Cape Town - The City of Cape Town is planning on engaging with residents and businesses in baboon-affected areas to discuss sustainable proposals for the management of the baboon population.
This comes after SANParks, CapeNature and the City of Cape Town agreed to work together and engage other key role-players to initiate a sustainable approach for the management of the chacma baboon population in the Cape Peninsula.
The meetings will be online, and all residents, businesses, interest groups and affected parties are invited.
According to the City, the outcome of its meetings with residents, businesses and interested and affected parties will be presented to the joint task team consisting of SANParks, CapeNature, the City and other key role-players. The task team will then be responsible for the transition to a more sustainable approach, with the intention to have this in place, or in progress, by June 30, 2023.
In agreement with this, professor and principal investigator at UCT’s Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild) Justin O’Riain said that this engagement was long overdue and the same way political parties strive to educate voters on their goals, the same approach should be followed here.
“Public engagement by the City with communities concerning baboons is long overdue and the City is to be congratulated for taking this step. However, the road to improved human-wildlife relationships is a long one and missing key steps is unlikely to take us to get us to the intended destination.
“Step one in mitigating negative interactions between humans and wildlife is to first educate the affected community and only then seek their opinion on a preferred approach. Political parties strive to educate voters on their goals, policies and values and only then are they expected to vote. The same approach should be followed here if one is to get closer to outcomes that are in the best interests of both baboons and the community,” said O'Riain.
The City’s deputy mayor, Eddie Andrews, added that the success of the new approach will rely on the support and active participation of affected communities and residents,
“I encourage residents and interested parties to please attend these meetings. The more people participate in this process, the better the outcomes will be. The success of the new approach will rely on the support and active participation of affected communities and residents,” said Andrews.
The City will hold meetings with residents of various areas such as Kommetjie, Scarborough and Misty Cliffs between August 16 and September 22. More information can be found on the City’s website.