Wilderness resident Dr Arne Witt, an international co-ordinator of invasive species management at the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, writes:
This is an open letter to the Western Cape minister of infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, and the mayors of George Municipality (GM) and the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM).
Wilderness falls within the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve, which includes the Tsitsikamma, Goukamma and Robberg Marine protected areas, the Wilderness Lakes Ramsar Site, the Garden Route National Park (GRNP), the Nelson Bay Cave, the Langkloof Valley and St Francis and Jeffreys Bay.
The GRNP is an integral part of the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas World Heritage Site. The Cape Floral Region (CFR) is one of the world's six floral kingdoms, and the only one entirely contained within a single country.
1 736 plant species threatened
Incredibly, the CFR makes up less than 0.5% of the area of Africa, but is home to nearly 20% of the continent's plant species. Just under 70% of the estimated 9 000 plant species in the CFR are endemic - that means they occur nowhere else on Earth, which is why it has been identified as one the world's 35 biodiversity hotspots.
Sadly, 1 736 of these plant species are threatened and 3 087 species are of conservation concern. The main drivers of this biodiversity loss are climate change, habitat destruction and invasive alien species. We are facing what has been termed the sixth major extinction.
Wilderness is an integral part of the GRNP. Developments within Wilderness have a serious negative impact on the GRNP, especially those within the buffer zone. Many of these developments are unsustainable, having a significant negative impact on biodiversity. Surely the authorities can do more regarding adopting and endorsing mitigation measures proposed by SANParks, CapeNature and other interested and affected conservation bodies.
Yet many of these proposed interventions/suggestions are not considered by the authorities. Wilderness is treated like just another suburb of George, not part of a national park, and not part of a biosphere reserve. Every activity undertaken by the GM or GRDM, be it the construction or repairs to existing infrastructure, even vegetation clearing on roadsides or under powerlines, housing developments or whatever, should consider that Wilderness is part of a protected area, and due care needs to be taken to protect the integrity of the GRNP.
Irony of tourism marketing
Ironically, the authorities use the natural beauty of Wilderness and its associated biodiversity to attract investors and tourists. Tourism developments may attract tourists, but most contribute very little to nothing to biodiversity conservation.
The promotional video released by the GM prior to the December holidays in 2024 was great, with about 80% of it being devoted to its natural beauty. But what is the GM and GRDM investing in biodiversity conservation? What gains have we made in biodiversity conservation in the last 10 years?
What we have gained is significantly more development at the cost of conservation, and this when we are facing a global extinction crisis.
Don't destroy what makes this place special
We do not deny the fact that every landowner has a 'right' to develop his/her land, but at what cost? Surely the authorities can do more to ensure that developments make environmental protection a priority, not one where the intent is to appease the developers at almost any cost. Surely the GM can appoint more than one environmental officer to ensure the protection of the natural environment becomes a priority.
It is preposterous to consider that the biggest metropole in the Garden Route only has one environmental officer, when smaller municipalities have significantly more.
To many of us this demonstrates that environmental conservation is not high on the agenda of the GM. The GM can also do more to curb a myriad of illegal developments and issue transgressors with appropriate penalties, not just a little slap on the wrist.
C'mon, it is within your power to change the status quo. We have an opportunity to be part of something bigger, something magical, where biodiversity can flourish in and outside the GRNP.
Please don't destroy what makes this place special. We all have a responsibility to protect what we have and make Wilderness something really unique. It may be appropriate to remember that "when the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realise that you cannot eat money."
Read the authorities' and Simmers' comments online at www.georgeherald.com.
