SappiWWF TreeRoutes Partnership | Marutswa Forest Trail and Boardwalk

Marutswa Forest Trail and Boardwalk
Media

Press Release - 27 October 2007
Birders and community soar with new aerial forest boardwalk

For birders, the newly opened Marutswa Aerial Boardwalk near the KwaZulu-Natal village of Bulwer is a place of delight and discovery. But it’s also a superb example of how conservation and economic development can work in harmony.

The boardwalk is a joint initiative between the Bulwer Biosphere and the SappiWWF TreeRoutes Partnership and is one of the anchor attractions of the new Southern KwaZulu-Natal Birding Route.

“It was natural for Sappi, a company that is synonymous with forestry in South Africa, to focus on a project that would protect endangered indigenous forests,” says Sappi’s Corporate Affairs and Communication Manager, Andre Oberholzer. “What makes the project so important is the fact that the local communities were seen as integral to any effort and to any solution. We quickly realised that the best way to protect nature is to allow people to enjoy nature but in a responsible way.”

“Having local communities take ownership of the tourism sites builds commitment and provides an ideal way for people previously excluded from the formal economy to begin to take their rightful place and generate wealth in areas where little other opportunities exist.”

WWF CEO, Morné du Plessis says it provides a good case study on how South Africa’s natural heritage can be sustainably used to promote economic growth.

“Many rural communities have very few choices on making a living. In some cases this leads to say, burning of rare indigenous forests for firewood. That’s a finite resource, but they have little choice.

“Projects like this, which provide people with the opportunity to become involved in eco-tourism, show that when provided choices, many people will opt for the one that’s sustainable and one that they know contributes to an environmentally viable legacy for their children,” du Plessis added.

Marutswa has lookout jetties, decks and view points, allowing visitors to view the various layers of the forest, including the canopy. There’s also an interpretive centre.

The forest is home to the KwaZulu-Natal mist-belt forest bird species which occur in the forest. Cape Parrots, Orange Ground-thrush and Green Twinspot are other sought-after birds here.

Marutswa is likely to be one of the main attractions on the new Birding Route, which takes visitors from the golden beaches and dense, lush forests of the North and South coasts through the beautiful Midlands and up to the spectacular heights of the Drakensberg Mountains.

The opening of the route represents the culmination of seven years of cooperation between global pulp and paper producer Sappi and WWF, the conservation organisation, as well as rural communities who live near threatened indigenous forests and wetlands.

The SappiWWF TreeRoutes Partnership introduced community-based tourism as an alternative to the non-sustainable use of local forests and wetlands. They initiated sustainable eco-tourism programmes as an economically and environmentally sustainable way for rural South Africans to create livelihoods.

The Partnership contributed R1.2 million towards the development of the Marutswa Boardwalk experience.

Andrew Venter from Wildlands Conservation Trust who is project managing the Marutswa Aerial Boardwalk says: “The enthusiasm with which this project has been embraced by residents of the area is very gratifying. The project was the vision of the Bulwer Biosphere, a collective of concerned local residents, who have undertaken a number of complementary community based conservation projects in the area. The Boardwalk will provide them with a solid foundation to expand these initiatives. Similarly, the local Mayor has adopted the project as one of the region’s benchmark initiatives, and is working with the Biosphere to leverage the eco-tourism opportunities which the Boardwalk will support, including the development of a comprehensive birding route and network of attractions throughout the Sisonke District.

Matthew Drew, head of the Southern KwaZulu-Natal Birding Route, adds that in many ways the Southern KZN Birding Route is trying to replicate the highly successful Zululand Birding Route (ZBR). The Dlinza Forest Boardwalk, which is another SappiWWF TreeRoutes Partnership project, has turned out to be one of the key attractions, marketing anchors and education facilities along the ZBR. Another very important point to note is that infrastructure such as boardwalks encourage novice and even non-birding eco-tourists to partake in birding along the route. This is very important as it is a very effective way to promote birding and conservation simultaneously. In order for birding routes to be sustainable it is crucial that they have such key attractions.

For more information:

André Oberholzer
Group Head Corporate Affairs
Sappi Limited
Tel +27(0)11 407 8438
Fax +27 (0)11 403 8236
Andre.Oberholzer@sappi.com

Marli van Wyk
Communications Manager
WWF South Africa
Tel +27 (0)21 888 2863
Cell +27 (0)84 212 2000
mvanwyk@wwf.org.za

Matthew Drew
BirdLife South Africa Avitourism
Project Manager
SKZN Birding Route
Cell +27 (0)82 325 3514
skzn@birdlife.org.za

Issued by:
William Smook
Meropa Communications
Tel +27 (0)21 683 6464
Cell +27 (0) 83 357 2837
williams@meropa.co.za