Download sustainable-use-of-natural-resources-1

Biodiversity incorporates all the building
blocks of nature such as plants, animals, soil,
rocks, mountains, rivers and wetlands. When
one of these aspects is disturbed it impacts
on the Cederberg’s rich plant life.
• The region
incorporates the
Cederberg Wilderness
(a World Heritage site)
as well as private and
communal land.
• The Cape Floristic Kingdom, of which
the Cederberg region is part, is home
to 9000 indigenous plants
• Many of these plant species do not
occur anywhere else in the world.
• It is of international importance that
these species are sustainably uitilised.
• The region, in which people live and
work, is part of the Cederberg
Biodiversity Corridor which promotes
sustainable utilisation of a living
landscape.
WHY should
we harvest
sustainably?
• Prevention of resource
extinction – Too frequent
harvesting will cause the local
extinction of a plant or even a
whole population.
• Maintenance of adequate
seed reserves – When all its
leaves and flowers are removed,
a plant is sensitive to drought,
heat and frost and it cannot
grow optimally. This causes
seed production to diminish.
Sustainable harvesting ensures
that seed banks are maintained
and that new seedlings are
produced to ensure a further
round of harvesting.
• Sustained financial
benefits – Sustainable harvesting (of normal quantities
and at the right times) ensures
that enough plant material is
available for the next season,
ensuring sustained income.
Nature’s building blocks are destroyed by
development, invasive plants, illegal harvesting,
poor harvesting techniques and too frequent
fires.
Plants such as round-leaved buchu (Agathosma
betulina), flowers and rooibos tea are harvested
by landowners and communities.
Because these resources offer substantial
economic, medicinal and cosmetic value, it is
important to practise sustainable harvesting so
these plants are available in the future.
ABC’s of sustainable harvesting
Protect the natural
habitat
If a plant’s habitat is destroyed, it
will disappear from the ecosystem.
Harvesting season
Ensure that you harvest at the right
time of the year.
Protect seed banks
Without seed, populations cannot
rejuvenate. Ensure that enough seed
remains.
Determine harvesting
limits
Plants can withstand the harvesting
of a certain amount of material.
Determine the intensity, season and
frequency of harvesting well in
advance.
Protect pollinators
and ants
Protect pollinators and ants from
the indiscriminate use of pesticides.
Prevent erosion
Because all seed reserves are stored
in the top layer of soil, it is necessary
to protect this layer from erosion.
Fire
Fire is necessary for the preservation
of fynbos plants. It is therefore
important that the frequency, season
and intensity of fires does not
negatively influence the existence
of this resource.
Invasive plants
These plants impact on the
availability of resources, changing
the occurrence of fires and causing
erosion. Precautionary measures
must be taken to control invasive
plants.
Corridors and
connections between
areas
Retain natural corridors between
land areas so that pollinators and
seed distributors can move around
freely.
HOW SUSTAINABLE IS YOUR HARVESTING METHOD?
METHOD
DESCRIPTION
SUSTAINABLE
UNSUSTAINABLE
REASON
TOTAL HARVEST
All available material is harvested
without consideration for the
future harvest of the same plant.
The individual plant is
removed completely.
MAXIMUM HARVEST
All available material is harvested,
but the regrowth of the plant is
considered important for future
harvesting of the same plant.
Issues such as the
restocking of seed
banks are not considered.
RANDOM HARVEST
No limits are set for maximum
or minimum harvesting.
Depends on how often, in
what quantities and how
many plants are harvested
OPTIMAL HARVEST
A set percentage eg. 35% of
available plant material
is harvested, leaving the rest.
Allows for continued
pollinator/plant relations,
restocks, seedbanks, etc.
SYSTEMATIC,
RANDOMLYSAMPLED HARVEST
A set percentage, not more than
35%, of the available material is
harvested from a selected area.
Ensures sustainability of
habitat and biodiversity
as disturbance is reduced.
YOU CAN HARVEST BUCHU SUSTAINABLY
Harvest limits
The buchu industry recommends a three year
cycle for harvesting in natural areas.
The best time for harvesting is during late
summer (March to April) as the oil quality
decreases between September and December.
Harvest rotation
The available harvest area is divided into
three zones that are harvested consecutively.
Each zone is harvested for a year
and then allowed to grow and
produce seeds for two years.
The second harvest (three years
after the first harvest) takes place
only after the seeds have been
produced and distributed.
METHODS
• Sickles are traditionally
used but these damage
young plants so garden
shears are recommended.
• Take care not to pull the
plant out roots and all.
• Shrubs that are three to
four years old can be
clipped to just above
ground level.
• Avoid trampling or
disturbing the area
around specific buchu
plants
Buchu - start a plantation rather than harvesting it in nature
The demand for buchu harvested from
natural areas increases by the day and
exceeds the amount that is available for
sustainable production. The plant’s high
economic value leads to an increase in
uncontrolled harvesting and the theft of
plants from their natural environment.
Buchu is being harvested too often and
illegally. Seed and plant material are
becoming increasingly scarce as the plant
decreases in its natural environment.
Hence, it is becoming necessary to set up
buchu plantations that will ensure a stable
future income and give natural stands the
opportunity to recover. Plantations take four
to six years to become established.
SEED HARVESTING METHODS
Pick by hand
Ripe seed capsules can be picked by hand two
to three times a week. The harvested capsules
must be stored in a bag in a cool, dry place.
The seed quality is not very high and
germination is seldom more than 50%.
Create a plant bag
Use bags made of material and tie
to the stem of the plant near ground
level. This is done after the flowers
have bloomed and the seed capsules
have started to form. The bags are
removed once all the adult seeds
have been released from the capsules.
The germination percentage for this
method stands at around 80%.