Hot Winds and Fire in Tstsikamma

Weeks of hot dry berg winds have dried out the Tsitsikamma vegetation and fire has broken free from the Marine Land Golf Development above Tsitsikamma National Park.
The fire started at approximately 14:30 on Monday afternoon and spread rapidly with the strong westerly berg winds.
Reports have been that the fire threatens large parts on the coastal Tsitsikamma National Park. And surrounding timber plantations.
Fire fighters are working through the night to bring the blaze under control but the strong winds and a lack of air support is key in the struggle

The park is one of the most profitable and commonly visited parks in the country and the surrounding area has seen a strong growth in tourism and capital investment.
. Surprising that this problem persists in an area that suffered severe losses due to fire not even two years ago.

Not even an hour before the fire broke out on Monday, my neighbor decided that it was a particularly good day to burn garden refuse some 50 meters away on the windward side of two large pine trees that over hang my wooden establishment.
In a telephone conversation with a local forester, I was assured that there was no regulation regarding burning or any body to enforce proper fire protection measures.

The question arises as to why it is that government is not enforcing all possible preventative measures to protect our natural resources especially in an area that has such a healthy growth in tourism. And that is in fact key in forming the tourism link between the Eastern Cape and Garden Route.

Alone the volumes of timber that the Tsitsikamma produces and the severe timber shortage that South African saw mills face, is argument enough that sufficient fire fighting resources and efficient mechanisms should long since have been put in place.

There is a major lack of awareness and education regarding burning, waste, resource management and the importance for the protection thereof.

The era of drawn-out talk endless negotiations and half measures have passed.
We live in an era of consequence in terms of our environment and we all bear the responsibility to protect it.