Last Knysna Elephant Trumpets the Alarm in South Africa
12/7/97
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Headline: Last Knysna Elephant Trumpets the Alarm in South Africa
Source: Earth Times News Service
Date: 12/7/97
Author: Marion Whitehead
Copyright 1997: The Earth Times All rights reserved.
JOHANNESBURG--In a race against time, environmentalists are
engaged in a desperate bid to save a significant portion of
South Africa's scarce indigenous forest for conservation.
The magnificent 2 800 hectare portion of the Knysna forest
has been owned by the same family for over 100 years -- but
now they are selling and this prime property could fall into
the hands of developers.
"One doesn't have too many opportunities to 'purchase' a
patch of Afromontane indigenous forest in an arid country,"
says Dr Rob Little, director of conservation at the World
Wide Fund for Nature in South Africa which has thrown its
weight behind the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's
efforts to secure the forest for conservation, and will seek
international sponsorship for the project.
This forest is also home to the last Knysna forest elephant
in South Africa. Some 200 years ago great herds of elephants
roamed the coastal plateau of the Southern Cape in South Africa.
The arrival of gun-toting white settlers forced the savannah
browsing pachyderms to retreat into the forests around Knysna
for sanctuary. Hunting and poor nutrition led to a decline in
their numbers over the years.
Conservationists are resigned to the fact that when the last
old cow elephant dies, a unique piece of South Africa's
heritage will die with her. However, her situation sounds a
strident warning note as big mammals are always the first
casualty when an environment comes under threat.
Now the very forests which provided sanctuary to the Knysna
elephants are at stake. At the heart of the old elephant's
home range lies the largest single block of privately owned
high canopy indigenous forest in South Africa. With local
land prices soaring, there is a very real danger that it
could fall into the hands of a private developer wanting to
cash in on the tourism boom along this section of the Southern
Cape coast.
Only 0.2% of South Africa is forest, so this 2 800 hectares
of forest -- made up of four properties adjacent to the
magnificent Diepwalle State Forest -- is a significant
portion of South Africa's forests, points out Theo Stehle in
the Knysna office of the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry (DWAF).
"The possibility that these valuable areas of forest may come
into the possession of property developers with massive
investment capital at their disposal, especially those from
overseas, for developments that could pose a severe threat to
the integrity of this high quality environment, is very real
and should be taken into account," says Stehle.
DWAF wants to buy the land, but has been unable to raise the
funds from a government whose main priorities are housing,
education and health services for its previously
disadvantaged population.
Meantime, a private buyer has come forward. George Parkes, a
spokesperson for the owners, Geo. Parkes & Sons, declines to
discuss the matter with the media, and denies the forest is
on the market.
However, it is no secret amongst the townsfolk that the
Parkes want to sell their forest, and that a private buyer
has come forward. Basil Michaelides, Parkes' financial
advisor, would not reveal the identity of the buyer, but said
that negotiations were under way and he expected that they
would be concluded in about a month's time.
Stehle, however, remains hopeful that the current bidder will
not want the whole 2 800 hectare forest. Only 17% of the
forest is pine and gum plantation and has direct economic
value. The remainder is indigenous forest which is not very
economical as only very low key exploitation of the timber is
allowed.
"This is a unique opportunity to acquire a large portion of
high quality, well-preserved and well-managed private
indigenous forest for the conservation and consolidation of
the core of the largest single compact tract of closed canopy
indigenous high forest in South Africa, if not Southern
Africa," points out Stehle.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has agreed to help DWAF
in raising the multi-million rand figure needed to buy the
forest.
The indigenous forest is in excellent condition. For the last
18 years DWAF has guided the scientific management of the 2
800 hectares of prime Afromontane forest, and it has enjoye
protected status since 1974. The conservation conscious
Parkes family, which has owned the forest for over 100 years,
has voluntarily co-operated with DWAF and very little
exploitation has taken place in the last 50 years.
This protected status would not alter with a change in
ownership, but has little conservation significance as it is
dependent on the goodwill of the owner of the property. If
the new owner invoked the patrimonial loss clause in the
Forestry Act, the State would be obliged to pay him out for
the timber assets on the property, or allow him to utilise
the timber, alternatively fell it for development. In a
previous patrimonial loss application in the Knysna area, the
State was unwilling to pay out, and the owner was then free
to remove the indigenous forest.
The Parkes family has generally been favourably disposed
towards DWAF, and gave the conservation authority time to
raise funds. Initially, government funding of the purchase
looked promising, but later fell through.
Most local townsfolk -- many retired -- are fiercely
protective of the forests which are part of the character and
charm of the Knysna area. Inhabitants of the informal
settlements on the hillsides above Knysna, however, want to
see concrete benefits -- like more jobs -- being derived from
these resources for the region whose economy relies heavily
on timber and tourism.
Stehle, who is district forest manager of the indigenous DWAF
forests in the Southern Cape, says that apart from being a
valuable national asset of international importance, the
Parkes forest could be a major eco-tourist attraction -- if
limited development is sensitively handled.
Last year some 40 000 tourists visited the Diepwalle State
forests over the peak season from mid-December to mid-January
to hike, picnic, sightsee and mountain bike.
Now environmentalists are worried that the very beauty that
attracts people to the area will be its downfall.
"Once these plants and animals are destroyed, they are gone
forever and along with them will go Knysna's credibility as a
tourist centre," warns local landscape architect Di Grant who
is also a committee member of the Garden Route branch of the
Botanical Society.
She adds that local councils do not have the capacity to
review and enforce the findings of environmental impact
assessments which developers are obliged to carry out, so
that recommended design changes are often not made to
projects.
"We are not against development -- just development at all
costs. Appropriate and sensitive development is essential in
the Southern Cape where our major asset is our natural
environment."
Dr Rob Little, director of conservation at WWF in South
Africa, said his organisation would seek sponsorship funding
internationally through the WWF Network as the amount needed
was too large to raise in the current funding climate in
South Africa.
"The Parkes forest is definitely a conservation priority," he
said.
Meantime the old Knysna elephant cow remains unaware of the
possible threat to her habitat. Last week her lonely tracks
were spotted in the southern section of the Parkes forest --
a place she has regarded as her own all her life.