Cape Town - While wandering through a relatively unknown section of the Tokai picnic site, the “Majestic Trees of Southern Africa” group came across one of the most remarkable groves it had seen in Cape Town at the back of a site which was in a worrying state of neglect.
The group believes SANParks has failed to manage the assets of the picnic site appropriately.
Founder Alex Aitkenhead said, “SANParks - Table Mountain National Park, have totally neglected this back section and only maintained the very poor front Pine Tree Forest section as it probably needs very little attention.
“The beautiful back forest section have wonderful but dilapidated old picnic sites with the most majestic and magnificent trees.”
During a discourse on this, Parkscape revealed that in 2018 SANParks ringbarked and poisoned about 150 trees in the section which was now “infested with invasives”, posing a fire risk given the volume of dead trees.
Parkscape founder Nicky Schmidt said the most northern section of the picnic site was planted up approximately 40 or 50 years ago by a local forester to see what species, other than pines and gums, would grow in the area.
The forester planted a mix of indigenous species and non invasive species.
“It is a beautiful grove and very little visited, with most picnickers using the area closest to the main entrance gate. In 2018, a section of the grove, which falls just outside the picnic area near the old thatched cottage on Orpen Road, was ringbarked and poisoned by SANParks - about 150 trees were killed,” Schmidt said.
The Majestic Trees of Southern Africa group said this was shameful, and the whole Tokai Arboretum was going the same way, if it was any indication of how SANParks managed the country’s environmental assets.
SANParks spokesperson Lauren Howard-Clayton said, “We accept that some people may have a specific interest in the back section of the Tokai picnic site. We will look into the state of this area but also invite interest groups to partner with SANParks in managing the assets of the picnic site appropriately.”
In respect of concerns about the state of the plantation, including the picnic site, SANParks said it appreciated the vigilance and support from interest groups and the public.
“We encourage the public to continue to report their concerns to TMNP Management so that interventions can be initiated timeously,” Howard-Clayton said.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za