Fire At Redhill Contained, Hiking Trails Closed
Cape Town, SANParks - The Fire Management team at Table Mountain National Park has contained a fire that affected Redhill in the Southern Section of t...
The work of the Cape Peninsula Baboon Joint Task Team (JTT) is mandated with drafting a Baboon Strategic Management Plan of Chacma Baboons in the Cape Peninsula, continued in earnest at a full-day meeting on Friday, 11 November 2022. The meeting was hosted by SANParks and attended by senior staff of SANParks, CapeNature and the City of Cape Town. Read below:
At this meeting, the draft proposed Memorandum of Agreement, or MoA, between the three parties, was reviewed. The revised draft MoA will be circulated to each member of the Task Team next week for further review and legal checks.
In addition, the draft Baboon Strategic Management Plan (BSMP) was further workshopped at Friday’s meeting. Despite the huge efforts of each of the parties, the JTT reports that the BSMP is behind schedule. Regardless, the JTT is committed to publishing the draft BSMP for stakeholder comment before the end of the year. Extra time will be allowed in 2023 to ensure that all stakeholders have sufficient time to submit their input, and the JTT will host a stakeholder workshop in 2023 to discuss and receive stakeholder comments.
SANParks Managing Executive of Conservation Services, Dr Luthando Dziba, said: “For SANParks, it has always been more than co-management of the species. It is about the future of our biodiversity management, so we may yield good results that will ensure a long-lasting future of our natural heritage.”
CapeNature’s Executive Director, Conservation Operations, Dr Ernst Baard, added: “CapeNature continues to participate in the Joint Task Team’s deliberations on the Baboon Strategic Management Plan and looks forward to finding lasting and sustainable solutions for the Cape Peninsula baboon population.”
“Everyone on the Joint Task Team has been working flat out to meet the November deadline, but this is unfortunately no longer within reach. Nevertheless, the City and its partners, SANParks and CapeNature, remain committed to the preparation and publication of a draft Baboon Strategic Management Plan for stakeholder comment before the end of the year with the aim of finalising the plan before 30 June 2023. The intention is to transition to a more sustainable programme in the interest of the Chacma Baboon population and residents who live in areas adjacent to baboons’ natural habitat,” said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
Furthermore, the Cape Peninsula Joint Baboon Operational Team (CPJBOT) represented by SANParks, CapeNature and the City of Cape Town met on Tuesday, 15 November 2022, to discuss the CT2 troop who moved across Constantia Nek some time ago. It was acknowledged that it is practically difficult to translocate a whole troop; there are currently no options for relocation on the Cape Peninsula, and it appears that there is currently no sanctuary that would be able to accommodate these baboons. As a result, it was decided not to translocate this troop. The CPJBOT discussed and welcomes assistance from community volunteer groups. These groups are encouraged to approach CapeNature for assistance with permits should one be required. Volunteers are kindly requested to keep a safe distance to avoid habituation of the baboons, comply with City traffic laws and never feed any baboon. The decision not to relocate the troop will be continually reviewed as the situation changes in future and the Baboon Strategic Management Plan is approved.
The Joint Task Team will make a public announcement once the draft Baboon Strategic Management Plan is ready for public participation.
Media Office, City of Cape Town
Media enquiries:
Lauren Howard Clayton
Regional Communications Manager: SANParks – Cape Region
Email: [email protected], Cell: 0711155843
Petro van Rhyn
General Manager: Advocacy, CapeNature
Email: [email protected], Cell: 087 087 9262/082 814 3559
Letitia Mathieson
Executive Support Officer to the Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment
Tel: 021 400 4836 or Cell: 084 4377 249, Email: [email protected] (Please always copy [email protected])