Authors: A Schoon, M Shroyer and F Hunziker
Abstract
The Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) is an NGO with objectives relating to the enjoyment and conservation of local mountain areas. It is a national federal body comprising 13 autonomous Sections distributed throughout South Africa, with a national central committee coordinating the Club's national operation. Key activities include mountaineering and rock-climbing, search and rescue, securing access to mountains, conservation and outreach. The MCSA has good linkages with national bodies such as UIAA Access and Conservation and Mountain Protection Commissions.
The MCSA's involvement in conservation of the mountain environment includes the following initiatives:
§ Watchdog function in terms of development proposals
and land-use changes in mountain areas in South Africa.
§ Environmental Management Plans for Club properties to protect the wilderness
qualities of properties and to educate members regarding environmentally-friendly
behaviour in mountains.
§ Environmental Management Systems (according to ISO 14001 EMS guidelines) for
sport-climbing and mountaineering in the Cape Peninsula National Park.
§ Ongoing conservation efforts to clear invasive alien vegetation and protea
atlassing.
§ Public participation regarding local, regional and national environmental
issues potentially affecting mountains and related communities.
The MCSA strongly supports initiatives to preserve
mountain wilderness areas.
A Schoon serves as National President of the Mountain Club of
South Africa, F Hunziker as National Hon Secretary and M Shroyer as Convenor
of the National Environment Subcommittee
The Western Cape Province of South Africa is blessed with great natural beauty. The rugged Cape Fold Mountains are attractive and impressive by any standards. It is perhaps not surprising therefore, that shortly before the turn of the previous century, some of the region's like-minded inhabitants, who displayed a natural desire to explore this mountain environment, decided to vest their activities with some degree of formality, and formed the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA). This occurred in 1891 and it is interesting to note that the formation of the MCSA took place at much the same time as other European mountaineering clubs, i.e. the same needs were being experienced elsewhere. The MCSA is in fact one of the oldest mountaineering clubs in the world.
Today the MCSA's membership has grown to over 4000 members in 13 autonomous Sections countrywide, with the largest concentration of members in the Western Cape. The Club operates as a federal body with a central organisation looking after its national and international interests. Due to its modest size, the Club makes use of only very limited professional help and relies largely on voluntary input from its members for its operation.
A fine distinction is drawn in so far as the MCSA is a 'mountain club' rather than purely a 'mountaineering club'. This broadens the perspective, allowing the Club to participate in most things to do with mountains. While mountaineering and climbing are, and always have been, the Club's core interests, it does also participate in many other mountain-related activities.
The objective of this paper is to briefly summarise the MCSA's range of activities, to describe its involvement in activities concerning conservation of the mountain environments in South Africa in greater detail and to highlight some typical issues that are relevant to them.
Like many other sporting bodies, the MCSA experienced a degree of isolation during the apartheid era, manifested in the difficulties experienced when climbing overseas, particularly in the greater ranges (eg Himalaya, Karakoram). There was also very limited contact with other mountaineering federations and the MCSA 'missed out' on very significant steps in the development of mountaineering and climbing that occurred then.
That changed quite dramatically in the early 1990's when the Royal Dutch Alpine Club and the British Mountaineering Council put the MCSA forward for membership of the World Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) and the MCSA was elected to that body.
With its membership of the UIAA and the changes that took place in South Africa's political fortunes, the international mountaineering community has gone out of its way to welcome the MCSA back into its ranks. In terms of mountaineering and climbing, this has been of immense benefit to the MCSA due to the opportunities that have been made available to its members. But a further benefit that was perhaps not at first evident, has been the benefit derived in terms of the contact, information and advice available through working with the UIAA's Commissions, which address specialised fields such as expeditions, training, medical matters, youth and safety, amongst others.
The MCSA is presently one of only two mountaineering federations on the African continent, which are members of the UIAA.
In order to give an overview of the full spectrum of activities in which the MCSA is involved, all its key activities are described here. These are expanded on only where they are relevant to the objective of this paper.
Mountaineering and Climbing
The MCSA has a proud record of mountaineering achievements from expeditions made to mountain ranges outside South Africa's borders. These include many important ascents of mountains in mountain ranges on the African, North and South American and Asian continents and elsewhere.
MCSA members have also extensively explored the mountains of the many mountain ranges inside South Africa. Most major first ascents of important mountains were made by Club members. Individual MCSA Sections organise frequent Club meets which vary in nature and difficulty from simple hikes to scrambling and kloofing (canyoning). The MCSA's KwaZulu-Natal Section has for 80 years organised an annual July (winter) Camp at various locations in the Drakensberg. Other MCSA national meets also provide opportunities for members from Sections around the country to climb and hike together. Besides all these organised meets, members organise many more of their own private excursions.
South Africa offers some of the best rock climbing opportunities to be found anywhere in the world and both traditional and sport climbing are major activities of MCSA Sections. In traditional rock climbing (generally on longer multi-pitch routes) the leader and other members of the climbing party are protected by clipping the climbing rope into temporary protection placed (in the form of slings, chocks and camming devices called 'friends') over rock projections and in suitable cracks as the climbers proceed, with all this equipment being removed when no longer required. In sport climbing the routes are generally shorter and steeper and protection is afforded by clipping the climbing rope into permanent pre-placed anchors drilled into the rock. Unique access and environmental issues relating to sport climbing are addressed elsewhere in this paper.
Whereas mountaineering and climbing are essentially non-competitive recreational activities, one of the more recent responsibilities that has devolved from the MCSA's membership of the UIAA, is the promotion of competition climbing - a competitive sport - in South Africa. Climbing competitions are held on artificial (often indoor) climbing walls and results are judged according to the difficulty of the pre-set routes and the competitors' achievements climbing them. A national ranking is established enabling South African climbers to compete in international competitions abroad.
Search and Rescue
In conjunction with other government bodies (eg police, airforce) and the statutory emergency services, the MCSA has over many years offered a highly effective voluntary mountain search and rescue service to provide assistance to hikers and climbers who get lost or suffer accidents in the mountains.
Training and Development
The MCSA recognises the importance of safety in mountaineering and climbing and has over the years provided training in mountain leadership and in mountaineering and climbing skills, both for its own members and for non-members. More recently it has taken the initiative in forming the South African Mountaineering Development and Training Trust (MDT), of which it is the chief patron, to formulate and apply training standards. The MDT is now recognised both by Government and the tourism industry as the relevant authority in this field. MDT standards are fully documented and are in the process of being incorporated into the standards set by the Government's qualification authority.
The MCSA subscribes to the UIAA ethic contained in its International Year of the Mountains 2002 Summit Charter (1), that everyone should be free to enjoy the natural mountain environment and that mountaineering and climbing contribute to the human spirit and to human endeavor, as freedom sports with human and social values. Therefore it is aware of the importance of providing opportunity to previously disadvantaged communities to use and enjoy South Africa's mountain environment in a safe and responsible manner. In order to introduce members of these communities to the mountain environment and to convey a message to them regarding the safety and responsibility aspects relating to going into the mountains, as well as the importance of protecting mountains, the larger MCSA Sections operate outreach programmes.
Access and Conservation
Probably the single most critical element determining the wellbeing of our Club's mountaineering and climbing activities in South Africa, is the question of maintaining access to the mountains and to other climbing areas (eg river and roadside crags, sea cliffs). Both at sectional and national level, enormous effort is put into ensuring that existing MCSA access arrangements are maintained and, where necessary, new ones are negotiated, where circumstances may change. The MCSA has over the years both negotiated access servitudes with landowners and purchased key properties to provide a guarantee of access in perpetuity in particularly important mountain areas.
Mountaineering federations around the world report similar experiences in this regard, continually having to monitor and, where necessary, take action to preserve their members' access to mountains and climbing crags. Access is inextricably linked to conservation of the mountain environment and the MCSA clearly recognises this when dealing with access issues. In an effort to assist its member federations, through the dissemination of information on access and conservation issues, the UIAA through its Access and Conservation Commission is compiling information from around the world on the current situation regarding access to mountains and climbing crags. This includes the legal status pertaining to access (and liability of the landowner) and particular access difficulties that exist, as well as the principal conservation issues affecting access. The MCSA has already contributed information to the Commission in the form of a State of the Nation Report (2) setting out the status in South Africa in this connection.
In order to retain the wilderness character of the mountain properties that it has purchased, the Club has applied a policy restricting the construction of permanent shelters (mountain huts) on them, encouraging its members to rather camp, where necessary making use of tents. Both on those few properties where shelters have been constructed and on properties without any such 'improvements', the MCSA strives to apply the same environmental principles that it would expect others to apply on similar land elsewhere.
In the case of the Club's largest Section in Cape Town, a detailed land management plan for the Club's properties is in the process of being drafted and implemented and it is intended that the same provision will ultimately be applied for all the Club's properties.
The MCSA endeavors to become involved as an interested and affected party for any development proposal in mountain areas. Where practically feasible in terms of its resources, it adopts a monitoring role on all forms of proposed development that may pose a threat to the mountain environment, from proposed projects like the Witterivier and Visgat dams in the Western Cape to the Mnweni cableway in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg to major development plans in the Magaliesberg. In the case of the Table Mountain cableway upgrade, the MCSA played a proactive role in the public participation process.
In terms of one of its prime objectives, the Club strives to initiate and support actions towards preserving and protecting the natural beauty and wilderness character of the mountains and towards promoting their effective conservation management.
The MCSA's specific goals in this regard are to :
· prevent pollution of mountain environments
· maintain biodiversity of mountain ecosystems
· promote the sustainable use of resources
· support integrated environmental management procedures for development proposals
or changes in land-use in mountain environments (this includes environmental
impact assessments and public participation)
· motivate its own members and the public to conduct all activities in the mountains
in an environmentally responsible way
· promote open communication on environmental issues within the MCSA and, where
appropriate, between the MCSA and other parties.
The MCSA has adopted and strives to apply the UIAA's Environmental Guidelines (3) in its various activities and actions. Club members serve as Corresponding Members on the Mountain Protection and Access and Conservation Commissions of the UIAA.
The MCSA places a high importance on the conservation of South Africa's mountain heritage. The Club's Cape Town Section initiated an active programme for the removal of invasive alien plant species in 1945 and has ever since steadfastly continued its work, more recently joined by other younger Sections, in this conservation effort.
Club members frequenting remote mountain areas have contributed significant effort to the recent Protea Atlassing Project in the country.
Increase in Number of Users
The number of people going into the mountains in South Africa is likely to rise dramatically. Although our mountains are presently not heavily used, they will become more so. An extreme example is the use of the Western Table on Table Mountain where tourist traffic has increased in a very short space of time. We should learn from other nations' experience how to manage these problems, though some of them are certainly unique to our situation.
One factor that may be unique to our situation is the likely transition in a large section of our country's population over a period of time from a survival lifestyle to one where people are relatively better off and will have the inclination and means to participate more in recreational activities.
The MCSA believes that education will be an important consideration in dealing with this increased interest - ie the importance of people appreciating and understanding the mountain environment and learning to conserve it, as well as being taught how to use it and enjoy it responsibly and safely. These are fundamental issues that the MCSA is already trying to address through its outreach programmes and will hopefully in the future be able to address through the proposed development side of the MDT.
Invasive Alien Plants
The effects of the invasion of alien plant species in our mountain vegetation have had a significant impact on some of South Africa's mountains. Members of our Club possibly appreciate more than any one else the extent of this problem, because they see at first hand how these alien infestations are taking hold in some of our remotest areas. While the MCSA and a few other concerned parties have for many years operated plant conservation programmes, actively participating in the eradication of alien plants in mountain environments, it is gratifying that there is now national recognition of the threat posed by alien vegetation in our water catchment areas and very encouraging that a concerted effort is being made to commence redressing this problem.
With the limited resources that are available it is going take a huge effort to make this project a success. It is important that available energies are used to best effect and we should ensure that expert knowledge available in bodies like the MCSA is put to best use. Too often we have seen a lot of time, effort and money put into clearing projects, which have been wasted through incorrect techniques being applied.
Developmental Impacts
Various forms of development have made a significant impact on the mountain environment. For example, there is a proliferation of communication structures in our mountains. In themselves these structures may have more of an aesthetic impact than anything else, but in cases where roads have been constructed to give access to the sites to facilitate building and maintaining the structures, there has often been severe environmental degradation. An example where this has happened is on Ben Heatlie near Worcester where an access road more than 20 km long has been built in extremely fragile terrain. The MCSA is running a project to compile information on existing communication sites in sensitive mountain environments in order to try to apply pressure to limit further degradation. Fortunately new environmental legislation is now in place to ensure that new structures of this nature may only be erected and other forms of development undertaken, after a proper environmental impact assessment has been done. But, it is still necessary to keep one's eyes open to see that the legislation is enforced.
Impacts of Users
An emotive issue relating to sport climbing, which is a comparatively recent development in rock climbing - and one that has increased immensely in popularity throughout the world over a very short time - is the fact that sport climbing relies on the placement of fixed protection on the climbs in the form of anchor bolts drilled and glued into the rock.
However, this is in fact a relatively insignificant impact in relation to the impact of access. Because most sport climbing areas are quite concentrated, ie there are many climbing routes in a small area, the impact on the vegetation caused by the climbers moving between the routes and reaching the climbing area can be far more serious. In the 1990's European climbing federations experienced major access problems with access to some of their climbing areas (specifically sport climbing areas) being completely closed down due to public pressure exerted on environmental grounds, partly for the reasons already set out here, but also due to possible disturbance of nesting birds (eg peregrine falcons) by climbers. Largely from concerted efforts made by the German Alpine Club (DAV) and the Swiss Alpine Club (CAS), many of these constraints have now been removed. Dialogue was initiated by these federations involving all parties concerned, so that the climbers aspirations and needs and the environmental groups' concerns could all be heard and understood and management plans appropriate for each particular area could be worked out and agreed.
This successful process resulted in an informative joint UIAA/IUCN seminar held in Barcelona in 1998, following which valuable guidelines titled 'Access and Conservation Strategies for Climbing Areas' (4) were published by the UIAA's Access and Conservation Working Group.
Building on this experience and the information flowing from it, the sport climbing community, supported by the MCSA, developed a management plan for sport climbing in the Cape Peninsula National Park (CPNP), that has now been accepted by South African National Parks and is being implemented via a Sport Climbing Working Group. It has been a very successful initiative and one that set new standards for recreational management in protected areas. The MCSA is in the process of drafting proposals for a similar management plan for mountaineering in the Cape Peninsula National Park.
There are very few wilderness areas set aside in South Africa, particularly when we consider wilderness areas in our mountains. The mountain wilderness areas that we do have and that are afforded an enhanced conservation status, must be recognised as being extremely precious and we should all do our utmost to ensure that these areas are preserved in a pristine condition for future generations.
There are other mountain areas that deserve recognition as wilderness areas too, but which are not afforded any special conservation status. Such areas, together with their present form of ownership and conservation status need to be defined and means sought to afford them with an enhanced conservation status, before the window of opportunity is lost.
In order to promote a better understanding of the
present conservation status of mountains in South Africa, the MCSA, together
with the World Wide Fund for Nature - South Africa (WWF-SA), sponsored a research
project conducted by one of its members, titled 'Establishing the Status of
Mountain Conservation in South Africa' (5). The purpose of the research was
:
· to provide an overview of the major mountain ranges in South Africa and their
conservation status
· to provide information about mountain communities living in them
· to provide a brief analysis of the policies, legislation and other "social
contracts" affecting their conservation status
· to highlight some of the key threats to mountain wilderness in South Africa.
The year 2002 offers South Africa a great opportunity to focus its peoples' attention on mountains through the UN International Year of the Mountains (IYM 2002). The MCSA has recognised the opportunity and has lobbied the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Valli Moosa, and his department at Central Government (MCSA Presentation to Biodiversity Working Group of MinMEC 19 October 2001 (6)), to set up a national IYM 2002 Committee to support and co-ordinate the country's efforts to make this event a big success, an action that the Government has already set in motion.
The MCSA will be liaising closely with this IYM 2002 Committee to promote a number of important national events that will take place during 2002. These will include the declaration of Mountain Protection Days over the weekend of 14 and 15 September 2002, when it is hoped that countrywide mountain conservation projects will be publicised nationally in the printed media and on television, and the organisation of a conference focussing on the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg mountains with the specific objective of contributing to the Protected Area and Parks Conference to be held in Durban in 2003. The Drakensberg conference, which will be supported by the UIAA as one of its international IYM 2002 projects, has exciting potential in view of the recent developments in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg - the declaration of the Drakensberg as a World Heritage Site and the formation of the Maluti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area.
In addition to the contribution that it will make on these projects, the MCSA is planning various other national events to celebrate IYM 2002, the most important of which will be :
· the publication of a book on the history of mountaineering
in South Africa
· application made to the Post Office for a commemorative stamp issue in South
Africa focussing specifically on mountains
· the production of an educational video on the mountains of South Africa, emphasising
their importance and the need to conserve them
· through partnerships with organisations like Working for Water and Ukuvuka
Firestop, undertaking special IYM 2002 projects (such as the high altitude clearing
of alien vegetation), to publicise work done towards conserving mountains
· the expansion of the Banff Festival of mountain films to a major national
event in South Africa.
The MCSA, although a relatively small mountaineering federation endeavors to play a role in the conservation of the mountains of South Africa and this paper outlines the actions it is taking in regard to some of the issues involved.
Membership of the UIAA, the World Mountaineering and Climbing Federation, has provided useful guidance in helping the MCSA to resolve some of the conservation issues it has faced. Many of the problems in South Africa are not unique and have been thought about and often successfully addressed by our international friends. We should draw on this experience where appropriate and use the support that they will willingly give us.
Similarly, organisations like the MCSA should strengthen partnerships with other NGO's to achieve common goals relating to mountain conservation.
More work is needed, particularly with regard to defining and taking action where mountain areas should be recognised as wilderness areas and afforded enhanced conservation status.
The International Year of the Mountains 2002 affords South Africa a great opportunity to highlight the importance of South Africa's mountains and the need to conserve them.
Bibliography
(1) Year of the Mountains 2002 - UIAA Summit Charter
(2) MCSA State of the Nation Report prepared for the UIAA Access and Conservation
Commission
(3) UIAA Environmental Guidelines
(4) UIAA/IUCN Access and Conservation Strategies for Climbing Areas
(5) Establishing the Status of Mountain Conservation in South Africa - a research
report prepared by M Shroyer for WWF-SA and the MCSA
(6) MCSA Presentation to Biodiversity Working Group of MinMEC 19 October 2001
MCSA Web Site : http://mcsa.org.za; UIAA Web Site : http://www.uiaa.ch