Africa Wild

Resource Use Management Areas – Terrestrial: Certain terrestrial areas within the GRNP have been identified for resource use. These areas are mainly located in the Indigenous Forest Areas and Mountain Fynbos areas where historical resource use has taken place. The products identified for resource use include timber; ferns; and certain fynbos species. Additional products are currently being assessed for resource use. These products include species to be harvested for medicinal purposes.
Management Plan, p. 37

Harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs)
This programme entails the commercial harvesting of NTFPs, as well as access for domestic use. Currently this includes the harvesting of seven weeks fern (Rumohra adiantiformis) and coral fern (Gleichenia polypodioides) for florist greenery, medicinal plant products (e.g. the corm of Bulbine latifolia), and the collection of firewood. The forest management and zonation system provides for expansion to other products and species, should the need be identified, but subject to principles of sustainability. Resource use needs and potential already identified, include a range of medicinal plants species (forest and fynbos), the commercial harvesting of fynbos species for the florist market, and products such as tree seedlings for tree nurseries, timber off-cuts for carving wood turning, and medicinal tree bark as by-products from timber harvesting areas. Applications from stakeholders for the harvesting of plant products will be assessed objectively in terms of viability and compatibility with other park management objectives. Where resource use is allowed, harvest systems and monitoring programmes will be developed to ensure sustainability.

Harvesting of seven-weeks fern (Rumohra adiantiformis)
Dense and medium-dense populations of seven-weeks fern, largely in moist and medium-moist High Forest, have been identified and mapped for commercial
harvesting of fern fronds. The right for commercial ferns harvesting in the park is put out on open tender. Fern picking by the successful bidder and his harvest team, takes place under strict control by forest guards. Harvest prescriptions to ensure sustainability have been developed over more than a decade, through an adaptive management approach. Only 50% of pickable fronds, defined as “a normally shaped mature fern leaf, longer than 250 mm, measured from the base of the leaf to the apex of the leaf, with not more than 10% of the surface of the leaf damaged through discolouration, wilting or any other defect” is harvested on a 15 month harvest cycle. Accurate records are kept of the number of fern fronds harvested from the different fern picking areas.
An intensive monitoring programme is in place to ensure that harvesters abide by the harvest prescriptions, as well as to assess harvest impact on the resource. Forest guards accompanying the harvest team conduct daily monitoring as described in the guidelines for daily monitoring, to monitor for over- and underpicking and obtain data on the health of the remaining population (frond size, fronds per plant, presence of spores, etc.). In addition, monitoring is also conducted in permanent plots in undisturbed fern populations outside picking areas, to assess long-term trends in population dynamics and to serve as a control to harvest areas.

Harvesting of coral fern (Gleichenia polypodioides)
Coral fern often forms dense mats in fynbos and plantations, especially in moist sites and areas not exposed to the normal fynbos fire regime, and pose a major management problem in some areas. It sometimes also invades disturbed forest areas (especially after fire) as part of the natural forest succession process following disturbance. The species, however, is also in demand for florist greenery. Suitable areas for the harvesting of the species have been identified and are indicated on management maps. As plants growing in direct sun are not suitable for harvesting (leaves easily wilt), only populations growing in shade or are partially shaded were mapped. Considering the dense impenetrable mats that the species form, and that only single leaves are harvested, harvest impact would be minimal and no detailed harvest prescriptions to ensure sustainability are considered necessary. Detail records of fern leaves harvested are, however, kept to monitor long-term yield from harvest areas.

Harvesting of medicinal plants
A range of fynbos and forest plant species used for medicinal purposes, are found within the boundaries of the Garden Route National Parks and the demand for
access to these resources is growing. This entails whole plant harvesting and the harvesting of certain plant parts from a range of species. Currently only Bulbine latifolia is harvested under controlled conditions from the wild, while initiatives were also taken to develop a medicinal plant garden to reduce pressure on natural populations. Applications for the harvesting of a range of medicinal plant species were received and are under consideration.

Other products
Other resource use activities taking place within the Garden Route National Park, include, for example the controlled harvesting of firewood, while a bee-farming project in fynbos areas has also been initiated, in consultation with stakeholders. New applications for resource use would be subject to a formal process of objectively scrutinising the feasibility and viability of projects.