The community of Heuningvlei takes pride in an annual conservation event, which has seen some 2 000 Clanwilliam cedar trees planted over the past 15 years.
The 4x4 route to the remote village of Heuningvlei is opened once a year, when CapeNature banners indicate the turnoff into the wilds from the top of the Pakhuis Pass. The 12-kilometre route on a stony track through rugged scenery takes the better part of an hour. On a donkey cart, the traditional mode of transport in the Cederberg Wilderness Area, the trail takes two and a half hours.
En route, mountain fynbos proliferates. This is a World Heritage Site, about three hours from Cape Town, and home to the laurel protea, the red disa, rooibos and the rare snow protea as well as the Red Datalisted Clanwilliam cedar tree. A vital part of the Cederberg region’s biodiversity, the species, which grows nowhere else, is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
This story is from the Spring 2017 edition of Wild Magazine.
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This story is from the Spring 2017 edition of Wild Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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