co n s e r v i n g b iodiversit y
Plant a cedar tree for the future
The Cederberg Mountains are named after
the magnificent Clanwilliam Cedar that was
once abundant here, but which is now facing
possible extinction. The number of trees
has declined precipitously in the past two
centuries, mostly due to over-exploitation by
humans, but also, possibly, because of climate
change.
Since 2002 Bushmans Kloof has hosted an
annual Cedar Planting Event in partnership with
BotSoc and CapeNature. Seeds were planted
and transferred to Bushmans Kloof’s nursery
until large enough for planting out, and young
saplings were planted out by guests in a grove
on their reserve. Although the grove does
not fall within the natural distribution range
of the cedar, the purpose was to promote an
interest in cedar conservation by visitors to the
area. From 2006 the event has taken place at
Heuningvlei, a delightfully picturesque village
in the northern Cederberg. Last year, my first
time as a participant, the event was again held
at Heuningvlei and again, ably organized by
Jill Wagner, Marketing Manager of Bushmans
Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat. The
day’s activities involve the active participation
of the community of Heuningvlei, children
of the local Elizabethfontein Primary School,
Elandsfontein School and other schools, and
members of the public and local groups such
as BotSoc, the Cederberg Conservancy and
the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor
(GCBC). The road from the top of the Pakhuis
Pass to Heuningvlei was opened especially for
the event, and visitors took advantage of this,
arriving on foot, on bicycles and in a variety
of 4x4s.
After coffee and rusks, the enthusiastic
and capable Rika Du Plessis, Manager of the
Cederberg Wilderness Area for CapeNature,
guided everyone through the fun activities that
included planting wild-collected Clanwilliam
Cedar seeds for Bushmans Kloof to nurture in
their nursery and planting saplings in a grove
in the village. The highlight of the day’s events
(not counting the lunch) was the planting
Cedar Tree Planting Day 2009
Anyone wishing to attend this year’s Cedar Tree Planting
Day to be held on Saturday 23 May 2009, should
contact Jill Wagner at Jill@bushmanskloof.co.za, or tel
(021) 685 2598 or visit www.bushmanskloof.co.za. This
event is fun, free of charge, and planting a tree for the
future is not hard work at all!
8 VELD&FLORA | MARCH 2009
of mature cedar seedlings into the adjacent
Wilderness Area within the lower limit of the
cedar’s natural distribution. The CapeNature
team took GPS readings once we had chosen
a suitably protected spot for our sapling, and
they will regularly monitor the growth of these
precious plants. Since the first plantings in
2005, 27% of seedlings have survived at the
Heuningvlei plantings, which may seem low
but for unattended survival in the wild it is
quite promising.
So, underlying the fun and games there is
a serious objective. The 72 000 ha Cederberg
Wilderness Area is the meeting point of three
biomes – the Succulent Karoo, the Nama
Karoo and the Fynbos Biomes, making it a
centre of endemism with many unique plant
species. The Clanwilliam Cedar Widdringtonia
cederbergensis, for example, is found here
and nowhere else on earth. After centuries of
excessive harvesting and too-frequent fires,
these plants live on the edge of survival. If
the climate of this region becomes any drier,
they will become extinct. The nationwide
study on climate change, the South African
Country Study report*, recommends a number
of actions to limit the effect of climate change
on the region's plant diversity. One of these is
to undertake rescue efforts, and this is already
being done with the Clanwilliam Cedar, which
is being propagated and re-introduced into
the wild. It will be interesting to evaluate the
results in the years to come in order to see if
this is a viable course for future conservation
actions.
Caroline Voget, Editor
TOP: Seeds for the future. Children from Elizabethfontein
Primary School near Klawer with Jill Wagner, of Bushmans
Kloof (middle, left) and Rika du Plessis from CapeNature
(middle, right) holding the freshly sown cedar seeds that will
assist in efforts to save the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar
from extinction. Photo: Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve
& Retreat.
ABOVE CENTRE: Children from Elizabethfontein Primary School
with their newly planted cedar tree. The sapling was grown in
the Bushmans Kloof Nursery from wild-collected seeds.
Photo: C. Voget.
ABOVE: Local school children and visitors from as far as Cape
Town joined in the planting. Photo: C. Voget.
LEFT: Je-Maal Snyers and Reginald van Schalkwyk of
Elizabethfontein Primary School preparing to plant out a cedar
seedling into its natural habitat in the Cederberg Wilderness.
Their T shirts, proudly promoting the cedar tree as an icon
for conservation in the area, were sponsored by the Greater
Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor’s Small Project Fund**.
Photo: P. Mustart.
 the clanwilliam cedar: an icon for conser vat i o n

*The South African Country Study on Climate

Change (SACSCC) was initiated by South Africa's
National Climate Change Committee (NCCC),
funded by USAID as part of its international
Country Study program (http://www.usaid.
gov/our_work/environment/climate/index.
html). It involves South African scientists from a
wide range of disciplines in the issue of climate
change. For more information visit www.sanbi.
org/countrystudy/main.htm.

**The GCBC is a partnership-based initiative,

implemented by CapeNature that aims to
secure the conservation of globally significant
biodiversity in the Greater Cederberg
Region while ensuring benefits to people.
The area of over 1.8 million ha stretches
from Nieuwoudtville in the north to Groot
Winterhoek in the south, and from Elandsbaai
in the west to the Tankwa Karoo in the east, and
includes a mosaic of land-uses. The two major
corridors being developed are the Sandveld
Corridor and the Cederberg Corridor. The GCBC
strives to introduce people to sustainable ways
of using their land and the natural resources
of this region, specifically in the potato and
rooibos industries.

AcknowledgEments

Thanks to Penny Mustart, Ed February and Rika

du Plessis, all experts in this field, for advice and
information.

reading

Mustart, P.J. 2008. A Synthesis of Information on

Widdringtonia cedarbergensis (The Clanwilliam
Cedar). A Report of the Botanical Society of South
Africa. Essential reading!

Is climate change affecting the

Clanwilliam cedar?

Computer models predict that the effects of human-

induced climate change for the south Western Cape
will be drier and warmer conditions. Such changes
will lead to conditions that are no longer optimal
for many fynbos species such as the Clanwilliam
Cedar. The survival of the cedar is so closely coupled
to regular and reliable rainfall that any of these
predicted changes will push the species into
extinction. The recent drought of 2005 and 2006,
where rainfall was way below average and many
cedars died, may well be a precursor to many such
events in the future.
Ed February, Senior Lecturer, Botany Department,
University of Cape Town
TOP: The village of Heuningvlei in the heart of the Cederberg Wilderness Area.
ABOVE CENTRE: Abraham Ockhuis with one of the Heuningvlei community’s donkeys and carts. One can arrange a donkey cart
ride through the magnificent scenery from the Pakhuis Pass to Heuningvlei, and include an overnight stay in one of the newly
refurbished farmhouses here. Contact Abraham Ockhuis on 027 492 3252 or visit www.cedarberg-travel.com/south-africa/
cedarberg/wupperthal-trail-cederberg-heritage-route.
ABOVE: The endemic Clanwilliam Cedar, Widdringtonia cedarbergensis, grows in the Cederberg and surrounding mountains at
altitudes of between 800 m and 1 650 m. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red Data List, and has been short-listed in a global
inventory of 43 conifer species that are worthy of special conservation. They are normally 5 to 7 m tall, but occasionally, as with this
tree growing above Heuningvlei, they attain a height of 20 m.
RIGHT: Patrick Hanekom, a CapeNature field ranger at the Cederberg Wilderness Area, taking a GPS reading of a cedar tree planted
on the 2008 Cedar Planting Day. GPS readings of all planted trees are taken so that annual monitoring can be done to determine the
survival success of the trees planted during the project. Photos: C. Voget.

MARCH 2009 | VELD&FLORA 9