Forest conservation in South Africa

From 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck landed in the Cape, until the 1880s, the forests and the wildlife they supported were stripped down in much the same way as those in the United States or Australia, with little thought given to the sustainability.

When setting up the Cape Dutch colony in 1652, around Table Bay, Jan van Riebeeck found a forest of tall trees inland (six miles away) so difficult to exploit that he agreed it would be easier to bring in from Amsterdam or Batavia.

In the time of Simon van der Stel, they were already in such a state of depletion that three farmer-sawyers were appointed to be able to maintain and exploit the forest.

An improved road between Swellendam and George sees ever-increasing numbers of settlers and adventurers eager to take part in the timber boom.

The perception is that of an unlimited resource, leading to excessively wasteful practices where only wood of suitable quality and size are chosen and taken away, and the majority of cut trees are simply left to rot.

As a result, Johann Fredrick Meeding was made resident at Plettenberg Bay with the aim of establishing some form of control over the cuts.

At the mouth of the Knysna, the Briton George Rex, aware of the enormous commercial potential of the region, bought around 1804 the Melkhoutkraal farm, created around 1770 by the colonial government.

In 1831, a new brig of 139 tons Knysna was built by Rex almost entirely in Stinkwood (Ocotea bullata)[4] (the slipway itself is of the same essence[5]) and sails through the Heads with its first cargo of timber bound for Table Bay in Cape Town.

Timber extraction by the Royal Navy to meet the needs of the Simon's Town shipyard is an additional burden on forests, a situation that lasts until 1825 when iron will be increasingly used in shipbuilding.

Of the remaining forest, only a narrow strip, stretching between the Keurbooms and Kaaimans rivers, is under state control, and the local magistrate issues felling permits to loggers with the aim of collecting as much income as possible.

The second Conservator of Forests was appointed at this time, a retired army officer, Captain Christopher Harison, a man with no forestry training but with remarkable aptitude for his new career.

He has become familiar with European forestry and adopted the practice of sectional logging which leads to better control and a considerable reduction in waste.

Colonial botanist Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Pappe issues dire warnings of the extent of the destruction and becomes another voice supporting the growing climate favorable to forest conservation.