Environment Minister Barbara Creecy says the work done by the Sea, Air and Mountain (SEAM) Special Operations’ Rangers is vital to not only safeguard visitors to the Table Mountain National Park, but also to protect the environment.
Creecy paid an inspection visit to the SEAM team at Newlands in Cape Town.
She says the latest criminal trend to poach unique succulents and other rare plant species in South Africa needs to be approached from various angles.
“When you deal with conservation issues, you always have to deal with the issue of how does the community benefit from conservation. And last week we had our Biodiversity Indaba; one of the things that we are doing is to try and build a legal trade in the succulent species, we’re cultivating them in nurseries. We want to involve the local communities and their local knowledge and we hope that if communities can benefit legally from biodiversity then they we will join hands with us in protecting the biodiversity in the wild,” says Creecy.
Table Mountain National Park | Protection of fauna and flora: Barbara Creecy
