“What I am hearing is that SANParks (South African National Parks) is not coming to the party. It is what the researchers are saying and it is what many of you are saying. I have no idea why not but I am here now and SANParks is going to be at the party. Finish and klaar.”
Cheers and applause followed this statement made by Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy at last week’s roundtable discussion on baboon management.
As the officiator of the discussion held on Tuesday 7 June, Creecy had her hands full as the anger, disappointment and frustration expressed by the affected parties and stakeholders present threatened to boil over.
Organised by SANParks, together with Cape Nature and the City of Cape Town, the purpose of the discussion was to bring parties together “for an open but constructive conversation about sustainable solutions to baboon management in Table Mountain National Park and the City of Cape Town”.
Addressing the elephant, or in this case baboon, in the room, Creecy acknowledged the exasperation voiced by various stakeholders.
“There is frustration from different perspectives. That this problem has been allowed to fester. In a way that is causing vexation to residents, but also causing vexation to those of you who have particular perspectives about how a human-wildlife conflict should be managed.”
She shared that a technical meeting was held the previous day (Monday 6 June) between the three conservation and management authorities and that it was agreed that a joint team would be established to navigate the way forward.
“The second thing that was agreed yesterday is that we have got to develop a sustainable programme and that the first management meeting will take place in two weeks … there’s a commitment from all three of us that we are going to work together,” said Creecy.
She said that in putting together this sustainable programme, the three parties wanted to ensure that all the different perspectives were taken into account, hence the roundtable discussion.
“We are going to take responsibility and we are going to work together to take responsibility. But the content of how we are going to do that has got to be shaped by you because your different perceptions about how this should be done is what is pulling us in different directions.”
Going by what was said, it seemed that the first order of business would be to agree on a common set of principles informed by scientific information on baboon management.
“So that we say under normal circumstances, A, B and C is going to happen and when that goes wrong this is what is going to happen. And then we are not running around pointing fingers at each other.”
The “each other” – SANParks, the City and Cape Nature – responded by all pledging their commitment to being part of the collaboration although specifics were thin on the ground.
Off the bat, Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews allayed concerns that the City was withdrawing from the urban baboon management programme. In April, it was reported that the City was set to abandon its urban baboon management programme in July next year, with an elected representative conceding the programme “hasn’t worked” and that “baboon management is not the mandate of the City”.
Andrews said the programme in its current form was not sustainable and that it was “not necessarily that the programme had been terminated as with effect”.
“The desired outcome is to transition to a more sustainable programme. I think that should be the focus and that is what we are saying here today. We are absolutely committed to perform whatever obligation we have as a property owner, as a municipality, public works. The desired outcome is that by then end of 30 June 2023 to have a sustainable programme ready for implementation.”
He added that first this needed to be agreed on before the roles and responsibilities, “depending on who was in the room” could be fleshed out.
According to Dr Luthando Dziba, Managing Executive for conservation, SANParks, the task team – besides “working with partners towards a meaningful sustainable solution” – would be consulting with experts in the field.
“They have done a lot of work in this area to ensure that we use evidence-based approaches to basically develop a plan. We are going to need to innovate and I think (see) what works, and we need to be quite responsible,” said Dziba.
Ernst Baard, Executive Director: conservation operations: Cape Nature, said that, as a regulating authority in the management of the baboon population, Cape Nature has always advocated for an integrated approach to baboon management.
“And that is why my office tried to call together the different parties, in terms of when we had to have discussions about management integration and some of the outcomes. Just to confirm, Cape Nature is in it as well. As a lot of councillors have said, we also have skin in the game – we are there to play our role,” said Baard.
