominal protection and conservation of a desultory kind, from the 1770’s until about 1856, the forests received practically no helpful attention. The timber taken from them was extracted in an unsystematic manner by any who chose to do so. Fire also did much damage locally (Phillips, 1963). During the first British occupation (1795-1803) Plettenberg Bay was also used as a source of wood. Johan Meeding was retained in his post as Post holder of the Plettenberg Bay VOC outpost. In 1797, B. … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

History of the Southern Cape forests (pre-modern to 1795)

Mike Hampton Posted on by

Pre-modern history The Outeniqua region was inhabited by the Khoi and San (Khoisan), who lived off the land for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. The extinct San (Bushmen) were semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. They occasionally visited the forests, but did not dwell in or exploit them. Groups of San hunters occasionally smoked animals out of the forests during hunts, and this could have been the cause of some forest fires in the past which possibly contributed to the fragmentation of the forests. The Khoi people were pastoralists and frequently … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

Impact of Humans & Environment on Forest Distribution in Southern Cape

Mike Hampton Posted on by

This is a summary/introduction to Ryno Joubert’s article ‘The Impact of Humans & Environment on Forest Distribution in the Southern Cape’. According to studies, forests are found in areas that receive annual rainfall ranging between 525 mm and 1220 mm. If you look at the southern Cape forests, it can be noted that there is no relationship between rainfall and the distribution of forests in the area. This suggests, to some people, that humans changed the area through over-exploitation. It has been suggested that much of the forested area from … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

History of the Southern Cape Forests

Mike Hampton Posted on by

Natures Valley, Tsitsikamma – photo public domain Paul Venter How can education exclude one’s home area? Unfortunately, it often does. Ryno Joubert’s history of Southern Cape forests should be taught in schools. The road to regulation, through woodcutters and colonialism, was tough, recognition.. Although Joubert’s research isn’t political, the reader would early note that many modern South African ‘leaders’ emphasis on black versus white’s right to the land is simply rhetoric at harsh expense to truth. The Khoi and San (Khoisan) occupied the Outeniqua region (Garden Route) for thousands of … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

Self-Drive Tour: Knysna Forests & History

Mike Hampton Posted on by

The Knysna forests managed by the South African National Parks as part of its Garden Route National Park (GRNP) make up around 42,000 hectares of land across the coastal stretch from George to Tsitsikamma in the East. The forests which were formerly managed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry include Farleigh, Diepwalle and Tsitsikamma are now managed under the GRNP for conservation. The forests were exploited prior to 1939 when the Government decided to close them to the woodcutters’ system. Between 1940 and 1964 the Government focused largely … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

Development of Black Forestry Contractors

Mike Hampton Posted on by

This is a very important and urgent matter because little or no transformation has been done in the forestry sector. These matters have also been highlighted at the Imbizo in Tsitsikamma. What channels should we follow to add action to the recommendation made? What type of support could we expect from Government? This sector is much untransformed. All the wealth and opportunities are still in the hands of the White minority except for Cape Pine that also has a long way to go with regards to transformation. This is a … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

What Happened to Forest Ownership?

Mike Hampton Posted on by

In 2000 Government took a decision to phase out 45 000ha of forests in the Western and Southern Cape Region. In 2007 the VCON report recommended that 25 000ha be replanted. In 2014, Louis Hale Consultants did a study and made some recommendations to Government. The findings and recommendations of that study are still unknown to date. A gap of 7 years exists between 2007 and 2014, irrespective of pleas and recommendations from within the Forestry Sector. Because there has been no replanting, there has been no growth of new … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

New Forest Community Rights Organisation

Mike Hampton Posted on by

The Western Cape Forestry Stakeholders Forum (WCFSF) arose out of the Southern Cape Social & Economic Development Forestry Forum (SCSEDFF) that was formed last year to address forestry issues. The main issues were human rights abuses in forestry communities like Brackenhill, Ruigtevlei & Karatara by organizations like PG Bison, SANParks & Cape Nature Conservation. SANParks has subsequently come to meetings and have addressed some of the issues. PG Bison and Cape Nature Conservation have refused to attend any meeting or to come to the party to address the issues. PG … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!